PATRIOT POST
March 26, 2018 Volume III. Issue XXX
Literacy Night was a success! Kudos to Ms. Elikwu and the humanities team for making this event a hit!
Small group reading observations went well last week! Thank you all for being receptive to the feedback and working to improve your craft. Keep pushing!
Level Up Saturday School comes to an end! Thank you Mrs. Ricks and the Saturday School Staff for pouring into our students!
Ms. Maddox had a blast at Rock Eagle with our Fourth Grade TAG Students! Thank you so much for exposing our students to this awesome learning opportunity!
Shout Out to Mr. Davis and the LPES Chorus for representing the Liberty Point Brand at the Union City State of the City Address! Great Work!
Reading & Writing Units of Study Updates
It's Spring Cleaning: Literacy Environment Check !!
Thank you for consistently striving to maintain classroom expectations for the Units of Study Curriculum! Your ambition to operate with excellence does not go unnoticed. I visited most classrooms over the weekend and here's what I saw:
- Book Baggies with Appropriate # of Books Reflected for Reading Levels
- Updated Writers' Galleries That Are GROWING
- Small Group Areas READY for Instruction
- Updated Small Group PLANS Posted Near the Classroom Door
- Oversize Exemplars / Checklists To SHOW What Success Looks Like
- ORGANIZED Classroom Libraries with Books Standing Upright
- Writing Folders with Sizable VOLUME of Writing for Current Unit
Writers’ Gallery
+ An Accumulation of Writing Pieces From Each Unit
+ Extended Writing
+ Published (complete) Writing, not Graphic Organizers
+ OnDemands, Final Writing Pieces
+ Ultimate Goal: Teacher Commentary
Small Group Visual Prep
+ Small Group Plans
+ Small Group Notebook For Notes
+ Strategy Visuals
+ Timer
Exemplars
+ Marked Up to Annotate Lookfors
#TCRWP KK - 2nd Grade Staff Development with Casey Maxwell
1. Moving Readers from Level B to Level C & Informal Running Records
2. Teaching Small Groups in Series: How to Continue a Strategy with Less Support Over A Series of Sessions
3. Strategy Groups 102 for Early Chapter Book Readers
With your sign ups and data in consideration, final placements have been made. Please view your course and time for Friday, March 30. TCRWP PL with Casey Maxwell Schedule
The 2nd Semester Come Up: All In, Streamlined, & Aligned!
*Read Alouds are facilitated everyday for 15 minutes. Standards-based comprehension strategies are modeled through think alouds.
*Shared Reading is facilitated everyday for 15 minutes. Blast Phonics skills, reading behaviors, and fluency are modeled through think alouds and student participation.
*Mini Lessons are under 15 minutes with explicit demonstrations and student practice.
*At least 2 Small Groups are seen for both Reading and Writing Workshop.
*We are fully released from stations.
*IRead and IReady will be used during RTI for all homerooms.
*Reading Flex Fridays are used for explicit Reading Standards - Based Mini Lessons.
*Writing Flex Fridays are used for explicit Language/Grammar - Based Mini Lessons.
Team #MakeAWay P U S H E S!
Small Group Support
Peer Feedback & Discourse
Rigorous Read Alouds
March Madness in Full Effect Grades 3-5 Lets continue to WIN
We've completed March Madness Round 3! Lets continue to push our students to SUCCESS. As we approach the last few days before testing a few things to remember:
We have exactly 8 days of instruction before testing begins so some things to remember:
- Guided Math Framework: Daily (3 small groups based on needs-differentiated See Ms. Bentley if you need support in this area)
- Writing Wednesday: March 28
- Weekly Formative Challenge: Friday or Monday of each week
- Test Taking Strategies: Daily
- Instructional Look Fors: Classroom Expectations
- Engaging prep
Instructional Moves (Guided Math)
Small Groups-Who are the members of the group?
Teaching Point-What is the focus Teaching Point for the group?
Data Choice-What data was used to determine the group?
*Instructional Math Block (Teacher Station, Technology Station, Fluency/Review/Writing Station of strategically chosen standards)-Be sure to monitor progress and data reports for Redbird
*Target Standards-Benchmark Results
*(SOLVE) Word Problems-Release students to work independently & provide them feedback
*How can we create a spiral review of our prioritized/weak standards? EASY!
- Morning Work
- Review Station
- Virtual Lessons
Math Highlights of the Week
Our Kindergarten students are not letting up, they are pushing through to the end: Students are challenged to create addition equations with multiple addends, 1st Grade here they come
Creative, Hands-On, & Engaging
Instructional Updates-Math Prep
- Keep our Mini-Lessons short and sweet (10-15 minutes)
- Mini-Lessons will determine your immediate Strategy Groups
- Guided Groups based on their needs-Benchmark data will guide targeted lessons
- Fulton Connect Reports/Illuminate Reports will support with Unit data and student performance
- PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and MORE PRACTICE
- Continuous & Consistant FEEDBACK
What Strategies and Tools are your students using?
Below are suggested manipulatives and the standards that they support
Suggested Manipulatives Grades K-2nd
Suggested Manipulatives Grades 3rd-5thSPECIAL POINTS OF INTERESTS:
Monday, March 26th- FCS Board Members School Tour
Tuesday, March 27th- K - 5 Literacy Prep
Wednesday, March 28th- K-2 Math Prep
Thursday, March 29th- Town Hall Meetings
Friday, March 30th- Lunch will be held in classrooms, K-2 Staff Developer Visit, Spring Break begins at 2:45pm