ELA Weekly:
February 1 - February 5
Curriculum Manager Announcements
7th Grade Essay Benchmark Added!
This will replace the February 5th Reading Bi-Weekly Assessment. The essay will be tied to a major theme in Tangerine, so students will be able to reference the novel to support ideas in their essay. The prompt is posted on the Hub. All student scores will be input into SchoolNet after teachers have completed essay scoring at Course Collaboration 4 on February 12th. Teachers will grade essays at Course Collaboration 4 on February 12th, and all sessions will be focused on grading, providing specific feedback to students, and targeted strategies for the four areas of growth (thesis development, strong supporting ideas, transitions, and text organization). The deadline to input the student scores in SchoolNet is by the end of the day, Tuesday, February 16th.
Course Specific
6th Grade ELA
SpringBoard: Teachers should embed expository texts and poetry analysis throughout the whole-class study of the novel, Holes. The Webinar on 1/27 was focused on how to embed these genres within the novel unit, and several teachers shared resources with the group. All resources can be found on the Hub, within the Quarter 3 folder (“Expository and Poetry Resources”). This week’s lessons in SpringBoard focus on character development and how character development contributes to plot development. Students will look at character relationships, considering how a character’s change in a novel influences other characters and our understanding of the story. Students will also look at the sub-plot of the novel, and understand how the sub-plot contributes to the main plot. Teachers will need to review flashback, guiding students to identify key text features of flashbacks.
Do-Nows: In Quarter 3, teachers will choose the focus TEKS for the Do-Nows that meet the needs of individual classrooms. Teachers should continue to use the template for the Do-Nows, located on the Hub in the Quarter 3 folder. The curriculum Unit Map outlines which TEKS teachers should focus on each week, and teachers should use this list to choose from as they decide which skills to reteach during the Do-Nows. This week’s focus should include one of the following TEKS: (EDITING): 6.20A (capitalization); 6.20B (punctuation); 6.19A (verb tenses and subject/verb agreement); 6.14D (homophones, pronoun usage); 6.21A (commonly confused words)
Assessments: The next Bi-Weekly Assessment will be Thursday, February 11th. This reading assessment will contain an expository text and a poem. Teachers should be using suggested expository texts and poems to prepare students for this BWA.
Archived Webinars: Please visit the links below to view previous webinars.
- January 27th: https://bluejeans.com/s/92s@/
- January 13th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8@hm/
- December 2nd: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Thh/
- November 11th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Okg/
- October 28th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Kvp/
- September 30th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8E2z/
September 16th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8AMZ/
7th Grade ELA
SpringBoard: Teachers received support around embedding expository texts in the novel unit during last week’s Webinar. Teachers shared resources and sample texts that could be used in this novel unit. Some topics include:
Muck fires
Lightning
Vision problems
Bullying
Solar eclipse
Sinkholes
Moving
Family dynamics/relationships
Rescue equipment
Natural disasters
Overcoming obstacles
Agriculture
Heroes
Florida facts
Biography on Edward Bloor
Sports teams
Osprey
Where to find resources:
Achieve3000
NewsELA
Readworks.org
New York Times for teens
CNN for kids
Discovery News
This week’s SpringBoard lessons focus on the topic of one of the major themes in the novel, Tangerine: Family. This is also the topic for the expository essay students will write on Friday. As teachers are guiding students through a close reading of the text, they should identify how “family” is represented in the text. Ideally, students will see this connection and will use the novel to support ideas in their expository essays.
Do-Nows: In Quarter 3, teachers will choose the focus TEKS for the Do-Nows that meet the needs of individual classrooms, based on IA2 data. The curriculum Unit Map outlines which TEKS teachers should focus on each week, and teachers should use this list to choose from as they decide which skills to reteach during the Do-Nows. This week’s focus should include one of the following TEKS: (EDITING): 7.20A (capitalization); 7.20B (punctuation); 7.19A (verb tenses and subject/verb agreement); 7.14D (homophones, pronoun usage); 7.21A (commonly confused words). During Course Collaboration, teachers created Do-Nows for Quarter 3, and all of them have been uploaded to the Hub. Teachers will need to go to ELAà7th gradeàQuarter 3àDo-Nows to download the power point for the skill they plan to teach, and adjust the Do-Nows (if needed). This sharing opportunity means that we now have a whole Quarter worth of Do-Nows after just a few hours of work from all of the 7th grade teachers! What awesome collaboration!
Assessments: Students will write a full expository essay on Friday, February 5th. If teachers need to allow two days to complete the essay, they may. The time limit for this expository essay is 2 hours. See the information at the top of the newsletter for details about this essay, including scoring expectations and scanning deadlines.
Archived Webinars:
January 27th: https://bluejeans.com/s/92t2/
January 13th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8@hA/
December 2nd: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Thi/
November 11th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Okf/
October 28th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Kw6/
September 30th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8E2D/
September 16th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8AN7/
September 2nd: https://bluejeans.com/s/8zrR/
August 19th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8zrU/
8th Grade ELA
Content: Monday through Wednesday are designated as Teacher Flex Days to ensure review and aid in logistical planning for IA3. Thursday and Friday, ELA 8 is back on scope and sequence. Plan accordingly to ensure all expectations are met for IA3 administration and SpringBoard coverage.
Upcoming Exam Dates: Note, IA3 is a full STAAR Release exam. Speak to your Campus Manager and Academic Counselor to finalize your testing schedule for next week. IA3 is a testing window that begins on Monday, February 1 and closes Wednesday, February 3.
Grammar Focus/Do Now: This week's GF/DN focuses on verb tenses (8.19A). When preparing for the GF/DN, think of this process as an entire lesson cycle.
- Note: The GF/DN should take no more than 10 minutes.
- 2 minute: Assign Yourself/Take-Out Materials/Attendance
- 2 minute: Teacher direct teach
- 2 minute: Teacher model
- 2 minute: Student practice (ensure students share responses with a partner before whole group)
- 2 minute: Student create/explain (ensure students share responses with a partner before whole group)
Additional STAAR Resources: Two additional resources have been provided to ensure success on IA3 and STAAR. They include the following: 1) STAAR Question Stem Resource and 2) IA2 Data Reflection. Both of these documents provide information to help with planning and execution. Refer to these documents frequently to ensure effective action is taken each day during instruction.
Archived Webinars: Please visit the links below to view previous webinars:
- January 27th: https://bluejeans.com/s/93au/
- January 13th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8_9A/
- December 16th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Xoz/
- November 11th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Oln/
- October 28th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Kvb/
- October 14th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Kva/
- September 30th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8D_S/
English I Pre-AP
Content: This week is dedicated to providing students specific and tailored instruction based off of your individual IA2 and BWA data. Use the Teacher Flex Days provided to ensure you are building lessons that provide students with true and multiple "at bats" that will allow for success on IA3 and STAAR.
- Note: When creating your questions, use the STAAR Question Stem Resource. It is key that the questions mirror the language of the exam to ensure students are being assessed at the same rigor as STAAR.
Upcoming Assessments: Note, IA3 is a full STAAR Release exam. Speak to your Campus Manager and Academic Counselor to finalize your testing schedule for next week. IA3 is a testing window that begins on Monday, February 8 and closes Wednesday, February 10.
Grammar Focus/Do Now: This week's GF/DN focuses on verb agreement (9.17A). When preparing for the GF/DN, think of this process as an entire lesson cycle.
- Note: The GF/DN should take no more than 10 minutes.
- 2 minute: Assign Yourself/Take-Out Materials/Attendance
- 2 minute: Teacher direct teach
- 2 minute: Teacher model
- 2 minute: Student practice (ensure students share responses with a partner before whole group)
- 2 minute: Student create/explain (ensure students share responses with a partner before whole group)
Additional STAAR Resources: Two additional resources have been provided to ensure success on IA3 and STAAR. They include the following: 1) STAAR Question Stem Resource and 2) IA2 Data Reflection. Both of these documents provide information to help with planning and execution. Refer to these documents frequently to ensure effective action
Archived Webinars: Please visit the links below to view previous webinars.
- January 13th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8_9A/
- December 16th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Xoz/
- November 11th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Oln/
- October 28th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Kvb/
- October 14th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Kva/
- September 30th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8D_U/
- September 16th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Av6/
- September 2nd: https://bluejeans.com/s/8D_V/
English II Pre-AP
Content: This week is dedicated to providing students specific and tailored instruction based off of your individual IA2 and BWA data. Use the Teacher Flex Days provided to ensure you are building lessons that provide students with true and multiple "at bats" that will allow for success on IA3 and STAAR.
- Note: When creating your questions, use the STAAR Question Stem Resource. It is key that the questions mirror the language of the exam to ensure students are being assessed at the same rigor as STAAR.
Upcoming Assessments: Note, IA3 is a full STAAR Release exam. Speak to your Campus Manager and Academic Counselor to finalize your testing schedule for next week. IA3 is a testing window that begins on Monday, February 8 and closes Wednesday, February 10.
Grammar Focus/Do Now: This week's GF/DN focuses on verb tenses (10.17A). When preparing for the GF/DN, think of this process as an entire lesson cycle.
- Note: The GF/DN should take no more than 10 minutes.
- 2 minute: Assign Yourself/Take-Out Materials/Attendance
- 2 minute: Teacher direct teach
- 2 minute: Teacher model
- 2 minute: Student practice (ensure students share responses with a partner before whole group)
- 2 minute: Student create/explain (ensure students share responses with a partner before whole group)
Additional STAAR Resources: Two additional resources have been provided to ensure success on IA3 and STAAR. They include the following: 1) STAAR Question Stem Resource and 2) IA2 Data Reflection. Both of these documents provide information to help with planning and execution. Refer to these documents frequently to ensure effective action is taken each day during insruction.
Archived Webinars: Please visit the links below to view previous webinars.
- January 13th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8_9A/
- December 16th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Xoz/
- November 11th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Ols/
- October 28th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Kvb/
- October 14th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Kva/
- September 30th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8D_X/
- September 16th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Avc/
- September 2nd: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Avb/
AP Language
Mock Exam Information: All information for the Mock Exam can be found on the Hub: ELAàMock Exam InformationàAP Language and Comp
Content: This week’s lessons provide a basic overview/review of the components of the Mock Exam. While review materials for all components of the Mock Exam have been provided on the Hub, teachers should choose materials that are appropriate for the needs of their classroom, focusing on the areas where students need the most support going into the Mock Exam. Also, remember that this Mock Exam is not an assessment of “student readiness” for the AP Exam. We still have three months of school before students will take the real AP Exam! The Mock Exam should be used to focus instruction throughout Quarter 3 and Quarter 4, identifying areas where students are weak, and need the most support.
Assessments: Mock Exam window is February 8-10. The mock grading will be on February 19th. Teachers are responsible for grading the Multiple Choice (in SchoolNet) and the Synthesis essay. The Argument and Rhetorical Analysis essay will be graded at the Mock Reading on February 19th.
The scanning deadline for the BWA Rhetorical Analysis essay is Friday, February 5th.
Archived Webinars: Please use the links below to view previous webinars:
January 27th: https://bluejeans.com/s/92t7/
November 11th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Okk/
October 28th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Kwa/
September 30th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8E2G/
September 16th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8ANu/
September 2nd: https://bluejeans.com/s/8zsh/
August 19th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8zsi/
AP Literature
Content: Students will continue to read Othello, and analyze several monologues from the play. As students are reading Othello, they are also exploring the historical and cultural context of the play in order to gain a better understanding of the societal and cultural meanings. Students will also examine a text that presents a historical perspective on the cultural significance of the Moor in literature. Last week’s Webinar focused on how to build student motivation when reading difficult Shakespearean texts. Teachers shared strategies for assessment around the play, as well. Othello is one of the most commonly-assessed works on the AP Literature exam, so we are serving students well by exposing them to a close reading of this play. The SpringBoard lessons guide students through deep analysis of the play and its historical context, which will provide students with a rich text to reference on the Open-Ended question on the AP Lit exam.
Assessments: Mock Exam window is February 8-10. The mock grading will be on February 19th. Teachers are responsible for grading the Multiple Choice (in SchoolNet) and the Open-Ended essay. The Poetry Analysis and Prose Analysis essay will be graded at the Mock Reading on February 19th. All information about the Mock Exam is posted on the Hub: ELAàMock Exam InformationàAP Literature & Composition.
The scanning deadline for the BWA Open-Ended essay is Friday, February 5th.
Archived Webinars: Please use the links below to view previous webinars:
January 27th: https://bluejeans.com/s/92sT/
January 13th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8@jk/
December 2nd: https://bluejeans.com/s/8Thm/
October 28th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8KwI/
September 30th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8E2W/
September 16th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8ANI/ (Implementing timed writings in class/Integration of poetry during prose lessons)
September 2nd: https://bluejeans.com/s/8zsn/
August 19th: https://bluejeans.com/s/8zsm/