Leaders in Learning
FUESD Certificated Staff, January 10, 2014 Vol. 1, Ed. 7
Put First Things First
This week's installment of Leaders in Learning will focus on Apple tutorials, Common Core math clips from Teaching Channel, links to the California Foundation for Agriculture and the Smarter-Balanced Student Practice test, and another round of Shout-Outs from around the District.
Knowing that many school sites use gardens and agriculture with FUESD's students, the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom is dedicated to helping students and teachers across our great state gain an understanding of how agriculture provides the daily essentials necessary to make our society and our world function. There are great resources to use with your students and expand these meaningful opportunities with our students.
The Smarter Balanced Practice Tests provide an early look at sets of assessment questions aligned to the Common Core for grades 3–8 and 11 in both English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. The release of the Practice Tests follows the Smarter Balanced Pilot Test, the first large-scale tryout of items and performance tasks, conducted February – May 2013. Please follow the link below to the test portal.
Think Win-Win
Everyone can win...
"Most of us learned the procedure for multiplying fractions--you multiply across the numerators and across the denominators--without understanding why. Frankly, it's easier to teach students the procedure than to help them make sense of why multiplying the numerators and denominators produces a correct answer. But teaching the why requires that teachers themselves have thought deeply about multiplying fractions."
--Marilyn Burns
Be Proactive
You're in charge...
Recently the TOSAs and members of the Educational Technology department attended the Apple Core Training seminar. We learned the ins and outs of the iLife Suite, Pages, Numbers, and Keynotes, as well as many tips and tricks of using the MacBook Air laptops. The following video tutorials on Screenshots and Instant Alpha, as well as the PDFs on Pages, Instant Alpha, and Screenshots, were created as a result of that training. The TOSAs are in the process of completing additional tutorials to be shared throughout the year.
The videos and accompanying PDFs can also be found at the Tech TOSA Tips portion of the District's Ed Technology website at:
Begin with the End in Mind
Have a plan...
Monday, January 13
- DELAC Meeting 6-7:30PM at MEEC Rms. 206/207
Thursday, January 16
- Dual Immersion Meeting 8-2:30PM at DO Room 5
Monday, January 20
- NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, January 21
- DII Model Lessons at PJHS
- Governing Board meeting at 6PM
Thursday, January 23
- PJHS/FHS Math Articulation Meeting at FHS
Seek First to Understand, then to Be Understood
Listen (or learn) before you talk (or teach).....
Here are another set of primary, intermediate, and middle school lessons from Teaching Channel. Be sure read the Questions to Consider in the righthand bar to frame your thinking before viewing the lesson. Also, many of the lessons have Supporting Materials that align to the lesson which are located under the question section.
All Grade Levels
Owning the Common Core Math Practices
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/owning-the-common-core
Clipboards (or iPads!): A Tool for Formative Assessment
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/informal-assessment-strategies
Kindergarten-Second Grade
Math Journals: A Record for Students and Teachers
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/math-journals?fd=1
Synergize
Together is better...
Live Oak's Shout out goes to all K-6 teachers for our Enrichment Wheel work. Students are working weekly on art, music, plays, stock market projects, applying Excel to math work, etc. The students are always excited when the Wednesday Wheel time rolls around each week. Students are proud to present to their parents as well. Way to Go Teachers!
Kellie and I (DeCuba Porter) thought we should share with you a vulnerable moment. The TOSA coach, Kellie, and myself sat down to co- plan our lesson and boy did it sound great, however when we delivered it all you could hear were crickets - chirp, chirp. Have you ever had a lesson that bombed (in front of your supervisor)? Well this lesson was so dry I couldn't wait for it to be over. During the lesson it occurred to me that we forgot to plan for student to student interactions so I hinted to Kellie to fit them in. No matter what we did we couldn't get the students to interact. Later I learned that the students decided in order to make their teacher proud they would not talk to one another. It is clear that Kellie and her students have a special bond but I couldn't "go out" like that and neither could Kellie, so we lived to teach another day and I must say the REMIX was AWESOME!
FHA: The students in the K-3rd grades gave Holidays Around the World presentations for parents and upper classmates. The other pictures show our canned food drive collection and the challenge given to the students to collect over 500 cans! Teachers were to received a new hair dos if they met the challenge! As you can see, the students had fun!
La Paloma’s Fifth grade students experienced environmental studies, and so much more, in a one room schoolhouse and the outdoors at the De Luz Ecology Center. Students from Mr. Ostroske’s and Mrs. Hall’s classes just returned from this unique and memorable opportunity that we have in our district. Kudos to Mr. Scott Gordon for his dedication and creation of this outstanding program!
Sharpen the Saw
Balance feels best....
Steve Spangler on Ellen.....