Secondary English Weekly #26
Issue Twenty-Six / March 11-15, 2019
SHORT STORY KIOSK SUBMISSIONS NEEDED! DEADLINE TUESDAY, MARCH 12TH!
I’m sure you are familiar with the reading kiosks CCS launched a year ago at various locations including the lobby of the CEC building. There is a contest to submit short stories for possible content around the world. The deadline is THIS TUESDAY, March 12th. I just learned about this on Friday from our communications department. SORRY about the VERY short notice. If you or your students have a short story to submit, please follow the guidelines AND complete the submission online at BUTTON FICTION SPRING CONTEST. Short Story Dispensers and Short Édition will award a total of $1,450.00 to selected winners: one juried winner and one public winner will both be awarded $500, and three juried runners-up will each be awarded $150. All winners and runners-up will be offered a publication contract with Short Édition.
Specific Submission Conditions
- All genres are accepted, as long as they are literary fiction (historical fiction is acceptable if it includes an imaginative story).
- No biographical narrative, news-related texts or social issues written in a journalistic style will be accepted.
- Submissions may not exceed 8,000 characters (including spaces).
Formatting
- Dialogue: any portions of dialogue should be enclosed in quotation marks.
- Italics: titles of work, narrator thoughts, emphasis on words, and words in a foreign language should all be italicized.
- Line breaks: insert a single blank line between paragraphs for ease of reading.
- Submission titles: titles for Submissions written in capital letters will not be preserved, except for acronyms and initials. Please follow typographical norms for writing your title (i.e. capital letter with each word – The Great Gatsby, A River Runs Through It, etc.).
- No indentations: please do not indent any lines.
SOME ARTICLES TO CELEBRATE MARCH: NATIONAL READING MONTH & WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
- For the Love of Reading: Developing a Teacher Reader Identity
- Does Reading Fiction Make You a Better Person?
- The Peritextual Literacy Framework as a Teaching and Critical Thinking Tool
- Teaching Students to Read Metacognitively
- Angie Thomas Discusses On the Come Up
- Book Pairing Ideas: Romeo and Juliet
- We Have a National Reading Crisis
- Making Women's History Month Real for Students (CCS Author-Highlighted Recently in EdWeek Archives)
Women’s History Month, Grades 6-8: Lessons, Activities, Background Reading, and More
TEAMS NEEDED FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL SPRING DEBATE TOURNAMENT—NO SCHOOLS HAVE REGISTERED
HIGH SCHOOL SPRING DEBATE TOURNAMENT
Our students have a fabulous opportunity to compete against one another at Capital University on Thursday, April 18th from 8:30am-1pm with CCS busing provided. Register your school today! They will compete using the following resolution: Resolved: The Columbus City School District should reduce the number of schools it operates. Debate teams are made of two students. Those students prepare to debate both the affirmative and negative sides of the policy debate resolution. On the day of the debate, each two-person team will be told which side (affirmative or negative) they will be debating during each of the three rounds. Each school can bring up to five teams (10 students).
Registration and Resources: Click HERE to access the debate folder with registration form, a flyer to hand out to increase participation, and numerous resources for preparing your students to be great debaters. Be sure to register your school NOW even if you don’t yet know the names of students on your teams. That can be added later. The deadline for having all your names added is April 10th.
DEBATE FOLDER: https://tinyurl.com/debatehsSpring19 (Info/Resources/Registration)
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPRING DEBATE TOURNAMENT
Gifted and Talented would like to invite you to the Columbus City Schools Middle School Spring Debate Tournament at Capital University on April 18, 2019. This tournament is sponsored by CCS Gifted and Talented, Capital University, and the Central Ohio English Speaking Union. Students in Grades 5-8 across the district will be participating in a policy debate on the following resolution: Resolved: The United States Federal Government should significantly increase
regulations to reduce the use of plastic.
Interested teams should fill out this MIDDLE SCHOOL DEBATE INTENT TO PARTICIPATE and send it to address or fax number on the form by March 15, 2019.
-Contact Michele Ballinger, Vonda Spencer-Keane, or any elementary gifted intervention specialists for resources and support.
REGISTER YOUR SCHOOL FOR THE DISTRICT POETRY SLAM
The 2019 CCS District Poetry Slam will be held on Saturday, April 13, 5-9p.m. at Eastmoor Academy High School. Download and Complete this POETRY SLAM REGISTRATION to get your school into the competition! Full information about competing is included on the Registration. Schools do not have to have a full team in order to compete.
Registration is now open to other districts in central Ohio. If you plan to compete, register ASAP. Please send your registration and $25 entry fee to Slam Coordinator Wyk McGowan at Eastmoor Academy and Contact him with any questions. 614.804.5535 or wmcgowan8259@columbus.k12.oh.us.
Did You Know That You Have Continued Webinar Support for using TEachingBooks.net?
TEACHINGBOOKS WEBINARS
Register Today! Ready to learn more about TeachingBooks? These webinars offer options for new and experienced users. Sign up for specific sessions or the entire series!
If you can’t join a webinar on its particular date and time, sign up and they will send you the recording. Here are the upcoming Webinars:
-Dig into New Resources (30 minutes) on Tuesday, March 19, at 3pm.
-Apply Teaching Books Across Curriculum (45 minutes) on Tuesday, March 26, at 9:30am or Tuesday, April 2, at 5pm.
-Reading Magic: Unlocking Possibilities (30 minutes) on Tuesday, April 16, at 3pm.
USE THIS LIST TO GUIDE WHAT YOU DO IN THE CLASSROOM
We have now been seeing this list for over 25 weeks in the newsletter and using it in our classrooms. If you notice, the first five practices revolve around text. Consider what this means for ELA. Have a conversation with a colleague this week about your considerations. What does it mean for our practice?
1-Make close reading of text central to lesson.
2-Structure majority of instruction so all students read grade-level complex texts.
3-Emphasize informational texts from early grades through graduation.
4-Provide scaffolding that does not preempt or replace text.
5-Ask text-dependent questions.
6-Provide extensive research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).
7-Offer regular opportunities for students to share ideas, evidence, and research.
8-Offer systematic instruction in vocabulary.
9-Provide explicit instruction in grammar and conventions.
10-Cultivate students’ independence
STANDARDIZED TEST PREP LESSONS FOR AIR SUCCESS USING THE READ METHOD
THIS WEEK'S LESSON: March 14, 2019 (Practice Test 2-Writing Questions)
-If you have missed any of the lessons released thus far, they are available below and on the ELA 6-12 Webpage, at the "Thursday Standardized Test Prep" Quick Link. These lessons are based upon the CCS 2018 AIR Data Report and its recommended actions simplified in the READ Method for AIR Preparation.
- September 20, 2018 (Complex Text/Text Annotation)
- September 27, 2018 (Complex Text/Word Pyramid & Question Quads)
- October 4, 2018 (Analyzing Questions)
- October 11, 2018 (Analyzing Answers)
- October 18, 2018 (Writing Guide Acronym)
- October 25, 2018 (Passage and Prompt Analysis)
- November 1, 2018 (Finding Evidence)
- November 8, 2018 (Finding Evidence 2)
- November 15, 2018 (Finding Evidence 3)
- November 29, 2018 (Finding Evidence 4)
- December 6, 2018 (Identifying Transitions)
- December 13, 2018 (Adding Transitions)
- December 20, 2018 (Using Transitions)
- January 10, 2019 (Introductions 1)
- January 17, 2019 (Introductions 2)
- January 24, 2019 (Conclusions 1)
- January 31, 2019 (Conclusions 2)
- February 7, 2019 (Scoring)
- February 14, 2019 (Editing)
- February 21, 2019 (Class Exemplar-Argument)
- February 28, 2019 (Class Exemplar-Informative/Explanatory)
- March 7, 2019 (Practice Test 1-Reading Questions)
TEACHER CONTESTS AND PD OPPORTUNITIES
THURBER HOUSE ADULT WRITING WORKSHOPS & MASTER CLASSES
Thurber House Adult Writing Workshops and Master Classes are designed for adults of all levels of writing experience. Adult Writing Workshops are two-hour stand-alone classes on a variety of topics.They take place on Mondays from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Ave.
-April 8th: Crafting the Personal Essay
-April 15th: Writing Your Children's Book
-April 22nd: Collage: Storytelling, One Fragment at a Time
-April 29: How to Pitch Your Piece the Way Editors Wish Everyone Would
-May 6: Creating Compelling Characters Through Setting
-May 13: Making Your Best Book-Ten Things to Do Before You Push That "Publish" Button
-May 20: Building Your Author Platform-How to Build a Network and Audience to Attract Book Publishers.
Master Classes are four-hour stand-alone in-depth sessions.They take place on Saturdays from 9:00am - 1:00 pm at Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Ave.
-April 20: Pick the Brain of a Well-Established Author and Plan Your Writing Attack!
-May 18: Creativity, Mechanics, and Motivation for Writers
REGISTER FOR ANY OF THE THURBER ADULT WRITING WORKSHOPS OR MASTER CLASSER HERE.
AMBER TAMBLYN VISIT
Amber Tamblyn (author, actor, director) will visit the Columbus Museum of Art the Tuesday, March 12th at 7pm. Through her fierce op-eds and tireless work as a founder of the Time’s Up organization, Amber is a respected advocate for women’s rights. In Era of Ignition, she addresses gender inequality and judgment, misogyny and discrimination, trauma and consent, white feminism and pay parity, reproductive rights and sexual assault–told through the personal lens of her own experiences and those of her Sisters in Solidarity. Book signings will conclude her visit. Click HERE for Tamblyn tickets or call 614-464-1032 x11. Tickets are $20.
SEL WEBINAR
Join this Middle School Students' Academic and Social-Emotional Learning: New Research and Practices Webinar to learn how districts are developing effective practices for meeting the social, emotional, and academic needs of their middle school students.
Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 2 to 3 p.m. ET
Can't attend? Register so you can view the on-demand webinar at a later date.
OCTELA REGIONAL MEETINGS
Wouldn’t it be great if you could experience the enthusiasm and collaboration of the OCTELA Conference throughout the whole year? Were you unable to attend, but value discussions with fellow educators? Do you want to find and connect with other OCTELA members in your corner of Ohio? Complete this survey for the Central Ohio Regional about meeting opportunities between the annual conferences: http://bit.ly/OCTELACen. It will ask what kinds of interactions, such as Book club, Educational Book Study, Twitter chats, Events in my area (local or semi-local gatherings), PD opportunities, Facebook group) interest you. The goal is to arm you with people in your area to support each other all year long. CCS's own Pattie Niese (Dominion) will be the facilitator!
BE A PRESENTER AT OCTELA 2020
OCTELA 2020 will be held on February 21-22, 2020 and the theme is 20/20: Envisioning Our Furture. It is not too early to submit a proposal to be a presenter! Think about your practice and what might fit into the 20/20 theme. The 2020s offer a fresh decade to envision new possibilities for teaching ELA and professional transformation: What might our future classrooms look like? Envisioning diverse future(s) across grade levels and specialized curriculum may conjure a mixed bag of hope, excitement, inspiration, and, well, maybe even a little bit of anxiety. So, in the spirit of meeting teachers’ and students’ needs in facing the new decade, OCTELA aims to create a space for open inquiry, sharing, and optimism. Th2 2020 conference will inspire teachers to gather and discuss what they do best, what inspires them to keep pushing forward, and what strategies support authentic student learning.
Interested in submitting proposal? Head over to the Call for Submissions page to read more about the theme. Ready to submit a proposal? You can do so here ———> Submit a Proposal
Click here to see a Conference Preview: https://www.octela.org/2020-conference-preview. Featured speakers are authors Daniel Jose Older (Dactyl Hill Squad & Star Wars Last Shot) & Elizabeth Acevedo (The Poet X) and Professor Tony Vinci who advocates using Science Fiction for SEL.
OHIO TEACHER OF THE YEAR: NOMINATIONS OPEN NOW THROUGH APRIL 5
More than an award, the State Board of Education’s Ohio Teacher of the Year program annually identifies exceptional teachers and celebrates their effective, inspiring work both inside and outside of the classroom. The program also provides opportunities for professional growth and gives teachers a voice as leaders and advocates for public education. The nomination period for the 2020 Ohio Teacher of the Year is now through April 5, 2019. The program offers two levels of recognition: the regional State Board District Teacher of the Year (11 regions) and the state-level Ohio Teacher of the Year. Nominees must be licensed, full-time Ohio educators with at least five years of teaching experience and teaching in a state-approved public school, community school or career center. They also must work directly with students at least 50 percent of the time, have received no previous Teacher of the Year recognition, and plan to continue in active teaching status.Submit nominations online to State Board of Education District Territory Leads.For a program overview, timeline and more information. Visit the Ohio Teacher of the Year webpage. For answers to questions, email Angela Dicke, the program’s state coordinator.
PD OFFERED BY CCS NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS
- Spoken Word and Poetry Slam in the Classroom
- Presenter: Wyk McGowan
- Dates/Time: March 14th from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
- Location: Eastmoor Academy - Room 135
- Target Audience: 7-12 ELA Teachers
- This session will teach high school English teachers how to use spoken word and poetry slam in their classrooms including how to introduce and teach spoken word, resources and videos, and prompts for slam poems.
- Using YA Literature in the HS English Classroom
- Presenter: Sarah Barry
- Dates/Time: March 14th from 2:45 - 4:45 p.m.
- Location: Centennial High School - Room 102
- Target Audience: 7-12 ELA Teachers
- In this presentation teachers will discuss, share, and walk away with strategies designed to engage students and stretch them as readers and writers.
- Classroom Gaming
- Presenter: Georgia O’Hara
- Dates/Time: March 14th and March 18th from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
- Location: Centennial High School - Room 221
- Target Audience: All Teachers Grades 7-12
- During this presentation, several different online classroom game platforms will be profiled. Their value for various instructional strategies and data collection will be scared. Participants will have an opportunity to create their own and share their experiences as well.
- Using Non-Print Text as an Entry into Printed Textual Analysis
- Presenter: Kriston Crombie Stotik
- Dates/Time: March 18th from 3:00 - 5:30 p.m.
- Location: Centennial High School - Room 211
- Target Audience: High School Teachers
- Teachers will learn how to weave image analysis (Photos, Art, etc.) into their instruction before transitioning toward printed text analysis.
- Text-Dependent Reading Strategies
- Presenter: Mary Taylor
- Dates/Time: March 21st from 2:45 - 4:45 p.m.
- Location: Centennial High School in Room 103
- Target Audience: 9-12 Teachers
- Teachers will deepen their understanding of the importance of complex texts across the curriculum and sharpen their skills in fashioning effective
text-dependent questions for texts in their content area.
GET CONNECTED IN CCS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENT
Registration is now available for the Get ConnectED in CCS, a technology-focused professional development event on Saturday, March 23rd from 8:30am-12:30pm at Southland Center, 3700 South High Street. Register through PDS here. Learn about Google Apps, Technology Integration, Blended Learning, and More. The featured speaker is Eric Curts of ControlAltAchieve.com.
OHIOANA BOOK FESTIVAL AUTHORS ANNOUNCED-SAVE THE DATE
The 2019 Ohioana Book Festival will feature 150-plus Ohio writers! It will happen for the first time at Columbus Metropolitan Library's Main Branch! There's something for every reader of every age - and it's FREE! Mark your calendar - Saturday, April 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. See the complete author list and learn more in Ohioan's February Newsletter at this link: http://www.ohioana.org/…/2019/02/Feb-2019-Ohioana-Newslette… Visit the Festival Website at http://www.ohioana.org/programs/ohioana-book-festival/.
CCS REIMAGINE CONFERENCE-SAVE THE DATES
The CCS Reimagine Conference will be held on June 3rd and 4th. Ten staff members from each building will be able to attend. More information will be coming soon.
REVITALIZE TEACHING, TRANSFORM LEARNING CONFERENCE FOR TEACHERS & TEACHER EDUCATORS
On June 13th and 14th there will be workshops led by OSU Faculty at Metro High School. The keynote presenter will be Rachel Gartside (Royal Shakespeare Company and Active & Dramatic for Engaged Learning UK Workshop Leader). The cost is $100 for both days or $75 for one day. Register at http://go.osu.edu/transformlearning.
—You can register for these 3 credit Summer Institute Courses at Metro at the same link:
- 7429 Reading Complex Texts (June 17-21)
- Teaching Literature for Equity and Engagement (June 24-28)
WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME AT DISNEY AND LEARN FROM LITERACY EXPERTS? REGISTER FOR THE NATIONAL LITERACY SUMMIT
The National Literacy Summit is scheduled for November 11-13th at Disney's Coronodo Springs Resort. Gather with leading literacy experts and fellow educators for three powerful days of learning and discovery. Keynotes include Dr. Bill Daggett, Dr. Douglas Fisher, and Principal El. Register now for early bird pricing.
SOME CONTESTS AND GIVEAWAYS
LOOKING FOR PREVIOUS ISSUES OF THE NEWSLETTER?
February 25-March 1-Issue Twenty-Four
February 18-22-Issue Twenty-Three
February 11-15-Issue Twenty-Two
January 28-February 1-Issue Twenty
December 17-Winter Break-Issue Sixteen
Carla Mae Phillips
Southland Center, Suite 125
Email: cphillips3865@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12
Location: 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (380) 997-0463
Tim Wangler
Southland Center, Suite 125
Email: twangler8446@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12
Location: 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (380) 997-0462