PreK-6 Newsletter
August/September 2016
Welcome Back! A message from our new Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Instruction and Technology, Dr. Smith!
As a reminder, during your PLCs, you should be utilizing the MGSD CORE Curriculum Guides when answering the essential questions for PLCs:
What do we want students to know?
How will we know when they have learned it?
What will we do when students don't demonstrate an understanding?
What will we do when students do demonstrate an understanding?
We want to provide opportunities for your SPECIFIC and CONSTRUCTIVE feedback. As you discuss the CORE guides at your PLC meetings, please use this form to provide feedback. The curriculum planners will use this feedback to make revisions to 1st quarter as well as use it to help plan out 2nd quarter. It can be completed weekly if you feel there is a need. Also, there are quite a few questions/reflections on the form, you only need to complete the questions that are applicable to your feedback. Thank you in advance for your feedback. We all know this is a working process and we can always improve!
MGSD 2016-17 Important Dates
MGSD Livebinder
September's M-Powerment Strategy M1 Collaborative Culture of Caring
Teachers collaborate to create a culture of caring where every child every day feels valued and nurtured.
Find some additional ways you can show kids you care below!!
6 Ways to Let Students Know You Care
1- Greet Them
2- 2X10
3- George's Book
4- My Life in Six Words
5- Debrief with Students
6- Attend Extracurricular Events
Read all about them here.
Top ten tool focus: blackboard learn and google apps for education
Blackboard Learn is our learning management system (LMS) that allows students and parents to access grades, assignments, homework, links, lesson plans and other content. It is a one stop shop for parents and students to gain insight on what is going on in the classroom. Learn is available for all grades K-12 and its a great way to keep all of those fantastic links, lessons, and documents in one place for your students to access. If you would like to learn more about how you can use BB Learn in your classroom, please schedule some time with your School ITF!
Your Google Account can change the way you collaborate with your team, other staff members, and your students. Your Google drive allows you to share docs, spreadsheets, slideshows, pictures and so much more. 2nd-6th grade students also have Google accounts and can collaborate with teachers as well as each other. Check this Beginner Google Tools Smore out!
Anchored Word Learning: Read Aloud & Vocabulary Strategy
Read alouds are the perfect venue for providing a model of fluent reading, talking about text, and building comprehension skills.
Additionally, read alouds provide an integrated way for introducing vocabulary in a meaningful context.Anchored Word Learning (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002) is one of my favorite strategies for introducing targeted words with young children. With early learners, picture books have a higher level vocabulary not typically found in leveled texts.
Anchored Word Learning is easy to incorporate into daily read alouds with the simple steps outlined here.
No Tears for Tiers: Common Core Tiered Vocabulary Made Simple
Read the article here.
SSTaRS: A Strategy for Teaching Vocabulary in Preschool!
Read more about the SSTaRs Strategy here.
Progress Monitoring Calendar for mClass
Math Talk 101
Please check this article out! There are videos, ideas of how to get started, role descriptors, anchor charts, and SO MUCH MORE!