Staff & Curriculum Development
Support and Solutions - Issue 15
Welcome Back!
This is the first Staff and Curriculum Development Newsletter of the 2021-2022 school year.
As always, we will use this platform to provide you with
- resources,
- things to know,
- tools to use,
- and ideas to explore.
So check it out. Click on the things that you think will help you and skip the things that won't. And remember, we are here if you need us!
Robert, Benedict, and the O.E.D.
It is estimated that there are more than 1 one million words in the English language. As of 2020, the Oxford English Dictionary reported 273,000 headwords -- 171,476 of them are in current use, 47,156 are listed as obsolete, and around 9,500 are considered derivative words included as subentries. Some of us eagerly await the 3rd edition of the OED, scheduled for completion in 2037. But then, some of us are odd.
What words are we using in our day-to-day work, with our students, with their families, and with our colleagues? Words can lift or lessen a spirit. Words can drive thoughts and ideas. Words can be used to educate and illuminate or to muddle and obfuscate.
How are we using our words?
And how are we saying them?
Check out the video below... copyeditor Robert Pirosh used them in 1934 to get a job in Hollywood. Benedict Cumberbatch said them at Freemasons Hall in London. Enjoy!
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CONTENT & PEDAGOGY
Continuing to Build Relationships
Freaked out
The Science Teachers Association of New York State distributed a survey to get a feel of teachers' comfort levels in relation to the new NYS Science Learning Standards. The results, she said, were telling. Teachers with one to three hours of focused exposure to the new standards felt very comfortable with them. Teachers with 10 to 15 hours of focused exposure to the new standards were "freaked the h*** out."
If you have not had the chance to dig deeply enough into the NYSSLS to be a little bit freaked out, consider joining the K-12 Science PLC. Facilitated by Oneida teacher Carly Hein, this group will be digging deeply into the Science and Engineering Practices and the Crosscutting Concepts that are an integral part of each standard. PK-3 teachers and Grade 6 teachers should already be implementing these standards.
The next meeting is on October 27th after school. More information can be found on our Professional Development website.
Instructional Minutes
Maria Papa has designed these quick videos for our current reality -- No time, but a need to continue learning! Enjoy!
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The Reading Corner
Decoding Dragon!
For any teacher of reading who uses “Skippy Frog” strategies and other animals that promote guessing, replace it with Decoding Dragon!
When teaching reading, aim for decoding first!! Instead of having kids “guess” a word, which doesn’t build the neurocircuitry in the brain necessary to read, teach students to decode the word first.
Why push for decoding first? A few reasons:
- Learning to read is not initially a visual task, as was once thought or assumed. We learn to read phonologically through sounds.
- It takes students 2 to 5 exposures to orthographically map (permanently find a home in the brain) when they are learning to decode. When trying to “memorize” a word visually, it can take up to 50 attempts! Evidence and Efficiency. We need both in our schools.
Dig into learning about the science of reading. Of course, students need to be taught explicitly how to decode using a scope and sequence and aligned decoders as their training wheels. When we know better, we do better.
Decoding Dragon is from Lifelong Literacy.
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RESOURCES AND IDEAS
Resources Galore!
Looking for a new or diverse class read? The MOBOCES Media Library has 12 new titles available to borrow in quantities large enough for the entire class. Click the link below to see the new titles and click on a book cover to see related teacher resources.
https://www.teachingbooks.net/qldnte2
The MOBOCES Regional Sora Shelf also has hundreds of eBook titles available for an entire class. Check out those lists here...https://www.teachingbooks.net/ql78cxq and here… https://www.teachingbooks.net/qlw6nsx
All of these titles can be directly assigned to your students for an extended loan period. Email cbrewer@moboces.org to find out more.
PLC Meetings: Teacher-to-Teacher Sharing
- Art
- Band Directors
- Reading K-12
- Early Childhood
- Special Education (K-12)
- School Counselors
- Diverse Books Club (Grades 6-8)
- ELA 9-12
- Drone Technology
- Agriculture
- Family & Consumer Science
- CNY General Music
- Chemistry and Physics
- Science K-12 (Sci. & Eng. Practices & Crosscutting Concepts)
- Book Talk and Take (Grades 9-12)
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Looking for support? Have an idea to share? Have a video that we should add? Reach out to us at scd@moboces.org or check out our webpages by clicking on the logos below!