Curriculum Times
November 2015: Volume 2, Issue 3
PK - 2nd Grade Report Card Correlations
Reading Strategy: Retell and Jump Back In
This strategy may be used with any reading level and with any genre or text type. Retell and Jump Back In reinforces the skills of retelling and monitoring for meaning and may be taught as a whole group, guided reading, or independent reading strategy.
Strategy: Everyone’s mind wanders sometimes; the important thing is that you are able to pull your attention back. Say to yourself, “No. I’m not going to think about that right now.” Then, quickly retell what you remember about your book to jump back into it.
Teaching Tip: Consider modifying the language of this strategy so it’s appropriate for the reading level of the student with whom you’re working. For example, children reading levels A-D most likely won’t retell their book sequentially, since the books are often written in a list format. Instead, they may name what the book is mostly about (“This book is about fruit!”) or they may repeat the pattern (“I remember! On every page it says, ‘I see a ____’”).
Prompts:
- Retell.
- Say back what you remember.
- What part seems fuzzy? Can you go back and reread to retell?
- When did you find your mind wandering?
- Did your mind wander there? You know what to do. Show me.
- Let me watch you jump back into your book.
- You’re retelling before you jump back into the book- that’s really going to help you stay focused.
Serravallo, J. (2015). Teaching Reading Engagement: Focus, Stamina, and Building a Reading Life. In The reading strategies book: Your everything guide to developing skilled readers (p. 52). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Available for purchase from Heinemann publishing here.
Literacy Station Tip: Integrating Technology into Phonics Stations
Students can use Wordle to create a word cloud. Wordle is a free website that creates word clouds from text that is entered. Clouds that are created can be printed or saved and then shared with others. Once on this site, students simply click “create” and enter their text. For example, if students are working with the beginning /m/ sound, students would type in the words, mad, man, map, mat, max, may, men, mom, mop, mot, mug. Word cloud is created quickly, and students may customize their word clouds by changing the size, font, color, and direction of their words. Teachers can use the printed word clouds as anchor charts for students to reference throughout the year, reminding them of different phonics skills and sounds or students may keep them as personal word walls. See example below. This activity can also be used with site words, parts of speech, vocabulary words and many others.
6 Traits Tip of the Month
Word Choice
Ask students to write about a time when they were really scared…
But then give them a list of words they CANNOT use:
- Scare, frighten, fright, fear, afraid
- Alarm, spook, startle, terror, terrorize, terrify, petrify
- Panic, cold sweat, shock, surprise, dread
- Turn pale, flesh creep, hair stand on end, blood run cold, teeth chatter
These limits force writers to dip deep for richer description and more concrete explanation of the event.
Click here for more about Traits-Based Writing.
Interdisciplinary Literacy
Embed literacy in your science class, math class, music class, or P.E. class by using this simple vocabulary exercise: Concept Circles
Put four vocabulary words in a circle, one in each quadrant. Ask students to eliminate one of the words then describe the relationship among the remaining three words.
The key is to have many different possible correct answers. Require students to offer their explanation/evidence for why they’ve chosen that one word. Give students oppportunities to talk with each other about the choices they have made.
It’s simple for you to put together, but if you’ve done it well, students will have much grappling to do in order to figure out an answer.
What to Read, What Not to Read, and Everything in Between
Reading lists are available now in draft form, and our team awaits feedback from teachers. We will have one more Reading List Forum on November 30, and we’ll be taking feedback until the end of the semester. Forum is held at Wilson, at 3:30 for elementary grades or 4:30 for secondary grades. Please sign up for the session(s) of your choice on My Learning Plan.
The department of Curriculum & Instruction will continue to offer unit planning sessions for each grade level/course in secondary mathematics. On November 2nd, 6th Grade teachers can come to Wilson from 4:30 – 6:00 to plan their third unit of study. November 3rd, 8th Grade teachers will gather from 4:30 – 6:00 to plan their third unit. Likewise on November 23rd, 7th Grade teachers will meet at Wilson from 4:30 – 6:00 to plan their third unit. These sessions will continue throughout the school year for each unit. Please sign up on My Learning Plan if you will be attending.
The University of Tulsa is still accepting middle school girls for their Tulsa Girls’ Math Circle. This is an opportunity for girls in grades 6-8 to experience working with other girls and mathematicians in an effort to build their interest in mathematics. This is not tutoring. It is discussing and applying problem solving strategies. More information can be found by following this link. RSVP, dates, and locations can be found by following this link.
November 10th will be the next department chair meeting. We will continue to work our way through the 8 Mathematical Teaching Practices with our discussion upon practices 2 and 3. The supporting materials have been sent to the department chairs. Please have the reading completed and be prepared to discuss the impact of the practices upon our work.
With the final feedback provided, the OSDE will make the last revision and present the proposed Oklahoma Standards for Mathematics to the public for feedback. Please be watching for these opportunities and let your state representative and senator know what you think. Let your voice be heard.
Think Through Math Updates
For sites utilizing Think Through Math, most sites look to be up and running with the program. If you are not or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Jessica Austin-Rowland or me for any needs that you have. Also, when you sign in to your account take a look at the top right of the screen “Help” tab. There are many helpful documents, videos, and recorded webinars there to answer questions you may have.
A Think Through Math class challenge has just opened and here are the details: Your class can be Thoughtful THINKers by being the class with the highest average of total points donated per active student to the Think Through Math featured charity. The top classes from each time zone (Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific and Aleutian) will each receive a TTM sponsored Reward Party. There are two opportunities to be this month’s top class of Thoughtful THINKers!
Good To Know:
- Contest kicks off November 2 and runs through December 4.
- Students may donate to any Think Through Math individual charity or classroom goal charity selection throughout the contest time frame.
- Winning classes will be announced two times during the contest. The first set of winners will be announced the week of November 16 at the conclusion of the Do Math! Support a Veteran charity. The second set of winners will be announced the week of December 7 at the conclusion of the Share Our Strength – No Kid Hungry campaign.
- A class can only win one time for giving to either charity during the contest duration.
- Think Through Math Reward Party consists of one $50 e-gift card to either Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, Domino’s, or Wal-Mart.
- A class must have at least 8 active students to be eligible for the award.
Building your Elementary Math Professional Learning Network
Have you joined twitter? If not, I encourage you to try it out. Twitter is a great platform to use in building your personal learning network (PLN). If you are an elementary teacher passionate about math instruction, have you heard about #elemmathchat? This twitter chat takes place on Thursday evenings at 8 PM, just open the twitter app or sign in on your computer and search for #elemmathchat at that time. Many great ideas and resources are shared here during the twitter chat as well as throughout the week. It’s a great environment to ask/answer questions and hear about other’s successes that you may want to try in your classroom! Another great way to connect to math educators is through Facebook. Search for #OKMath and join the 2,600 other educators who are part of the group.
Math/Technology Mashups
www.zearn.org: If you are a 2nd – 4th grade teacher utilizing the Eureka Math resources and/or are interested in trying out blended learning, this site is a game changer for you. Zearn is built to be used with curriculum deeply aligned to the PASS Forward standards and is based on Eureka Math. Students can use this website to go through many of the same lessons in an interactive way where videos are utilized to drive home the conceptualization of the new learning. Reports are available to track students’ progress and monitor pace, etc. This resource would work beautifully as a station in any 2nd-4th grade math classroom. I’ve already reached out to Zearn and they are working to be able to offer this service to K-5th grade math classrooms by next fall. I’ll keep you posted as new information arises. For more information, check out their website and watch the video below.
Cuethink iPad app: This is by far one of the best math apps I’ve come across. This takes students through a step by step process to attack tasks in a thoughtful manner. It is all about creating great problem solvers who are able to communicate their thinking to others and review their peers’ thinking. The company offers a 30 day free and full access at no cost for you to try the product with your students before spending any funds. I have spoken with the CEO and she is interested in piloting the product within our district. If you try this app and like it, please let me know so I can see what she may be able to offer us. For more information, check out their website and watch the video below.
I want to hear from YOU!
Have you heard of the remind app? First, if you have not, check it out! It is a great way for you to communicate with parents and students off hours. Second, I’d like use this to communicate with any elementary math teachers in the district who would like to hear about new resources, ideas, etc. through the ease of your mobile device. Signing up is easy. Simply open up a new text message on your mobile device and set the message to send to: 81010, the message to send is as follows:
Kindergarten teachers: tpsgkmath
1st grade teachers: tpsg1math
2nd grade teachers: tpsg2math
3rd grade teachers: tpsg3math
4th grade teachers: tpsg4math
5th grade teachers: tpsg5math
STEM in TPS
STEM has become a hot topic in public education the past few years. Tulsa Public Schools is working to provide STEM experiences for all of our students. New information will be coming out soon about these programs and why STEM is such a big deal. The graphic below (taken from www.stemedcoallition.org) depicts the main reason that STEM gets so much press. The careers of the 21st century are often focused in STEM fields, and the salaries for those careers exceed those of workers in many other fields.
There is, rightfully, concern that public schools are not preparing students to meet the demands of STEM-centered workforce. A 2012 study showed that the average time spent on science education in elementary schools nationwide was just 2.6 hours per week. The U.S. Department of Education released a report last spring stating that only 16% of U.S. high graduates are proficient in mathematics and interested in a career in STEM. The report went on to state that only 30% of seniors who took the ACT were considered prepared for college-level science classes.
So preparing our students for STEM doesn’t necessarily mean focusing exclusively on the science and math classes. A great deal of success is dependent on critical thinking, higher order thinking, the ability to successfully work collaboratively, and other skills that we can develop in all classrooms. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of great resources available online. This Pinterest board offers lots of great, free ideas for integrating STEM in every classroom.
National Native American Heritage Month
On Dec. 14, 1915, Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian, presented at the White House endorsements from 24 state governments for a day to honor Indians. But the federal government didn’t take action until 1983, when President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 13 as American Indian Day. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month. It is now called National Native American Heritage Month. This month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Check out some of the following resources:
- Readworks.org is a collection of primary sources, reading passages, lessons, and videos, including some shared by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and videos and passages shared by HISTORY®.
- Library of Congress has themed resources, primary sources, and lesson plan ideas.
- National Archives contains ready to use activities and lessons, primary sources sorted by region or topic.
- Smithsonian offers online exhibitions, posters, video, and other media organized by geographic region. Teaching materials developed by the museum for use in schools are listed by region, tribe or theme.
- Veterans Project offers materials specific to Native American Veterans.
The First Thanksgiving
Each November educators across the country teach their students about the First Thanksgiving, a favorite American holiday. They try to give students an accurate picture of what happened in Plymouth in 1621 and explain how that event fits into American history. Unfortunately, many teaching materials give an incomplete, if not inaccurate, portrayal of the first Thanksgiving, particularly of the event’s Native American participants. We encourage you to teach lessons that describe the relationships between people and events involved as well as tell the story from both perspectives. Some sample lessons can be found at the following:
- American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving
- Harvest Ceremony - Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth
- The First Thanksgiving - The Mayflower, the feast, Virtual Field Trips
- Thanksgiving History from Plimoth
- Primary Sources from the Library of Congress
This Thanksgiving, ABC television and StoryCorps are encouraging teachers and students across the country to preserve the voices and stories of an entire generation of Americans over a single holiday weekend. Open to everyone, The Great Thanksgiving Listen is a national assignment to engage people of all ages in the act of listening. All that is needed to participate is a smartphone and the StoryCorps mobile app. Using the free StoryCorps mobile app, participants will be able to upload their recordings to the StoryCorps archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. In one holiday weekend we will capture an entire generation of American lives and experiences.
Click here for more information and a toolkit to help you get started. Watch this message from Robin Roberts inviting teachers and students to participate in the great Thanksgiving Listen.
Veteran's Day - The 11th day of the 11th month
In order to educate students about the sacrifices made for freedom on behalf of this country and the values on which this country was founded, the date of November 11 is hereby designated "Veterans Day", and the week in which November 11 falls is hereby designated “Celebrate Freedom Week” in and for the public schools of the state of Oklahoma. Senate Bill 17 outlines guidelines for all schools in Oklahoma:
1- School assemblies/programs should be held at each school
2- A moment of silence at 11:00am is encouraged
3- Honoring American Veterans in a variety of ways is encouraged
4- Instruction concerning the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, including the Bill of Rights should occur
5- The recitation of the social contract of the Declaration of Independence by students in grades 3-12 is required
Click on this link for more details of Senate Bill 17, 2007 and the following links for lesson ideas:
- Veterans History Project - The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
- Variety of lessons
- Lesson ideas on Pinterest
Please share your Veterans Day photos and lessons on Twitter using the hastags #veteransday and #SuccessTPS
Change One Light to Green
Geography Awareness Week Theme: Explore! The Power of Maps
The 2015 Geography Awareness Week theme: Explore! The Power of Maps is the nexus of the OKAGE Geography Awareness Week Postcard Contest! Your students are encouraged to submit original artwork in the form of postcards to help us celebrate Geography Awareness Week, November 15-21, 2015!!! Student prizes range from $50-100.00 cash. Teachers of winning students will each win a set of 30 National Geographic Society maps.
How to Enter:
Entries must be accompanied by an official entry form and postmarked by Tuesday, November 24, 2015. All entries become property of OKAGE. Original artwork cannot be returned and reproductions of the winning postcards may be distributed at various events throughout the year. For more information, including the entry form, call the OKAGE office at 1-800-522-0772 ext. 5832, email okage@ou.edu or visit our website at www.okageweb.org.
Upcoming Social Studies Dates
- Opportunities for various subjects, dates and locations; Click on the link for opportunities Outside of TPS
- Nov 9 - 13 - Celebrate Freedom Week (click for a curriculum guide)
- Nov 10- Department Chair Meeting, Wilson Teaching & Learning, 4:30-5:30pm
- Nov 11 - Veteran's Day
- Nov 11th - NTI (New Teacher Institute) Collaborative, 4:30-5:45, Wilson
- Nov 16 - 20 - National Geography Awareness Week
- Nov 17th - Just In Time Training, K-12
- Nov 19th - Just in Time Training, 3-5
- Dec 1 - Collaborative Planning/Just in Time Training, 6-12, 4:30-5:45pm
Click here for lesson ideas, strategies and resources that are being collected and shared by Social Studies teachers within TPS. The list is updated weekly. If you have a great lesson or website to share, email Mary Jane Snedeker.
Oral Language Development
Build children’s speaking, listening, and early literacy skills by providing them with purposeful opportunities to hear language modeled and use language in rich and varied contexts.
Oral language is the primary means by which children gain knowledge about the world, and it is the vital foundation for children’s literacy development.
—Albert Shanker Institute, 2009
Oral Language Development in the PreK Classroom
Oral language is the basis of literacy development. Oral language skills include:
- Expressive (speaking) and receptive (listening) vocabulary
- Competence with semantics (word knowledge)
- Competence with syntax (knowledge of word order and grammatical rules)
- Narrative discourse skills, such as the ability to tell or retell a story
Studies show a strong link between early oral language skills and later literacy skills, including phonological awareness and reading comprehension (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network, 2005; Storch & Whitehurst, 2002).
Engaging children in meaningful language use throughout the day helps to develop young children’s oral language skills.
Reading aloud and discussing books is one of the most effective ways to facilitate oral language development (National Early Literacy Panel, 2008).
Language is unique among precursor abilities in its pervasiveness for both early and later reading competencies and for the duration of its effects on reading comprehension as code breaking turns into meaning making (Dickinson, Golinkoff, & Hirsh-Pasek, 2010).
Children learn language naturally. They become agile speakers and listeners through varied experiences in a language-rich environment. Teachers can support language development by structuring the curriculum so children
can make connections, engage in meaningful conversations, and have many opportunities to practice language through play. Dr. Julie Washington
- Albert Shanker Institute. (2009). Preschool Curriculum: What’s in It for Children and Teachers? Washington, DC: The Albert Shanker Institute.
- Dickinson, D. K., Golinkoff, R. M., Hirsh- Pasek, K. (Eds.). (2010). “Speaking Out for Language: Why Language Is Central to Reading Development.” Temple.edu
- National Early Literacy Panel. (2008).
- Developing Early Literacy: Report of the
- National Early Literacy Panel. Washington, DC: The National Institute for Literacy.
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care
- Research Network. (2005). “Pathways to Reading: The Role of Oral Language in the Transition to Reading.” Developmental Psychology, 41(2), 428–442.
- Storch, S. A. and Whitehurst, G. J. (2002). “Oral Language and Code- Related Precursors to Reading: Evidence from a Longitudinal Structural Model.”
- Developmental Psychology, 38(6), 934–947.
From Theory to Practice - Help children strengthen their oral language skills throughout the day.
Circle Time/Story Time
- Be a role model. Speak at a steady, moderate pace with clear enunciation.
- Restate children’s language to model correct sentence structure, integrate key vocabulary words, and strengthen meaning.
- When restating children’s speech, be sure to repeat the correct grammatical structure, word, or sound multiple times (e.g., Child: Dat funny. Teacher: Do you think the clown is funny? I think he is funny, too).
- Promote oral participation of English language learners using strategies such as restating questions for clarity and providing sufficient wait time as children think about questions and take the time needed to formulate their answers.
- Use the theme’s Big Wall Chart to spark discussion and create opportunities for children to use Theme Words and concepts in context. Ask children questions about what they see and encourage them to tell stories and ask their own questions.
- Use the discussion prompts provided on BookStix sticky notes for each Big Day for PreK book to engage children in thinking and talking about the reading.
- Use the Think, Turn, and Talk routine (see page 30) to give every child an opportunity to reflect upon and discuss an open-ended question with a partner.
Small Group Instruction
- Respond and expand on what children say to model new vocabulary and use of complete sentences (e.g., Teacher: Which one is a triangle? Child: This one. Teacher: Yes, this shape is a triangle!).
- Ask follow-up questions to encourage critical thinking and provide opportunities for children to use vocabulary (e.g., How do you know it’s a triangle?).
Learning Centers
- Model appropriate body language during conversations. On occasion, talk with children at eye level, using appropriate facial expressions and nodding to show you are listening.
- Make observations and use open-ended prompts to initiate conversations with children about their artwork in the Creativity Center or their constructions in the Blocks & Building Center. For example, I see dots everywhere in your painting!, or What would happen if you turned that block this way?
Informal Learning Times
- Spend time during meals or on the playground talking with children about their interests, friends, or after-school plans.
- Teach children chants and games that foster enjoyment of word play. Repeat them often to develop fluency
Big Day for PreK – Professional Handbook
Scholastic Inc. 2010, p. 120,121
“Research indicates that an integrated approach to learning aligns with the way the brain naturally processes and internalizes new information. Since Mathematics and Science are integrated in the world outside the classroom, and technology has become a natural extension, it seems only logical that these areas are studied together inside the classroom “
– Diane Ronis
Integration…
- Makes it possible to teach knowledge and skills simultaneously
- Saves instruction time because you can teach multiple standards at once
- Could result in increased student engagement
- Provides opportunity for your students to see a skill multiple times
- Enhances the meaning of what is taught
As teachers provide students with opportunities to explore, investigate, and share findings with others, students are more highly motivated. Students identify areas in which they would like to learn more, and they grow in their ability to use resources.
Field Study/Trips scheduled in November include 1st Grade Pre-Visit at your school and visits to Gilcrease Museum, 3rd grade visits to Philbrook Museum of Art, 5th grade to Tulsa Ballet, 6th grade AHHA, and 7th grade visits to Sherwin Miller.
For specific dates for your school site and more information, click here.
PK-12 Let’s Differentiate for ALL Our Students
We all are familiar with Differentiation and use the strategy to varying degrees. But when Education Week (January 6, 2015) published Dr. Jim Delisle’s article “Differentiation Doesn’t Work”, it raised more than one eyebrow, mine included! Though Dr. Delisle’s makes some interesting points about why he believes differentiation is a failure, the fact is, differentiation does work. It just takes prep and planning.
According to Delisle, differentiation doesn’t work because classrooms have too many levels of ability groups. Differentiation becomes especially challenging when teachers must also differentiate for their gifted and academically advanced students:
“Students who struggle to learn, along with a smattering of gifted kids, while adding a few English-language learners and a bunch of academically average students and expect a single teacher to differentiate for each of them,” making prep time and curriculum modifications extremely difficult."
So what strategies can we try to make differentiated instruction manageable?
- Reduce the number of ability levels assigned to each classroom. Instead of four or five levels, limit to three levels of ability (i.e. struggling learners, student on grade level, and high achieving; struggling learners, on grade level, and gifted). High achieving students in this arrangement tend to shine rather than sit in the shadows of their gifted peers.
- Practice curriculum compacting: pre-assess all students prior to teaching a new standard, new content so you group students by mastery level (i.e. students who need scaffolding, students who are on target, and those who have demonstrated mastery).
- Use “Flexible grouping” to ensure that all levels of needs are met and is definitely is not tracking. Groups constantly change depending on the content, standard being assessed and students’ different strengths.
- Start small; there are many ways to differentiate. Try some low prep differentiation strategies and progress to more high prep strategies (tiered instruction).
- Differentiate student products as a relatively easy to demonstrate mastery and to challenge your gifted students to dig deeper.
K - 5 Science Kit Update
Elementary teachers K-5 should also have now received all of their kits to utilize with their science textbooks. I hope that you are opening them up and delving into the wonders of science with your students. If you have questions or need help, please contact me and I will do my best to get out to your school. If you are missing or have broken kit items, please contact Cindy Barber, Instructional Materials Coordinator, so that she can get them replaced for you.
Rocks in Your Head
Earth science workshop for teachers 3rd-8th+HS coming to OKC on Nov. 7, 2015, 8:30-3:30 at Chesapeake Energy, 6100 N Western. FREE to first 45 to register - Sponsored by the Oklahoma Geological Foundation. To register please email Janie Schuelke with your name, school and school address, and a contact number. For more info: www.rocksinyourhead.net
OKDEQ Grant Opportunity
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is currently accepting applications for the 2015 Environmental License Tag Grant. You must be an Oklahoma teacher (Pre K-12), school environmental club, youth group leader, and/or organization with a youth component to apply for the grant.
Grants are available from $100-$1000. Examples of activities previously funded include edible gardens, outdoor classroom revitalization or enhancement, environmental education projects, Recycling, Composting, and Green Schools.
The deadline is December 1, 2015. For questions or more information, you may contact Sara Ivey at (405) 702-7122 or sara.ivey@deq.ok.gov
Curriculum Pacing
Where are you in your curriculum? If you are following the pacing calendars, you should be in the following units:
Biology – Unit 2 – Energy and Cellular Processes
Physical Science – Unit 2 – Conservation of Matter
8th grade – Unit 3 – Waves and Their Applications
7th grade (MS) – Unit 2 – Molecules to Organisms
7th grade (JH) – Unit 3 - Heredity
6th grade – Unit 2 - Energy
5th grade – Unit 2 – Matter and its Interactions
4th grade – Unit 2 – Molecules and Organisms
3rd grade – Unit 2 – Earth’s Systems
2nd grade – Unit 2 – Plants and Animals
1st grade – Unit 2 – Living Things and Their Environment
K grade – Unit 2 – Living and Non-Living Things
Kravis Summer Arts
A call for applicants to teach at the 2016 Kravis Summer Arts elementary and middle school camps: interested applicants apply to Ann Tomlins via application found on the Fine Arts Web link.. This year’s dates will be June 13-24, 2016.
Fine Arts November Deadlines for Teachers
- November 1-Oklahoma City University “2-D Print Exhibition and Competition”
- November 3-“Honor Choir” performance- Fine Arts Chair-Patti Duncan (Edison HS/7:00 P.M.)
- November 3-“Honor Orchestra” performance– Fine Arts Chair-Nathan Greenwood TCC Pace/7:00 P.M)
- November 7-“Northeast Oklahoma All District String Orchestra-performance- Fine Arts Chair-Nathan Greenwood (TCC Pace/7:00 P.M.)
- November 30-“Portraiture Bond Package” due to Ann Tomlins
Kudos to
- Edison High School Drama Students who took first place in the OSSAA qualifying rounds in Putnam City with four distinguished actors. Director-Amber Harrington
- East Central Junior High Arts classes have been contacted by the White House to provide Holiday Ornaments for the National Tree
- Tulsa Met and Edison High School students received “Best in Show” and 26 Cash Prize Excellence Awards in the Bartlesville “Indian Summer Art Festival”
- Edison High School-Tulsa State Fair Photo Contest Winners-one first place and three second place prizes in Photography.
Memorial HS Jazz Ensemble Student
Salk Elementary Student Artwork
Memorial HS Jazz Ensemble Student
#LangChat Summary: Interpersonal Assessment
Source: #LangChat
From http://langchat.pbworks.com/w/page/39343677/FrontPage
#LangChat is a weekly Twitter discussion among language teachers. A recent topic was interpersonal assessment, and it was a fast-and-intense conversation. The summary covers these questions:
How much output should you correct during an interpersonal assessment?
How do you manage interpersonal assessments with large classes?
What role should the instructor play in an interpersonal assessment?
What are some teachable communication strategies to help students sustain conversation?
How can we be sure that we are truly measuring proficiency and not just performance?
Read teacher Martina Bex’s reflection on the discussion in her blog post.
Read teacher Lisa Shepard’s reflection on the discussion and specifically about Interpersonal Writing.
Learn more about #LangChat here.
The K20 institute has multiple academic areas in its strands.
Common Lit is a great place to get texts in all academic areas to go with the curriculum.
edWeb is a great place to find webinars on topics relevant to your teaching situation. You can participate in live webinars, or watch the recordings after they happen. The last one that I watched was about science and social studies literacy. It was very informative. You can find it here.
TPS Course of Study
The deadline is November 19, 2015 for schools to request new courses be added to the TPS Course of Study. New course proposals should be submitted electronically to Perri Applegate. The New Course Proposal Form can be found on the Course of Study page on the Curriculum and Instruction website.
Course proposals will be reviewed and schools will be contacted by December 3, 2015 to advise them of the time for their presentation to the Curriculum Review Committee.
If you have any questions, please contact Perri Applegate.
OSTP Teacher Committee Members Wanted
There is still time to sign up to participate in the upcoming committee to review test items:
OCCT Content/Bias Review Committees - The Office of Assessments at the State Department of Education is seeking recommendations for highly qualified educators to participate in the upcoming Grades 3-8 and End–of-Instruction (EOI) Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCCT) Content/Bias Review committees. 3rd - 8th grade committees are available for Mathematics, Reading, Science, Social Studies/Geography and Writing. EOI committees are available for Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology, English II, English III, Geometry, and U.S. History.
Committees specifically for Science will be held on November 16th-19th and December 8th-11th. Educators will be asked to commit to one of the committees either in November or December, but not both. Educators must be able to attend all four days in order to be considered. Science educator’s currently teaching 5th grade, 8th grade, Biology, ELL or special education is preferred. Nominees that are asked to participate on committees will receive a communication from the OCCT Program Management Team providing them with more information. Please access this link to nominate yourself or another outstanding educator.
Academic Coordinator of the Month - Natalie Hutto
Natalie Hutto began her teaching career with Tulsa Public Schools in 2002 as a reading teacher at Hamilton Middle School. She joined the Curriculum and Instruction staff in 2011 as an Academic Coordinator for Elementary Literacy. Natalie supports the Balanced Literacy initiative, Reading Sufficiency Act, and elementary English Language Arts curriculum.
Natalie received her Masters of Education degree in Reading as well as certificate in Educational Administration from Northeastern State University, and is a National Board Certified Teacher in English Language Arts/Early Adolescence. Natalie is a proud graduate of TPS’s own Edison High School and has a daughter who currently attends Zarrow.
Email: huttona@tulsaschools.org
Location: 2710 East 11th Street, Tulsa, OK, United States
Phone: 918-925-1119
Twitter: @nataliehutto
About Us
Cindy Barber, Academic Coordinator for Instructional Materials
Ayn Grubb, Academic Coordinator for Secondary ELA
Julie Hasfjord, Academic Coordinator for STEM
Gary Horner, Academic Coordinator for Secondary Math
Natalie Hutto, Academic Coordinator for Elementary ELA
LeeAnne Jimenez, Academic Coordinator for Science
Lea Ann Macomber, Music Coordinator
Andy McKenzie, Director of Early Childhood Services
LeeAnne Pepper, Academic Coordinator for Elementary Math
Mary Jane Snedeker, Academic Coordinator for Social Studies
Dr. Ann Tomlins, Director of Fine Arts
Dr. Linnea Van Eman, Coordinator of Gifted & Talented
Cathy Walton, Administrative Secretary
Danielle Neves, Executive Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Email: curriculum@tulsaschools.org
Website: academics.tulsaschools.org
Location: 2710 East 11th Street, Tulsa, OK 74104, United States
Phone: (918) 925-1130
Twitter: @TPSCurriculum
Archived Editions
Volume 2, Issue 2: October 2015