Teaching Out of the Box
January 2016
Meg Strnat
Need to Motivate the Writers in Your Classroom?
HSE Affective Curriculum for High Ability Students
Having trouble in your classroom with student friendships, self-esteem, individuality, time management, stress, or perfectionism?
Try out the DOE's "HSE Affective Curriculum for High Ability Students," written be HSE's very own Kelly Wolf at Geist Elementary. Contact your building's high ability coordinator for a PDF of the file. Go, Kelly!
Worried about Test and Other Types of Anxiety?
Openings for Two Economic Workshops Next Week
There still is room in the Teaching Economics: Using Children's Literature Workshop in Grades K-5 (1/19/16 4:15-5:30 pm), and the Economics and Entrepreneurship: Operating a Business Classroom in Grades 3-5 Workshop (1/20/16 4:15-5:30 pm).
Both workshops provide instructional materials. What a great way to teach across disciplines. Space is limited so sign up soon.
Contact me at mstrnat@hse.k12.in.us if interested.
PictureSTEM …Integrating STEM and Literacy in Meaningful Ways
Interested in using engineering units that incorporate language arts and math? PictureSTEM units are the answer. PictureSTEM units are the answer. Teachers can select either a workshop for K-4 or a workshop for grade 5.
When: Wednesday February 24, 2016
Time: Grade 5 Teachers 4:15-5:15 pm
K-2 Teachers 5:15-6:15 pm
Where: HSE Admin Building Board Room
Facilitator: Dr. Tamara Moore, a Purdue profession and former HSE teacher
The PictureSTEM curriculum provides a model of STEM integration that employs engineering and literacy contexts to integrate science, technology and mathematics content in meaningful and significant ways. These curricular units use STEM picture books to build the context for an engineering design challenge while meaningfully integrating science and mathematics content.
I piloted the 5th grade unit, Nature-Inspired Design, with my 4th grade students, and the kids loved it. It was tied to a real-life Engineers Without Borders project.
The chart below provides information on individual units.
January High Ability Coordinator Meeting
Ask your high ability coordinator for more details about this month's Coordinator Meeting agenda:
- Greg Eaken, HSE Behavior Specialist, spoke on Anxiety and High Ability. His Power Point has been emailed to your coordinator to be shared with interested high ability teachers in the building.
- Kristen Patrick, Media Specialist at BSE, spoke about book diversity (see above chart on book diversity). Kristen initiated a study of the diversity of BSE library books at a BSE Family Night. Take time to check out Kristen's book diversity site at http://hsewindowsandmirrors.wikispaces.com/. Recommended books included Inside Information, Bullying Hurts, Rising Strong, The One and Only Ivan, and Home of the Brave. She was only able to attend the 1/12/16 meeting, so I reviewed her presentation at the 1/13/16 meeting.
- Coordinators were reminded of upcoming economics and engineering workshops.
- Coordinators were encouraged to attend the High Ability Broad-based Planning Committee (HA BBPC) meeting on Tuesday, 1/19/16 at 7 p.m. in the board room at Admin.
HSE High Ability Coordinator Meeting Schedule 2015-2016
Elementary HA Coordinators
2/9/16 Tuesday 4:15-5:30 pm Admin Boardroom
3/8/16 Tuesday 4:15-5:30 pm Admin Boardroom
Intermediate HA Coordinators
2/10/16 Wednesday 3:15-4:30 pm Admin Boardroom
3/8/16 Tuesday 4:15-5:30 pm Admin Boardroom