What's Going on at School?
Graettinger-Terril and Ruthven-Ayrshire Community Schools
Formative Assessments Drive Instruction
The Graettinger-Terril and Ruthven-Ayrshire teachers have been sharing different types of formative assessments to use in the classroom. These assessments help teachers make decisions on where to go next with a lesson. What needs to be retaught? Is further explanation needed? What do students understand? What higher order thinking can be encouraged? Formative assessments are used by teachers to check for understanding of standards and objectives.
Interactive Notebooks
Interactive notebooks include the standard or objective that the students are learning. The students then write an explanation to understand what they are learning.
Google Forms
A way to use technology for checking for understanding is by using Google Forms. Worksheets can be created online for students to answer questions with a click of the mouse.
Vocabulary Check
Sixth Grade students write complete sentences to answer a question that included a vocabulary word that they learned. They also identified the subject and verb in their sentences.
Emoji and Hashtag
Students in the Ruthven-Ayrshire 8th grade reading class drew an emoji and prepared a hashtag after reading "Touching Spirit Bear".
Daily Language Practice
Making corrections to a daily language sentence identifies the understanding of capital letters, punctuation, and the parts of speech.
Venn Diagrams
The fourth-grade students compared and contrasted tribes with a Venn Diagram as a formative assessment.
Next Steps in Guided Reading
Elementary teachers have been differentiating instruction of reading with guided reading groups. Teachers are able to identify skills that individual students or small groups need to work on to improve fluency, accuracy, and comprehension.
Mrs. Schnell
Third graders are working on comprehension after reading a book about fish.
Mrs. Jacobsen
The first-grade students write sight words. Sight words are commonly used words that are difficult to decode.
Mrs. Ulrich
The kindergarten students chunk compound words to decode them.
Mrs. Hoffman
Mrs. Hoffman works with the fifth-grade students in the absence of Mrs. Hunefeld writing about the book that they read.
Mr. Jorgensen
Mr. Jorgensen listens to students read a book about where birds live. Repetitive words increase fluency and new words provide practice decoding.
Mrs. Jorgensen
Mrs. Jorgensen has students reading from the Magic Tree House Series.
High School Band
The high school band played The Battle Hymn of the Republic, God Bless America, and Armed Forces on Parade at the Veterans' Day program in Terril.
RA Middle School Band
The Ruthven-Ayrshire middle school is directed by Mr. Nielsen. Students who are in music develop critical thinking skills and are leaders.
5th Graders Lessons
The GT 5th Grade students are learning to play their individual instruments. Music improves early cognitive development and math and reading skills.
High School Industrial Technology
Shadow Box
Ms. Butler helps a student cutting wood for a shadow box for a football jersey.
Corn Hole Game
Students are measuring and cutting boards to make the popular bean bag game.
Small Table
This student is constructing a small table to put in his vehicle.
Seniors and 3rd-Grade Observe the Voting Process
Mr. Olesen took the senior class to the Graettinger Public Library to learn about the voting opportunity. Those who were 18 years old exercised the privilege while the rest learned for the future. Mrs. Schnell and Mr. Hough walked the third-grade class to the precinct in Terril to learn about casting votes.
Journal Writing in Kdg
The kindergarten students practice writing in their journals. This student would save the world if they were President.
If I were President....
I would save the world. The students were working on putting spaces between words.
Writing Improves Reading
If I were President I would make the world a better place.