The DMS Corral
News for Teachers by Darnell and Guerra Dec. 7-11
The Week at a Glance
One Act Play 6:00 DSAC
Tuesday, Dec. 8
Band Parent Booster Meeting 6:30
Wednesday, Dec. 9
Pep Rally UIL/Basketball 3:00
Thursday, Dec. 10
Filly Basketball @ Hondo
Colts vs Hondo
Friday, Dec. 11
Saturday, Dec. 12
UIL Academic Contest in Bandera
Complete Forms with Detail
Please be specific when completing forms for students served in special education or Section 504, especially if you are checking "yes" to areas of concern. If a student is struggling academically or behaviorally, please explain with examples exactly what the area of need is so that the ARD or 504 committee can adequately address the concern. Sometimes, tweaking accommodations or adding or tweaking a BIP are very helpful, but we must know the specifics in order to best put a plan in place that helps everyone.
We want to do what we can to help you especially with students who have behavior issues.
If you are having problems, please let us know. It is difficult to help you if we don't know what the problems are,
If you have questions about this or don't know "how to write it", please see Mrs. Guerra, Mrs. Darnell, or the student's case manager.
Oral Administration Help During Exams!
Please remember that during semester exams, you will be asked to help read tests to students who receive oral administration as an accommodation. A schedule will be sent out this week so that you will know who you will be helping. We will also have substitutes here to assist us as well.
How you coordinate getting the students from the testing room to your classroom is up to you; however, please communicate with the teacher you will be helping so that the transition for the students is smooth. Once student have finished the test, they may be returned to their classroom.
Thank you for your help with this! Please see Mrs. Guerra if you have any questions.
Lounge not a Place for Students
If you are working with students after school, please accompany your students to the lounge and get the snacks for them. Please do not allow students to just go in and get the snacks themselves. If you would rather not do this, you could get the kids to give you money ahead of time, and you buy the snacks for them and have those snacks in your classroom.
Thank you for helping us with this matter.
Busy Time of Year
I hope you all decide to join us in the ugly sweater contest. Encourage students to participate as well. Please talk to students, if there are any that want to participate but can't afford it, let me know. I'll see what I can do.
Many students are looking for teachers to participate in dodgeball. Join them. The sting hurts for only a little bit, but the impression you make will last a long time.
New 'Madden' Game Uses Football to Teach Youth Math and Science Concepts
By Bryan Toporek on November 10, 2015 1:57 PM (Education Week/Digital Education Blog)
For years, football fans have eagerly awaited the release of the latest in the "Madden" video game series. This December, in conjunction with Discovery Education and the NFL Players Association, EA Sports will release a special version of "Madden" that aims to teach math and science to 5th through 9th graders.
In "Madden NFL: Football by the Numbers," which will go live at www.footballbythenumbers.discoveryeducation.com on Dec. 1, students must rely upon math and science concepts to successfully complete football plays. On offense, for instance, students will need to decide upon the angle and velocity at which a quarterback should throw to a pass-catcher. While playing defense, students must use probability to determine which formations to choose based on their opponents' downs and distance.
"This is an amazing new program to reach kids and engage them in math and science, and we're excited to be a part of it," said Anthony Stevenson, vice president of marketing for Electronic Arts, in a statement. "We've always strived for "Madden NFL" to be a teaching tool for the sport of football, and now we're marrying the art of the video game to the science behind our young fans' favorite sport, teaching them both the fundamentals of the sport and the math that fuels it."
The program will be available at no cost to educators, parents, and students.
This new "Madden" game won't be the first to make the connection between sports and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts in recent years. Back in 2013, NBC Learn joined together with the United States Golf Association and Chevron Corp. to launch a 10-part online series exploring the science behind the game of golf. Less than a year later, NBC Learn partnered with the National Science Foundation and NBC Olympics to create an online video series called "Science and Engineering of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games." (The first three folks that email me "I Want One" will get a gift card. Time stamp determines winner.) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration joined the party in February 2014, creating a series called "NASA STEM Mania" that used sports to teach STEM subjects.
The NFL, in particular, has also shown interest in using football to help students in school. Last year, NFL chief marketing officer Mark Waller also spoke with the Wall Street Journal about how the league hopes to use fantasy football to bolster students' math skills.
It's a complex game, fantasy. You should be able to learn a lot, particularly around math. How many points do I need? How many points does this player get? We're also trying to work with groups to get the concept of fantasy based into the curriculum of elementary schools. If you love football and you teach them math through football, the chances are you may teach them better math and more quickly.
This new "Madden" venture may benefit students in more ways than one. According to a study published in August 2014 in the journal Psychology of Popular Media, high schoolers who played sports-related video games were significantly more likely to participate in sports.
Steel Magnolias Cast and Crew
Crew Steel Magnolias
Cast of Steel Magnolias
OAP Performs in Lytle
Good luck to our academic UIL students as they compete Saturday in Bandera.