Secondary English Weekly #22
Issue Twenty-Two / February 11-15, 2019
ela middle school curriculum liaison Meeting this tuesday, February 12th, at 4:10pm
The second ELA Middle School Curriculum Liaison Meeting will happen this Tuesday, February 12th. The meeting will take place from 4:10-6pm in Room 825 at Southland Center, 3700 South High Street. Enter the building at the doors closest to Aldi. Please note the later start time (4:10pm instead of 4pm) to accommodate liaisons who have bus duty.
REGISTER YOUR SCHOOL FOR THE DISTRICT POETRY SLAM BY MARCH 8TH!!
The 2019 CCS District Poetry Slam will be held on Saturday, April 13, 5-9p.m. at Eastmoor Academy High School. Download and Complete this POETRY SLAM REGISTRATION to get your school into the competition! Full information about competing is included on the Registration. Schools do not have to have a full team in order to compete.
The Deadline to Register is March 8th. After the March 8th deadline, we will open up the slam to other districts in central Ohio. Please send your registration and $25 entry fee to Slam Coordinator Wyk McGowan at Eastmoor Academy and Contact him with any questions. 614.804.5535 or wmcgowan8259@columbus.k12.oh.us.
HIGH SCHOOL SPRING DEBATE TOURNAMENT SLATED FOR APRIL 18TH AT CAPITAL UNIVERSITY—REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW
HIGH SCHOOL SPRING DEBATE TOURNAMENT
Our students have a fabulous opportunity to compete against one another at Capital University on Thursday, April 18th from 8:30am-1pm with CCS busing provided. Register your school today! They will compete using the following resolution: Resolved: The Columbus City School District should reduce the number of schools it operates. Debate teams are made of two students. Those students prepare to debate both the affirmative and negative sides of the policy debate resolution. On the day of the debate, each two-person team will be told which side (affirmative or negative) they will be debating during each of the three rounds. Each school can bring up to five teams (10 students).
Registration and Resources: Click HERE to access the debate folder with registration form, a flyer to hand out to increase participation, and numerous resources for preparing your students to be great debaters. Be sure to register your school NOW even if you don’t yet know the names of students on your teams. That can be added later. The deadline for having all your names added is April 10th.
DEBATE FOLDER: https://tinyurl.com/debatehsSpring19 (Info/Resources/Registration)
NOTE: The Middle School Spring Debate Tournament Memo and Registration will be sent out to all ELA teachers and middle school principals by Gifted and Talented. The middle schoolers will also compete on April 18th at Capital University.
PRINCETON SUMMER JOURNALISM PROGRAM FOR JUNIORS-DEADLINE IS THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH!!
The Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) is a free 10-day journalism program, August 2-12, 2019, hosted at Princeton University for high-achieving, low-income CURRENT high school juniors. Students learn reporting from celebrated journalists and are paired with a college counselor during their senior year. All expenses, including students’ travel costs to and from Princeton, are paid for by the program. Download the Flyer HERE.
Apply online today at: psjp.princeton.edu
Deadline: Friday, Feb 15, 2019 at 11:59PM
LAWS OF LIFE ESSAY CONTEST FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL
-While there is no required essay prompt, essays should be about a law of life of the student’s choosing. Some students write about how they learned the law, how they live by it or why it is important to them. Some students use a quote or “maxim” and explain it and why it is important to them.
-The special theme for 2019 is RESPECT. Schools can submit one additional entry on this topic. Students are asked to reflect on what respect means to them, why it is an important Law of Life, how they learned the trait, and how they have changed their behavior to live up to that law. The best essay on this topic will be awarded $150. Students are not required to write about this topic, but if students choose to write about respect, the best essay on that topic may be submitted as an additional entry for that school.
-All essays (including the special theme) should be no more than 3 typed, double spaced pages. Teachers are strongly encouraged to submit their entries online (and all finalists are required to submit an electronic version), so teachers/contest coordinators are encouraged to ask for electronic files from their students.
- The contest coordinator will be asked to complete the Contest Coordinator Registration Form to begin the entry process.
- Final submissions are due by Midnight March 1, 2019.
OHIO SHORTS WEXNER CENTER FOR THE ARTS FILM CONTEST
Ohio-based filmmakers should send in their short video project for the Wexner Center's 23rd annual celebration of the Buckeye State’s vibrant filmmaking scene. Grab your video’s YouTube or Vimeo URL and visit wexarts.org/ohioshorts for rules and entry forms. Each accepted video receives a $50 screening fee. A Jury Award ($500) and Audience Choice Award ($300) will be announced after the Ohio Shorts screening on April 27.
Adult Division (19 and older) entries must be no longer than 20 minutes and
Youth Division (18 and under) entries no longer than 5 minutes. Works must be produced in Ohio within the last 18 months.
Deadline | March 4, 2019. Questions? Contact ohioshorts@wexarts.org
TW0 WAYS TO COMMEMORATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH
HOST A NATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN READ-IN
The National African American Read-In is the nation’s first and oldest event dedicated to diversity in literature. It was established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. This initiative has reached more than 6 million participants around the world.
Consider hosting an event for the 2019 African American Read-In during the month of February. It is easy. You just pick works by African Americans and read them. Think about including students, faculty, parents, community members, etc. Be sure to get it counted! After your event, submit the 2019 Participation Form by March 15, 2019 noting what you read and how many people were part of your Read-In. To learn more, go to http://www2.ncte.org/get-involved/african-american-read-in/.
ASSIGN READINGS FROM COMMONLIT WITH TIES TO BLACK HISTORY
CommonLit is loaded with prose and poetry appropriate for mastery of standards and Black History Month. Here are some titles to think about assigning to your students this week.
- "Marian's Revolution" (5th-6th) Marian Anderson was a popular African American singer who faced discrimination in the early 1900s.
- "The Sit-In Movement" by USHistory.org (7th-8th) Civil rights activists introduced this peaceful form of protesting in the South in the early 1960s.
- "A Defiant Muhammad Ali Was Cherished by Black Men" by Karen Grigsby Bates (9th-10th) Muhammad Ali, a famous American boxer and social activist who passed away in 2016, is remembered for his bold courage.
- "Sweat" (11th-12th) This short story was written by Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), an African American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, anthropologist, and one of the most important figures of the Harlem Renaissance.
You can also check out CommonLit's text set on The Civil Rights Movement, Black History Month featured Favorites, as well as read their blog post on 10 reading passages celebrating African Americans.
—Remember, when you access CommonLit though Clever, your classes/students are already loaded:)
Did You Know THAT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO TEXT COMPLEXITY CHARTS FOR NOVELS IN TEACHINGBOOKS.NET?
Hopefully, you are already using TeachingBooks.net to look at the CCS lists of novels in the warehouse & curriculum office, as well as to access author and novel resources for any novel you are teaching. But, did you know that you can also see the text complexity results for novels at the site? Text complexity goes beyond Lexile level and includes qualitative measurements and reader/task considerations. You can find the "View Text Complexity" link at the top, right of the resource list for any novel on that novel's page on TeachingBooks. The brief video below, which can also be found at the "Text & Novel Access" Quick Link on the ELA 6-12 Webpage, highlights the Text Complexity Tool at about the 3:18 minute mark. If you have not used TeachingBooks, the video also serves as a brief tutorial.
TEACHER CONTESTS AND PD OPPORTUNITIES
NEWSELA WORKSHOP THIS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH.
There is a FREE NewsELA Certified Educator Workshop on Monday, February 11th at Long Street Studio, 300 East Long Street, Columbus, OH 43215 from 9:30am-12:30pm.This is a 3 hour interactive training session to help educators creatively activate Newsela PRO classroom applications. During the workshop participants will design an instructional text set that can be immediately implemented at school with students and other teachers. Plus, teachers will get an exclusive PRO Trial extension to help better pilot Newsela PRO at your school We have found that schools with a NCE greatly influence the overall success of Newsela PRO. Educators can register and RSVP for free using this link!
ATTEND THE POETRY OUT LOUD SEMIFINALS
Even if you do not have students competing in Poetry Out Loud, you should check out the Ohio Poetry Out Loud Regional Semifinal Contest this Tuesday, February 12, 2019 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM at Wild Goose Creative, 2491 Summit St, Columbus, OH 43202. This is an experience worth your time and can help you get ready to involve students in next year's contest.
TEACHINGBOOKS WEBINARS
Register Today! Ready to learn more about TeachingBooks? These webinars offer options for new and experienced users. Sign up for specific sessions or the entire series!
If you can’t join a webinar on its particular date and time, sign up and they will send you the recording. The next Webinar is Sharing TeachingBooks: Spread the Word (45 minutes) on
Tuesday, February 12, at 5pm.
YOU COULD BE IN COMMONLIT'S IMPACT VIDEO
The CommonLit team is making an impact video, and you can be a part of it! The impact video will be used to tell the world how CommonLit helps students and teachers, just like you. To participate, click the link below and submit a 10-30 second clip where you share how CommonLit has made a difference in your classroom: Click here to submit a video!
-If you are still unsure about how to use CommonLit, register for Getting Started with CommonLit Digital Webinar on February 13th at 4pm. Register here! The Webinar will show you how to use the platform, but remember, for CCS, you access CommonLit through Clever and will not need to follow the general public login procedures at the beginning of the Webinar.
DBQ EVIDENCE-BASED WRITING WORKSHOP ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD/REGISTER BY THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH
As many of you know, the DBQs (Document Based Questions) are not just for AP students anymore! What you may not know is that DBQs are also not just for social studies classes any more. The DBQ Project makes literature units for the ELA classroom. Currently three CCS middle schools have access to digital binders for DBQ Literature (Volumes 1 & 2).
If you want to know more about this resource and get two complete units for your classroom, plan to attend the Leveraging Literacy in Social Studies and Language Arts Workshop on February 23rd at Bowling Green State University from 8:30am-2pm in Room 203 of the Education Building. This workshop provides step-by-step instruction and intensive modeling for practicing teachers on how to build document-based questions and enacting state and national standards. Space is limited.
Register by Feb. 15 at https://bgsu.edu/DBQworkshop
Cost: $20 individual, or $30 for 2-person team (one social studies and one language arts professional). Cost includes all workshop materials, two complete DBQ units for classroom use, lunch and a light breakfast. Please ensure DBQ Workshop and participant names are included with the check. Send checks to: College of Education and Human Development,
Bowling Green State University, 444 Education Bldg., Bowling Green, OH 43403
See this DBQ Flyer for more information.
JASON REYNOLDS VISIT
-Westerville Public Library is bringing Jason Reynolds to their Meet the Author Series at Westerville Central High School Auditorium (7118 Mount Royal Avenue, Westerville, OH 43082) on February 21, 2019 at 7pm. Doors open at 6pm. Book signing at 8pm. Tickets cost $10 for general seating and $5 per student (discount code: student126). Reserve Tickets HERE. Do it now, they are going fast!!
DUBLIN LITERACY CONFERENCE
REGISTRATION is open for the 2019 Dublin Literacy Conference which will be held at Dublin Coffman High School on February 23rd from 7:30am-4:40pm. The theme this year is 30 Years: Celebrating Our Stories. Keynote speakers will include Pam Allyn (Scholastic Education), Jason Reynolds (Author), Bill Bass (ITSE Board of Directors), Hena Khan (Author), and Katherine Sokolowski (Teacher/Podcaster). Dublin Conference Brochure Dublin Conference Website
OCTELA CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
REGISTRATION is open for OCTELA 2019 which will be held at the Worthington Doubletree Hotel on March 1-2, 2019. Keynote speakers will include Dr. Alfred W. Tatum (Professor/Author/Host of African American Adolescent Male Summer Literacy Institute), Marc Tyler Nobleman (Author), Love, Teach (Teacher/Blogger), and Dave Stuart, Jr. (Teacher/Blogger/Author). The theme this year is Lighting the Fire: Inspiring Creativity in Teaching and Learning. OCTELA Conference Website
PD OFFERED BY CCS NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS
Advanced Placement Seminar IV
Presenter: Teresa Weidenbusch
Remaining Date/Time: February 26th from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Fort Hayes Shot Tower Gallery
Target Audience: AP teachers and support staff; The AP Seminar is a seminar designed to provide a venue for AP Course instructors and support staff to examine the past years successes and challenges, compare past and current local, state and national data and to look at current trends and strategies.
Warriors Don’t Cry Book Study
Presenter: Valarie Cummings
Dates/Time: February 28th from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Ridgeview Middle School - Room 210
Target Audience: Grades 6-8 ELA or Social Studies Teachers
Teachers in grades 6-8 who teach English or social studies will read, discuss, and share lesson ideas about the abridged version of Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals.
Planning with Google Classroom
Presenter: Carolyn Willis
Dates/Time: March 5th from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Columbus Gifted Academy - Room 2
Target Audience: Teachers in grades 3 - 12 who are novices with Google Classroom and want to learn how to use it effectively.
The presentation will discuss how to plan lessons using Google classroom as an organizational tool to present lessons.
FREE ONE DAY TEACHERS COLLEGE (COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY) READING & WRITING PROJECT (TCRWP) REUNION ON MARCH 16TH FROM 9AM-3PM IN NEW YORK CITY
For one Saturday in the spring and fall, TCRWP opens its doors to thousands of educators from all over the country. It is a fast-paced day, brimming with workshops that can help you find horizons to work towards, whether your focus is on higher level comprehension, content area literacy, units of study in writing (a supplemental resource CCS has for middle schools), assessment-based instruction, increasing student engagement, or bringing books to life. The day features keynotes and closings by renowned authors (Jason Reynolds, Jennifer Serravallo, Carl Anderson, Kathy Collins) and over 125 workshops led by senior Project staff, including Lucy Calkins and all TCRWP staff developers. The day begins at 9:00 a.m. at Riverside Church, one block west of Teachers College, and continues throughout the entire College. The day is free of charge, without registration. It is a gift offered to the TCRWP community. Click here for more information.
OHIOANA BOOK FESTIVAL AUTHORS ANNOUNCED-SAVE THE DATE
The 2019 Ohioana Book Festival will feature 150-plus Ohio writers! It will happen for the first time at Columbus Metropolitan Library's Main Branch! There's something for every reader of every age - and it's FREE! Mark your calendar - Saturday, April 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. See the complete author list and learn more in Ohioan's February Newsletter at this link: http://www.ohioana.org/…/2019/02/Feb-2019-Ohioana-Newslette…
TEACHINGBOOKS BLOG FEBRUARY CONTESTS AND GIVEAWAYS
SOME RECENT ARTICLES FOR YOUR PERUSAL
STANDARDIZED TEST PREP LESSONS FOR AIR SUCCESS USING THE READ METHOD
THIS WEEK'S LESSON: February 14, 2019 (Editing)
-If you have missed any of the lessons released thus far, they are available below and on the ELA 6-12 Webpage, at the "Thursday Standardized Test Prep" Quick Link. These lessons are based upon the CCS 2018 AIR Data Report and its recommended actions simplified in the READ Method for AIR Preparation.
- September 20, 2018 (Complex Text/Text Annotation)
- September 27, 2018 (Complex Text/Word Pyramid & Question Quads)
- October 4, 2018 (Analyzing Questions)
- October 11, 2018 (Analyzing Answers)
- October 18, 2018 (Writing Guide Acronym)
- October 25, 2018 (Passage and Prompt Analysis)
- November 1, 2018 (Finding Evidence)
- November 8, 2018 (Finding Evidence 2)
- November 15, 2018 (Finding Evidence 3)
- November 29, 2018 (Finding Evidence 4)
- December 6, 2018 (Identifying Transitions)
- December 13, 2018 (Adding Transitions)
- December 20, 2018 (Using Transitions)
- January 10, 2019 (Introductions 1)
- January 17, 2019 (Introductions 2)
- January 24, 2019 (Conclusions 1)
- January 31, 2019 (Conclusions 2)
- February 7, 2019 (Scoring)
USE THIS LIST TO GUIDE WHAT YOU DO IN THE CLASSROOM
1-Make close reading of text central to lesson.
2-Structure majority of instruction so all students read grade-level complex texts.
3-Emphasize informational texts from early grades through graduation.
4-Provide scaffolding that does not preempt or replace text.
5-Ask text-dependent questions.
6-Provide extensive research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).
7-Offer regular opportunities for students to share ideas, evidence, and research.
8-Offer systematic instruction in vocabulary.
9-Provide explicit instruction in grammar and conventions.
10-Cultivate students’ independence
LOOKING FOR PREVIOUS ISSUES OF THE NEWSLETTER?
January 28-February 1-Issue Twenty
December 17-Winter Break-Issue Sixteen
Carla Mae Phillips
Southland Center, Suite 125
Email: cphillips3865@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12
Location: 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (380) 997-0463
Tim Wangler
Southland Center, Suite 125
Email: twangler8446@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12
Location: 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (380) 997-0462