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.
- Prekindergarten – Grade 2 – Read with a family member or friend a civics-related book from An Educator’s Guide to Understanding the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards: 4 year olds to Kindergarten, Commissioner Corcoran’s Recommended Reading List (page 244), or Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards Civics Booklist (page 168). Illustrate what was learned and include a dictated or written paragraph describing the illustration. Book examples:
- Police Officers on Patrol, by Kerstin Hamilton and R.W. Alley
- Why Should I Listen, by Claire Llewellyn
- I Pledge Allegiance, by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson
- The Very First Americans, by Cara Ashrose
- D is for Democracy: A Citizen’s Alphabet, by Elissa Grodin
Pre-K Programs
English Language Arts
Kindergarten:
The new year ushers in ending sounds and L-Blends in phonics as it continues to be a vital part of your reading block. In the beginning of the month, students will describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text (LAFS.K.RI.1.3). Then students will identify the author and illustrator of a story (LAFS.K.RL.2.6) along with asking & answering questions about key details in the story (LAFS.K.RL.1.1) (fiction and nonfiction (LAFS.K.RI.1.1). Pulling rich trade books like “Farfallina and Marcel” and “The Lion and the Mouse” will help students deepen their learning of the critical content while keeping them engaged. Introduce De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats strategy to have students immerse themselves into questioning and literary elements.
First Grade:
The new year rings in a continued focus on phonics instruction in first grade. Specifically, Reading Horizons has students working on phonetic skills 3 & 4. In reading, first grade will heavily focus on informational standards beginning with students asking and answering questions (LAFS.1.RI.1.1). The second week brings literature into the classroom focusing on retelling stories and determining central message (LAFS.1.RL.1.2). Later in the month, students will work on identifying similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic (LAFS.1.RI.3.9) and distinguishing between information provided by pictures and information provided by words in the text (LAFS.1.RI.2.6). Pulling engaging nonfiction texts such as “Who Works Here?” and “A Mangrove Forest” can help students make clear connections to the critical content. One highlighted strategy this month is Kagan’s Continuous Round Robin. In teams, students take turns sharing responses. Teams do multiple rounds until teacher calls time.
Second Grade:
The new year ushers in a continued focus on utilizing Reading Horizons in core, guided reading, and writing. Reading Horizons has students learning about the Schwa this month! Additionally, in reading, students will be comparing two or more versions of the same story by different authors or from different cultures (LAFS.2.RL.3.9), along with describing the overall structure of a story (LAFS.2.RL.2.5). Utilize strong core texts to focus on these standards such as “Anansi Goes Fishing” and “Rosa & Blanca”. Incorporate a kinesthetic teaching strategy such as pantomime to allow students to act out the overall structure of a story including the beginning, middle, and end.
ELL/ELA Connection:
Help promote home language development by utilizing Unite for Literacy. It’s a collection of books written in English/Spanish and narrated in 20 languages.
Canvas Tip:
Has this ever happened to you? You work hard, build a module for your students, students enter course only to have some of the resources not work correctly? The Canvas "Student View" feature is a great tool that allows you view the course as a student, including taking tests and submitting assignments as a student. You can do everything a student would do! Click here for more information.
Open Office Hours for teachers grades KG-5 Monday, January 11, 2021, 8:30-11:30 and 12:30-3:30. https://colliercountyschools.webex.com/meet/pikeam
Mathematics
Kindergarten: In Kindergarten, students will read and write numbers six to ten. Students will also count to 100 by ones and by tens, as well as count forward from any number to 100.
First Grade: In first grade, students will continue to work on solving comparison situations. They will also organize, represent, and interpret data in a picture graph, tally chart, or bar graph with up to three categories. They will ask and answer questions by using the data.
Second Grade: In second grade, students will fluently add and subtract within 100 and explain why addition and subtraction strategies work. They will also add and subtract within 1,000 and add up to 4 two-digit numbers.
Science
Kindergarten: In kindergarten, students will be able to observe and create a visual representation of an object including its major features, observe that things that make sound vibrate (the force is the vibration), sort objects by observable properties, and understand that the shape of materials can be changed.
First Grade: In first grade, students will be able to sort objects by observable properties, demonstrate that the way to change the motion of an object is by applying a push or a pull and demonstrate and describe how objects move.
Second Grade: In second grade, students will be able to distinguish human body parts and their functions and recognize that Earth is made up of rocks.
Social Studies
January Character Education Trait (all grades) - Self-Control
Kindergarten: This month in Kindergarten, students will learn the importance of celebrations of national holidays as a way of remembering and honoring people, events, and our nation’s ethnic heritage with a focus on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Students will be able to listen to and retell stories about people in the past who have shown character ideals and principles including honesty, courage, and responsibility.
First Grade: This month in first grade, as students learn about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., they will identify other celebrations and national holidays as a way of remembering and honoring the heroism and achievements of the people, events, and our nation’s ethnic heritage. Students will also identify people from the past who have shown character ideals and principles including honesty, courage, and responsibility.
Second Grade: This month in second grade, students will examine primary and secondary sources to describe the impact of immigrants on the Native Americans. Students will also evaluate the contributions of various African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, veterans, and women.
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, 2021 - 8:00-8:30am 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
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
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
Grades K/1 - Digital Publishing
Grade 2 – 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"
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 an 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