Curriculum Corner
June 2021
Wrapping Up the Year!
From Jen Larva, Interim Director of Curriculum and Instruction
A HUGE Thank YOU!
Sometimes we take huge risks and they end up paying out in ways that you never expect. This past year has been an incredible learning experience for me. My time as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction may have been short-lived, but has had a huge impact on my skills, knowledge, and relationships.
This year I witness incredible feats of accomplishments in dealing with the pandemic and the ever shifting models of instruction! You all should be so proud of what you have learned through your productive struggle! Every teacher and staff member in Duluth Public Schools came away from this year with a whole new set of skills!
Thank you for the patience and understanding that was extended to my department as we sorted through things and tried to support you as best we could!
Blended Learning
By now, you all should have seen my email introducing you to the Blended Learning initiative and asking you to complete a readiness assessment. (If you haven't had a chance to get to your emails, please watch the video to learn more about the "why" behind blended learning as we look toward building the "what" and "how".)Unfortunately, "blended learning" sounds a lot like what we have been doing this year with "distance learning", "digital learning", "remote learning", etc. Some of you might be thinking that we are planning on doing more of the same.
You all have just done the hardest teaching imaginable! You are going to think that our blended learning initiative is a cake walk compared to this year. If you imagine a pool of water, the stuff you did this year might have felt like drowning or struggling to swim. Blended learning won't be quite to the level of "soaring" above the water but it might feel like you are in a motorized boat!
Yes, there will be goals for teachers and professional learning to go along with the blended learning initiative. And yes, you are going to learn some new vocabulary and models of instruction. Please keep in mind though that we will be asking teachers to do next year will be "reeling the line back in". We will go slow and ensure that you are supported along the way. You got this!
Professional Development College of St. Scholastica - June 15, 2021
Teaching and Learning Conference
June 15, 2021 Registration
he College of St. Scholastica, in partnership with Duluth Public Schools, invite all Duluth Public Schools Staff to attend the Virtual Teaching and Learning Conference on June 15, 2021. This partnership enables all Duluth Public School employees to attend at no cost to the individual participant.
The College of St. Scholastica's Teaching and Learning Conference brings together all education professionals to address effective educational practices and inequities in schools and other settings. We invite all staff to participate in one or all sessions. If you are a licensed staff member, CEUs will be issued for your attendance.
The conference begins with an inspiring keynote address (Wing Young Huie - How Photographs Form Us; What Do you See) and offers breakout sessions throughout the day. The conference is designed to address the critical issues facing educators and other social sector practitioners.
More information on the schedule and breakout sessions will be available at the Teaching & Learning Conference website - http://www.css.edu/about/conferences-and-camps/conferences/teaching-and-learning-conference/keynote.html
It is preferred that staff intending to participate complete this registration form by June 10, 2021,
The conference begins with the Keynote address at 8:30 a.m., followed by a day filled with breakout sessions.
Sample 2021 virtual breakout sessions
- Getting creative online: building community and assignments that engage students in a virtual environment
- Every Student Can Learn to Read (The Science of Reading in the Classroom)
- Teaching, Connecting, and Community Building in a Revolutionized Online Learning Environment
- Cultivating Wellness at School: The link between Leadership, SEL and Resilience
- Beyond the Survey: Creative Uses of Google Forms for Pedagogy
Rivers2Lake Now Accepting Applications
Rivers2Lake, a dynamic education program that helps teachers integrate Lake Superior into curriculum, is accepting applications. I have attached all of the application materials here. Applications must be submitted by June 15th, 2021. Educators in any subject or grade level are eligible to participate.
Teachers will participate in the Rivers2Lake Summer Institute from August 10th through 13th 2021, where they learn about Lake Superior and the St. Louis River from scientists, resource management agencies, and tribal experts, along with place-based and outdoor learning methods. During the year, education staff at the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve in Superior, WI and the Superior Rivers Watershed Association in Ashland, WI provide support and co-teaching in Rivers2Lake classrooms bi-monthly. Staff help teachers find and create the resources they need to meet and exceed educational standards using Lake Superior as an integrating context year-round.
If you have further questions or would like more information, please feel free to contact me. Thanks much for your time and consideration!
Ryan Feldbrugge, he/him/his
Education Specialist
Rivers2Lake Education Mentor – Twin Ports
Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve
14 Marina Dr.
Superior, WI 54880
Anishinaabe aki
(715) 399-4090
711 (Wisconsin Relay)
Pathway18 - Opportunities for CITS Teachers and Potential CITS Teachers
Summer registration is open! www.MinnState.edu/Pathway18
Current and future concurrent enrollment instructors can apply and register for a wide range of online graduate courses through our recently launched Pathway to 18, a collaborative effort of the seven universities of Minnesota State!
In response to the Higher Learning Commission's faculty qualification standards for those teaching college or university courses in the liberal arts, the seven universities of Minnesota State are working together to develop and deliver graduate courses to meet the needs of concurrent enrollment instructors in our state and beyond.
The Minnesota state legislature appropriated funds for summer 2021 for two tuition assistance programs: 18 Online, coordinated by MSU Moorhead and the Lakes Country Service Cooperative, and the Statewide Partnership, coordinated by the Metropolitan Educational Cooperative Service Unit (Metro ECSU).
Pathway to 18 was designed with concurrent enrollment teachers in mind. Pathway to 18 is a one-stop shop to for instructors to get all the information they need to enroll in graduate courses across a variety of subject areas.
Pathway to 18 provides:
- Accessible, online graduate courses across several subject areas
- A single application process for concurrent enrollment instructors across all 7 universities
- Easy to view schedule of course offerings by semester across all disciplines and all 7 universities
- Up to date information and resources about funding supports, course offerings, registration processes, etc.
- High quality customer service support via phone or chat 7 days a week, including evenings and weekends
- Personal follow up phone calls and emails to individuals and applicants interested in accessing graduate courses
Please share this information with high school teachers interested in or currently teaching concurrent enrollment: www.MinnState.edu/Pathway18
Best wishes,
Minnesota State | Pathway to 18 team
Secondary Math by Patricia Bambenek, Math Content Specialist
It's time to rethink High School Math offerings. High school mathematics in the United States has not changed for the last 50 years while the future jobs of our graduating students looks nothing like the era of days gone by. To begin the conversation a group of 8th and high school math teachers met in a book study on Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations monthly starting in January 2020. Next, at the May 4th 2021 Board meeting Brenda Florestano, Jane Juten, Ed Lewis, and Pam Nelson and Patti Bambenek participated in a presentation to the board on the need for changes to the HS course offerings and eliminating tracking that begins in 8th grade. A ten minute presentation became an hour long discussion with board members asking how they could support the mathematics teachers in creating changes. (WOW!) Last Wednesday 28 participants watched a 2020 NCTM presentation given by Dr. Eric Milou provides further evidence for the need to change, possible action steps, and examples of locations where change is beginning to emerge across the country. This coming Wednesday the same folks (including 2 Board Members) will meet with Ishmael Robinson to hear St. Paul Public Schools journey to incorporate the Catalyzing Change recommendations and their creation of 5 different Pathways for students entering their Junior and Senior years based on their future vocational interests. Their project has created interest across the country as well as countries as far away as Egypt.
So what might Duluth math teachers' vision be? Time will tell. I know the math teachers are up to the challenge and task.
The needed changes will benefit the most important stakeholders: students.
Social Studies Updates
A Thank you from Susan Schmidt:
After more than a year of various learning models and shifts to new content-delivery methods, we are all probably looking forward to summer. This is just a huge thank you for digging into new opportunities and possibilities in social studies and for supporting your students in their learning of social studies.
A couple of updates for teachers:
K-12 Social Studies Standards Revision Process
The state committee released its initial early draft of the social studies standards on December 1, 2020. This draft provided a revision of the standards, not the benchmarks, and did not provide a comprehensive view of the final product. The draft was a reflection of where the committee was at in the review and revision process as of December 1, 2020. A public comment period on the draft was open from December 1, 2020, to January 4, 2021. Public comment received informs the development of the next draft.
Since releasing the first draft of the social studies standards in December, the department has received significant feedback from throughout Minnesota. To provide time to review all of the public comments, the department is building more time into the process of revising the standards. The second draft of social studies standards will be published later this spring.
Follow information about the standards process here: education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/stds/soc
Once the committee releases a working draft, we will start the process of assessing our current course offerings and materials in alignment with the new standards and benchmarks. Over the course of the next year, there will be opportunities for teachers to participate in that work and provide input on district social studies needs.
Elementary MyWorld Materials
Pearson MyWorld textbooks K-5 and 7-8 were adopted with the last standards adoption. (The sixth grade text was purchased from MNHS and, due to the lack of budget, high school courses did not adopt new materials). The initial purchase included a 7 year subscription to work texts and access to online content. Now that the standards review process has been extended, we will see a gap in subscription-based work texts and online access until the next standards are released.
Most teachers have transitioned to re-using the work texts or developing other content. Based on teacher responses to requests for input, only a few teachers were utilizing the Pearson Savaas online materials. The MyWorld online platform and work text subscriptions will not be renewed for those K-3 and 7-8. Grades 4-5 have materials that are more closely aligned to standards and contain much more content that requires access to a textbook. Teachers in 4-5 are still encouraged to use the text and on online resources while supplementing with other materials for the 2021-22 school year.
There are links to vetted resources within each social studies unit document. Many of you have shared your own resources with each other. I encourage you to continue to collaborate on resources and lesson ideas. As we approach a release of new standards, plans can be made for possible future materials needs.
Elementary Globes
After receiving a few requests for globes, I inquired and learned that most classrooms did not have a globe. With some materials budget funds, we were able to purchase some globes for elementary classrooms. While we could not purchase enough for every classroom, each building is receiving a number of globes based on their building ratio of the district-wide elementary student numbers. School teaching staff will need to determine their own plan for distributing the globes among the classrooms based on class sizes and which grade levels have standards and content that might relate more closely with the use of globes. Specialized globes (physical, continent-only, Spanish language, etc) were not purchased as these types of globes are 4-5 times the cost of the standard globes we selected. The goal here was to be able to get a globe in as many classrooms as possible and purchase more in the future. I hope that you and your students enjoy being able to compare maps and globes.
Secondary Blended Learning
As secondary teachers continue to develop content on Canvas this spring, the transition to a blended learning model will allow us to improve student experiences. If you have resources that you have found or developed that have worked well, consider sharing it with others in the Canvas Commons, or send it to Susan to be added to the course folders in Google Drive. In the Commons, you can add adjust sharing and add tags so that your colleagues can find it.
DESIGN THINKING and EMPATHY: The Social-Emotional Connection Debra Hannu, Visual / Media Arts, Duluth Public Schools
“The main tenet of Design Thinking is empathy for the people you’re trying to design for.”- David Kelley, co-founder of IDEO and author of Creative Confidence.
Design thinking isn’t the exclusive territory of artists -- all great innovators in literature, science, music, engineering and business have practiced it. The work process of design thinking systematically helps us extract, teach, learn, and apply these human-centered techniques to solve problems in myriad ways. In order to design a solution to a problem, one first has to EMPATHIZE with what challenges that problem is presenting. The designer has to be in the shoes, the hearts and the minds of whomever will be the end consumer of the design.
Likewise, social-emotional learning revolves around empathy, helping us to develop ways to identify, categorize, brainstorm, and build some creative control by examining solutions.
Creative thinking is the bridge! Though I had been able to DRAW that specific connection between the social-emotional construct of EMPATHY and the active thinking processes of creation, DESIGN THINKING helped me color it in.
The content below represents what was presented to my students. Examples included -- The thinking skills demonstrated were terrific. Much like some of the great Critical Response exercises out there , they help students categorize their thinking in order to systematically analyze it, and work from there ---
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What is Design Thinking?
DESIGN THINKING is a creative process for problem solving! It can be used by artists, by inventors, engineers, by ANYWHO who is looking to solve a problem!
Because art involves IDEAS and CREATING, art class a great place to practice design thinking. Creative people in every area of life practice design thinking to solve problems. A clear set of protocols is helpful:
Developing empathy -
“The main tenet of Design Thinking is empathy for the people you’re trying to design for.”- David Kelley, co-founder of IDEO and author of Creative Confidence.
For example - A senior citizen is called up to receive a vaccine. The vaccines are being given out in the middle of a large convention center. The senior passes up their appointment, because they won't be able to walk the huge distance between their car and the vaccine site. Empathy: you understand that the senior feels left behind because they are not physically able to get where they need to be, and misses out on an important opportunity. You can empathize with their plight!
Empathy mapping is a great way to synthesize what you have heard and learned while listening to the person you are interviewing.
brainstorming -- ideation!
So, how could this problem or concern be addressed? Keep EMPATHY in mind - does your best solution work? Brainstorming is just spouting out as many ideas as quickly as you can -- nothing is off the table! The creativity flows when you can brainstorm freely,
But the truth is, it’s not the idea, it’s never the idea, it’s always what you do with it”- Neil Gaiman, English Author
Individual brainstorming for five minutes
What's your worst idea first!
What's your wildest idea 2nd
What's your “best” idea 3rd
Narrow down choices to the ones that make the most sense!
Get some help brainstorming from a friend, sibling, or family
example: what possible solutions could there be to our senior's vaccine dilemma?
vaccine comes to their house instead
there is a conveyor belt that they can stand on to get them to the vaccine site
there is a parking place where the vaccine people come to them curbside (BEST)
vaccine comes in the mail and they do it themselves
someone picks them up in a wheelchair and takes them there
there is a hovercraft that takes them (WORST, WILDEST)
OK, so my WORST idea is probably the hovercraft...it would be expensive, take too long to develop and someone could be hurt worse! The WILDEST idea is probably also the hovercraft! My BEST idea is probably someone coming to them curbside, as the vaccines are all set up there as are the people to do it.
develop a prototype -- make a rough draft!
Take your written ideas, and start to sketch -- "think with your pencil". What solutions do you envision? Is it a plan of some sort, organized on a timeline or flowchart? Are there any 'products' involved, like maybe signs, posters, a brochure, a webpage, a kit, etc? What would the progression of actions be? Could you draw what it would it look like if people were engaged in the solution?
“The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake, you can’t learn anything from being perfect- Adam Osborne, Entrepreneur
Keep it simple - use markers, paper, pencils, tape, etc..
Fail Fast
Storyboards
Mock-ups
test your idea / prototype - view
example: Find the right people to talk to about the concern; have some ideas ready! Could there be a row of parking places close to the area where the vaccines are being given? What would the signage look like? Would people just call when they are there? There would have to be a number on the sign and a parking space number. Could registration information be given out ahead of time online or by phone? How would seniors be informed about this option? I am going to draw out a map, a copy of the sign at the parking space, and map out how the vaccine area looks inside, so that the same people who are giving vaccines in person might be able to also step outdoors to do this --
Share your idea or draft solution with a friend, family member or sibling. Get some feedback from them. BONUS if you can share your prototype or idea WITH someone whose problem or concern could be possibly SOLVED or HELPED by your idea! Make changes or notes based on their feedback!
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together- Vincent Van Gogh, Artist
Role-play
Observe what happens
Reflect
Adjust and revise
re-test
1. Define the problem. Be specific
2. How were you empathetic to the problem in your ideas? Write.
3. BRAINSTORM at least 10 different solutions -- Afterwords, identify your WORST idea, your WILDEST idea, and your BEST idea. Say why.
3. PROTOTYPE your idea: Sketch and write about your best solution to address the issue. Draw out a flow chart, an illustration of someone implementing the idea, a product, kit, poster design, etc. that might be involved in your solution.
4. Who did you get feedback on your prototype from? What advice did they have? Did you make changes to your design based on their feedback?
5. Do you think the person experiencing the problem would be helped by your solutions? Why or why not?
Fit N Fun Run
Elementary PE teachers across the district found ways to bring field day elements to their students while maintaining Covid protocols. Some included fun field day elements in their regularly scheduled PE time while some put together more traditional field day events. The elementary PE staff did a great job meeting the needs of their school sites and students and providing some great fun! (Picture from Laura MacArthur.)
Here is a video from the news from Fit-n-fun here and I have some fit-n-fun pictures from Stowe.
https://kbjr6.com/2021/05/14/duluth-area-students-participate-in-fit-n-fun-program-after-year-off/
Field Day At Laura Mac
Field Day at Laura mac
Good old fashioned Tug of War
Field Day always brings out the best in our students
Finished products from CTE Manufacturing Students
Social distancing during manufacturing class
Ukulele wall mounts
Team work
East awards
New Machine's
Repurposed desk
jiikakamigad
READING SUGGESTIONS
From your Library Media Specialists
Check them out from your school library
From Mrs. Miller - Congdon Park Elementary and Lakewood Elementary
When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Keller, is the 2021 Newbery Award Winner.
From Mrs. Miller - Congdon Park Elementary and Lakewood Elementary
When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Keller, is the 2021 Newbery Award Winner. I couldn’t put it down. Eight-year-old Lily and her older sister have rich memories of their Korean grandmother, Halmoni. They move into Halmoni’s house when her health is dwindling and find that she is loved as the Crazy Lady in her little town. Tae Keller weaves Korean fairy tales into the story, as Halmoni tells the stories and Lily stands up to a tiger. There’s a great deal of sadness in this book, so bring the tissues. An upper elementary or middle school reader will love this one. You’ll be turning pages to see what happens next.
A favorite picture book was written by Madonna. Mr. Peabody’s Apples tells the story of a boy who spreads a rumor about a community’s favorite teacher and baseball coach. It turns out that the boy doesn’t have all the facts. Mr. Peabody helps him learn that undoing the harm of rumor spreading is like trying to put the feathers back into a pillowcase after they’ve blown all over the place.
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip M. Hoose, ages 12+
What It's About: During WWII, Denmark didn't resist Nazi occupation, and this deeply shamed 15-year-old Knud Pedersen, who along with his brother and some classmates started a small, secret club of political resisters in 1941. Full of brave but naïve teenage boys desperate to undermine the Nazi regime, the Churchill Club committed 25 acts of sabotage -- disabling German vehicles, stealing Nazi arms, and destroying and defacing German property -- before being arrested in 1942.
Why Read It? What middle schooler doesn't want to read about teens who defied authority for the greater good? The Churchill Club's actions sound like something out of a movie, but they really happened, and Hoose interweaves his own historical nonfiction with recollections from Pedersen himself. This is the kind of book students would gladly read for history class, because the characters are such courageous, clever young heroes.