TUSD CONNECTION
Volume 1 | Issue 4: Professional Growth & Development
Educational Services Department
A Message from Kathie Nielsen
Hello TUSD Elementary Teachers,
Here we are, the halfway point in the school year. As I visit sites all across TUSD it is certainly evident that our students are learning and growing in great strides, but also amazing, is how our teachers are growing. I was so impressed to review your feedback from the recent after school professional development sessions. It is so wonderful to see so many of you learning new strategies and approaches that continue to strengthen your teaching. It was also exciting to hear such positive feedback from those of you who took part in the virtual learning sessions. We look forward to continuing this model of professional development as so many of you expressed an appreciation for this flexible professional development approach. The work you do both professionally and on behalf of students in absolutely astounding. Thank you to our Connect Coaches, TOSAs, and teacher leaders who led sessions and engage us all in this most important work.
January 20, 2016 | Session Recap
Thank you to our facilitators for developing meaningful learning experiences. As our Learning Manifesto states, "We are partners in learning."
Thoughts/Comments from TUSD Teachers:
“I really enjoyed listening to what other teachers are doing in their own classrooms. It was nice to hear from a variety of teachers at different grade levels and site.”
“This was extremely convenient [online session] as I was able to watch the video, and pull different resources that were referred to as I sat in my very own classroom. I really appreciate this type of course being offered, as it also saved travel time to various sites as I was able to get started right away! Extremely productive use of my time!”
“I loved this [online session] as a an option for PD. I could stop and pause the video and discuss with other teachers who were viewing it with me. Great!”
“I really enjoyed having the option of choosing a PD that was in my own classroom, at my own learning pace. I was able to access materials I have and pull them out for immediate use. It was comfortable and relaxed, and I was learning what really applied to me.”
We greatly appreciate your feedback from the sessions.
Please click HERE to complete the Reflection & Evaluation form.
February 17, 2016 | Session Descriptions
In-Person Sessions:
- Google Classroom (3-5)
- Balancing TECHNOLOGY Integration - NEW
- Writing Workshop 101 | Getting Started: The Nuts & Bolts
- Writing Workshop | Digging Deeper - NEW
- Shared Reading: Traditional & Digital
- 3 Act Math Tasks (K-5) - NEW
- The "Maker" Mindset | Inspiring Children to Explore, Think, and Create - NEW
- Mini-Lessons, Mentor Texts, and Read Alouds. Oh, my!
Online Sessions:
- Tools for Assessing Readers/Writers - NEW
- Counting Collections (K-2) - NEW
- Unpacking Teachers College Units of Study for Reading
- The WHAT, HOW, and WHY of Reading Strategies - NEW
Click HERE to access session descriptions.
Dr. Gravity Goldberg Webinar | January 25, 2016
A Tip from Dr. Goldberg:
- Help Ss to embrace STRUGGLE by taking a step back and letting them have the learner's high. When we jump in too fast, we steal the "learning high" from our Ss.
Teacher Roles to Consider | Be a...
- MINER: uncover what Ss are doing and thinking as readers
- MIRROR: provide feedback by reflecting back to Ss what you see them doing
- MODEL: demonstrate to show what reading looks like
- MENTOR: provide guided practice alongside Ss
Click on the video below to view the ARCHIVE of this webinar.
Click HERE to download the presentation slides.
TUSD CGI Institute | online inquiry
Next Meeting: Tuesday, February 9th (online)
Topics from previous sessions have included:
- What Does a CGI Classroom Look Like?
- Counting Collections
- Problem Types
Any teachers interested in accessing the resources or participating in CGI Institute meetings can find everything on the "TUSD Elementary STEM" Haiku page. Feel free to contact Lauren Steinmann with any questions! lsteinmann@tustin.k12.ca.us
#TheEdCollab Gathering | FREE PD
A day of learning + in your pajamas (for free!)
online workshops & twitter conversations
Spring Gathering: April 2, 2016
9:45AM-4:-00 PM EST
Keynote: Harvey “Smokey” Daniels and Sara Ahmed
Online. No Registration. Just join the fun!
Click HERE for more information.
Corwin Webinar Series | FREE PD
Why attend a Corwin webinar? The next best thing to an on-site workshop, Corwin webinars are your opportunity to interact directly with the field’s most influential thought leaders on a range of critical issues. What’s more, they’re free! Invite your entire team for a start-to-finish professional learning experience. Or download the slides post-webinar and share with your colleagues.
Frequency: 2 webinars per month
Time: 3:30 PDT / 6:30 EST
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: FREE!
Click HERE to access webinar archives.
The purpose of Phase 4: Deepening Understanding of Characters is to study the complexities of fiction stories and the characters within. Children will be inspired to think deeply about stories and characters through the skill work of predicting, inferring, envisioning, and analyzing. Building upon the previous phase, students will continue to engage in conversations with partnerships and/or small groups to build and evaluate even more ideas about the characters they are encountering. The work within this phase is meant to inspire children to fall deeper in love with fiction books, especially relating to the problems, challenges, and successes that characters experience.
Text Type: Narrative
Click HERE to access TUSD ELA Instructional Phases
Possible Teachers College Units of Study - Reading
K: Unit 4 Becoming Avid Readers
1: Unit 4 Meeting Characters and Learning Lessons: A Study of Story Elements
2: Unit 4 Series Book Clubs
3: Unit 3 Character Studies
4: If... Then... Unit Author Study: Reading Like a Fan
5: Unit 4 Fantasy Book Clubs: The Magic of Themes and Symbols
Possible Teachers College Units of Study - Writing
K: Unit 2 Writing for Readers
1: Unit 4 From Scenes to Scenes: Writing Fiction
2: If... Then... Writing Gripping Fictional Stories with Meaning and Significance
3: Unit 4 Once Upon a Time: Adapting and Writing Fairy Tales
4: Unit 4 The Literary Essay: Writing About Fiction
5: Unit 3 Shaping Texts: From Essay and Narrative to Memoir
Using Teachers College Units of Study? Need support in unpacking the units and projecting mini-lessons?
Contact Amanda Heineman - ajjohnson@tustin.k12.ca.us