Collier County Public Schools
January 2021
STEAM Expo - January 30, 2021
Save the Date! Join us on January 30th for a fun-filled, educational 10th Annual STEAM Expo. This year's STEAM Expo will be held virtually, from 9:00am - noon, and will feature an exciting keynote, interactive sessions and engaging family activities.
Keynote Speaker, Steve Spangler
Steve Spangler is a best-selling author, STEM educator and business leader branded by TIME Magazine as one of their “most influential people of the year” because of his passion to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. With more than 1,500 television appearances and multiple Emmy awards to his credit, Steve is also a regular guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show where she dubbed him America’s Science Teacher. Steve’s catalog of videos featured on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and now TikTok have close to 1 billion views, and his books and online experiments are widely used by parents and educators to increase student engagement and inspire young scientists to learn more about STEM-based careers.
Authentic Collaboration and Teacher Engagement in CCPS
Kristy Sullivan
Director, Family & Stakeholder Engagement TNTP
My colleagues and I are excited to have had the opportunity to work alongside a group of leaders in CCPS for the past several months to identify opportunities to integrate family and teacher voice in key processes and decisions related to school re-opening following closures this spring. Most recently we worked to conduct a series of listening sessions with teachers across all grade bands to learn more about their experiences over the past few months and hear their recommendations as the districts works to move forward, make adjustments and build upon current strengths.
Here’s what we learned.
- Advances in technology (e.g. 1:1 devices, teacher microphones) and instruction and assessment (e.g. hands off lessons, benchmark assessments) were cited as best practices for the district to build on.
- Technical difficulties and challenges with new program implementation were shared as opportunities for improvement.
- Teachers cited rapid technology response and additional time for planning and collaboration would be helpful resources that could be provided.
If you are interested in receiving a full copy of the report findings please reach out to morsel1@collierschools.com via email. These findings have been reviewed by CCPS’ executive leadership and will be used to drive work moving forward.
All of us at TNTP value our partnership with CCPS and appreciate the work you do in service to providing high-quality educational experiences for students and families.
Celebrate Literacy Week
Celebrate Literacy Week 2021 will include a contest featuring student-produced submissions. This year’s contest will focus on reading and writing with a focus on civics. Students will be able to draw on information and inspiration from texts included in the B.E.S.T. ELA Standards Civics Booklist. Please contact your school's reading coach for more information.
- Grades 3 – 5 – Read a book from Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards Civics Booklist (starting on page 168) and draw on information and inspiration from the book and write a proposal on how you would like to affect change.
English Language Arts
Third Grade: The new year ushers in enchanting texts in third grade. Students will read literature such as “A Symphony of Whales” and “The Man Who Invented Basketball”. Students will have a renewed focus on comparing and contrasting elements (RL.1.1), using information gained from various illustrations to understand the text (RI.3.7), and distinguishing their own point of view from that of the author (RI.2.6). Captivating strategies are located in the curriculum guide to support your instruction. What makes informative writing really fun for your students is that they become “experts on a topic.”
Fourth Grade: The new year promotes opportunities to try mesmerizing strategies in fourth grade. The curriculum guide offers strategies this month, such as Cartoon Creation, Stop & Sketch, and Poem Revision. Students will utilize these strategies as they focus on comparing and contrasting themes (RL.3.9) and the point of view from which stories are narrated (RL.2.6). Students will also be engaged in reading strategies like determining the main idea (RI.1.2) and integrating information from two texts (RI.3.9). What makes informative writing really fun for your students is that they become “experts on a topic.”
Fifth Grade: The new year brings fascinating texts in fifth grade such as “The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins” and “Mahalia Jackson”. Your students will process reading standards focused on determining the main idea (RI.1.2), drawing on information from multiple print or digital sources (RI.3.7), explaining how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text (RI.3.8), and the relationship between informational elements within a given text (RI.1.3). Captivate your students with strategies such as Connect the Dots, Quiz Quiz NO Trade, Collaborative Round Table, and Debate! What makes informative writing really fun for your students is that they become “experts on a topic.”
Writing Grades 3-5:
Becoming an expert on something builds confidence – and that confidence can translate into writing. The next few weeks you will explore informative writing with your students. Use close reading strategies to actively engage students in the text prior to their writing.
Canvas Tip: Discussions
Canvas provides an integrated system for classroom discussions, allowing both instructors and students to start and contribute to as many discussion topics as desired. Discussions allow for interactive communication between two or more people; users can participate in a conversation with an entire class or group.
Discussions can be created as an assignment for grading purposes, or simply serve as a forum for topical and current events. Discussions can also be created within student groups, but this is a feature that can be turned off. It's also important to monitor the discussion threads if students start their own boards. Here are some ways a discussion post can be used:
- Answer a single question or multiple questions
- Collect results from a simple research activity or science experiment
- Share different ways to solve a problem
- Give peer feedback through work in progress, such as writing
- Share insights and thoughts about a single reading
- Facilitate discussions around a discussion (fishbowl Socratic)
- Refine ideas between multiple discussion groups and multiple learners
- Debate the pros and cons of a single issue
Open Office Hours for teachers grades K – 5 Monday, January 11, 2021 at 8:30-11:30 and 12:30-3:30. https://colliercountyschools.webex.com/meet/pikeam
Math
In third grade, students will fluently add and subtract within 1,000 using strategies based on place value. They will solve two-step word problems using the four operations and represent problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity.
In fourth grade, students will show equivalent decimals and fractions with denominators of 10 and 100, use linear model representations to solve word problems involving money, and use visual models and place value to compare decimals. They will also draw points, lines, rays, and angles and identify these in two-dimensional figures. They will understand angles and how to use a protractor to measure an angle, as well as recognize that angles are additive and solve problems with angles.
In fifth grade, students will divide whole numbers and unit fractions and use visual models to represent division with unit fractions. Students will compare and convert customary units of measurement, make and interpret line plots that display fractional amounts, and convert units of time to solve problems. They will also recognize the 10-to-1 relationship of place-value position in decimals, read, write, and compare decimals to thousandths, as well as round decimals to any place.
Science
In third grade, students will be able to identify some basic forms of energy and recognize that energy has the ability to cause motion or create change and demonstrate that light travels in a straight line until it strikes another object, travels from one medium to another and can be reflected, refracted, and absorbed. As a reminder, the light unit is an assessed standard for grade 5 science and will not be taught at other grade levels.
In fourth grade, students will be able to observe and describe some basic forms of energy, investigate that energy has the ability to cause motion or create change, including water and air and understand and explain that sound is produced by vibrating objects and pitch depends on how fast or slow the object vibrates. As a reminder, is an also assessed standard for grade 5 science and is the foundation for grade 5 sound energy.
In fifth grade, students will measure and compare objects and materials based on their physical properties, including water and its common uses in each of its states from grade 4. Students will also compare and contrast the basic properties of matter and explore the scientific theory of atoms, demonstrate and explain that mixtures of solids can be separated based on observable properties and understand and identify materials that will dissolve in water and those that will not, as well as, the conditions that will speed up or slow down the process.
Upcoming Events:
- Grade 3 Classification ZooCon is February 19th at 9am
- Please see Grade 3 Channel in the O365 Elementary Science Team for all information regarding this ZooCon
Health
- The District will be providing a Canvas Unit as a teacher guide for Q4, as it is a graded in Focus that quarter
- Discovery Ed HIV/AIDS portion is no longer available; new resources will be provided in the near future
- Schools may begin the HGD lessons any time during second semester, but the 30-minute HIV/AIDS portion for 5th Grade should not be presented until Q4
- Updated HGD letters will be available in T & L SharePoint on December 11 – click here to access
Resources
- Sanford Health: https://fit.sanfordhealth.org/
- Kids Health: https://kidshealth.org/classroom/
- Learn to be Healthy: https://www.learntobehealthy.org/
Social Studies
December Character Education Trait: Self-Control
Third Grade: This month in third grade, students will learn about the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will also identify landmarks and describe the physical features, natural resources, climate, and vegetation in Mexico and the Caribbean.
Fourth Grade: Students will start the New Year in fourth grade by learning about, and celebrating, change in history. Students will learn about significant people and events that created change, and how those changes continue to impact our lives today. One significant person of study, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had a great deal of influence on American society. Students will complete the month by learning how the Seminole tribe formed, the purpose for their migration, and the causes and effects of the Seminole Wars.
Fifth Grade: This month in fifth grade students will use primary and secondary sources to describe the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will continue their studies in history by comparing characteristics of New England, Middle and Southern colonies, including the political, economic, and social aspects of daily colonial life. Students will end the month by learning about the introduction, impact, and role of slavery in the colonies.
Coming Soon:
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is Monday, January 18, 2021
- February Required Instruction: Black History Month & Presidents’ Day
- February Character Education Trait: Kindness & Charity
Art
We ring in the new year in elementary art with updates to the District Curriculum Maps found in the CCPS District Visual Art Teams; our TSA Agnes Story has worked very hard to ensure the district resources available to you and your students are top notch!
Information regarding submission details for the Spring 2021 Superintendent's Art Gallery Show will be sent from the Teaching & Learning office prior to Winter Break. Much like prior years, only one submission is required to submit to the district office. Details surrounding logistics for the actual ceremony and reception will be forthcoming
Teachers please be reminded to continue collecting VAM portfolio artifacts throughout the academic year for submission to the VAM portfolio for Fine Arts. Toni McGlynn has submitted a wealth of resources for uploading appropriate materials into the Data Warehouse submission website, including how to transfer prior year portfolios into the system. Please be in contact with me should you have any questions at all about the VAM portfolio piece of your teacher evaluation
Music
A big thank you to Toni McGlynn who has been reviewing and updating formatting to our District Curriculum Maps found in the CCPS District Music Teams; we hope these resources are a great help to you in navigating Canvas items as well as Quaver connections to our subject
Details surrounding the 2021 Elementary Honors Chorus event have been discussed and submitted for approval. Teaching & Learning Office aims to send you those details as soon as possible — we look forward to celebrating these talented students!
Teachers please be reminded to continue collecting VAM portfolio artifacts throughout the academic year for submission to the VAM portfolio for Fine Arts. Toni McGlynn has submitted a wealth of resources for uploading appropriate materials into the Data Warehouse submission website, including how to transfer prior year portfolios into the system. Please be in contact with me should you have any questions at all about the VAM portfolio piece of your teacher evaluation.
Physical Education
In-Person and Virtual Checklist for Physical Education
Use the five questions below to keep your instruction aligned to the four TNTP Key Resources: high expectations, strong instruction, standards-based grade level appropriate assignments and deep engagement. Need examples and suggestions on how to make that happen? Click here for more.
- Does the lesson include direct instruction and explicit directions aligned to address critical content for a given standard/goal that provides skill and knowledge building?
- Is the Performance Scale aligned to help students self-monitor their progress towards mastery of goal/target/standard and to identify where they may need additional supports?
How am I monitoring for progress and assessing the required standards of both my in person and virtual learners?
- Does my lesson provide Physical Education or Physical Activity or an appropriate combination of both? Does it help students practice and assess goal mastery in deeply engaging ways?
- How have you differentiated for grade levels or for ESE/ELL students specifically in your lesson?
Instructional Resource
General Notes
- Open Office Hours - Monday, January 11, 8:00-8:30 am https://colliercountyschools.webex.com/meet/georgebe
- Standards-based IR Curriculum Guides and Support Materials can be found in T&L SharePoint (formerly C & I tile)
January Curriculum Highlights
Typing:
- There are a number of reports in Typing Club that provide student keyboarding data. We recommend the Activity Summary Report. Here are the steps to access that report (and others) logged in as the school admin: Click on Classes >> Click on Filter and filter by School and Grade >> Click on the class name >> Click on Reports >> Choose the Activity Summary Report
- To review student keyboarding data across the grade level for grade level WPM/Accuracy, Jody McCarty has created a spreadsheet template with an accompanying video. Spreadsheet - LINK Video - LINK
This month's focus (incorporate into daily instruction) is Digital Footprint – review the importance of building a positive digital footprint (online reputation) and how to do that by always thinking before posting online, being respectful and considerate of others and aware.
Hour of Code:
These are the last few weeks for the Coding unit for our students. Provide opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding by having them create Flipgrid videos or provide opportunity for small group discussions about coding concepts sharing screens in WebEx breakout rooms or create a Padlet Wall where they can post screenshots and share their favorite learning about coding.
New Units starting Mid-January:
Grade 3-5 - MS Excel
Digital Innovation Best Practices
Canvas Tips:
Student communication is key. Canvas makes it easy with a “Message Students Who…” feature. This is an easy way to quickly message students who did awesome on an exam, need additional support, haven't submitted an assignment, etc. In the Gradebook, mouse over the assignment column and click on the drop-down arrow, then select “Message Students Who…” Your options are: Haven’t submitted yet, Haven’t been graded, Scored less than, and Scored more than.
When creating a page in Canvas there are times when you want a linked file to be viewable when the students access the page. Here is how to do that:
- Select the text that links to your file
- Click the link icon in the Rich Content Editor
- In the menu box that appears, check "Auto-open the online preview for this link"
- Click "Update Link"
Additional Canvas video series: Canvas for Littles & Canvas Tips - LINK - A wide variety of easy to follow and helpful videos with great examples for why and how to use the feature. Here are even more LINKS.
Office 0365:
OneNote Class Notebook offers a personal workspace for every student, a content library for handouts, the ability to provide interactive activities for students with a wide variety of tools and integrates easily into Canvas as LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability.) There is a bit of setup that you have to do initially but it is well worth the effort! The videos below will walk you through setup:
- Canvas Class Notebook LTI Setup – Video Link
- Distribute & Review Content in Class Notebook – Video Link
- Class Notebook Student Sample Video – Video Link
Exceptional Student Education
This month, we will highlight one of the six co-teaching models, Alternative Teaching. For some instruction, a small group may need special attention. Either teacher may work with the small group, and the students making up the group should vary.
Purposes for using the alternative teaching instructional model include:
- Remediation or re-teaching
- Provision of additional practice on a recently taught concept or skill
- Extension or enrichment
- Pre-teaching, such as introducing key concepts/vocabulary
- Assessment of student progress
Click here for more information on alternative teaching.
School Counseling/Social Emotional Learning
District SEL Theme for January: Social Awareness
The abilities to understand the perspectives of, and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand social norms for behavior in different settings, recognize strengths in others, show concern for the feelings of others, and understand and express gratitude.
January Events:
National Thank You Month
18-22 No Name-Calling Week
Resources:
Mental Health Supports for Teachers: https://teach.com/resources/mental-health-resources-teachers-school-staff/
CCPS Emotional Wellness Program (Free Benefits): https://www.collierschools.com/Page/12571
“This new day has greeted us with no rules; unconditional opportunity. Do not dilute the power of this new day with the hardship of yesterday. Greet this day the way it has greeted you, with open arms and endless possibility”. Dr. Steve Maroboli
Teaching and Learning
Email: TeachingandLearning@collierschools.com
Website: https://www.collierschools.com/Page/169
Location: 5775 Osceola Trail, Naples, FL, USA
Phone: 239-377-0001
Twitter: @CCPS_Curriculum