GAVS Social Studies Teachers
Weekly Notes January 16, 2015
Dear SS Teachers,
Supervisor of Instruction
Department Coordinator - Social Studies
Department Coordinator - Social Studies
Progress Report Due Date: Tuesday January 20th by 10:00 p.m.
Contact your DC if you have questions.
16 Week Students begin Monday
Welcome 16 week students with welcome email, newsletter, calls and encourage them to complete orientation if they have not.
Contact new students as they appear on your class rosters, and welcome them with an email and phone call.
Note: A time saving way to identify new students is to download the excel file in TheSiS. The excel file will allow you to filter and sort by date of enrollment and reorganize from new to old.
Release grades (Eyeballs in gradebook) as students move into your course from the SOC. http://screencast.com/t/aZkmVkLnUR
Check your roster in Thesis and contact 16 week students who have not completed SOC by Tuesday morning.
Remember to Use Conditional Release on Welcome Announcements
If you need, here is embed code for a course news announcement that provides a link to the helpful GAVS navigation videos.
<p><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="color: #ff6600;">Hello {FirstName},</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="color: #ff6600;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLObFFwjTst6W0wZ-f-bFuGvxjXhpXXMee" target="_blank">Click here</a> to access Videos that show you how to access your work and submit assignments in GAVS courses.<br /></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="color: #ff6600;"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="/content/enforced/416079-201501_68_1/pic%20for%20how%20to%20videos.png" alt="" title="" height="223" width="388" /></span></span></p>
Grading guidelines: First benchmark due date is upon us!
From Teacher Observation Rubric
Statement: The online instructor provides timely and quality feedback for all graded assignments. Grades and feedback reflect current and accurate student progress. Grading is placed as the top priority because it is essential for the quality of the student’s academic experience. Meaningful feedback with lead to differentiation and individualization of the learning pathway.
Entering zeros after each benchmark reflects an updated report to student, parents, teachers and administration.
Indicators of Success:
Grading for all assignments (quizzes, dropboxes, discussions) is completed
within 3 school days, unless teacher notifies students and documents that extra time is needed.
Feedback is meaningful and specific to the student and the assignment.
Rubrics are used when applicable as a best practice.
Late work policy is followed and documented in all feedback for late assignments.
Zeros are entered systematically after each benchmark.
Teacher follow the policy on dropping grades at the end of the semester.
ePortfolio Protocol
January - All instructors should have a personal profile and veteran teachers will need to update Professional Profile. All teachers will share their ePortfolio with all members of their department (Instructors, Department Coordinators, Mentors, Quality Assurance Specialist and Assistant Supervisor of Instruction). All teachers should set up ePortfolio with separate content tabs for the different content areas.
Helpful hint: Create a folder for ePortfolio items for each month. Take screen shots or create images and reflections during the month as events happen. Adding to your ePortfolio by the due date will be a snap.
If you missed the ePortfolio PD you can listen to the synchronous recordings.
Teacher Quality Site:
https://sites.google.com/a/gavirtualschool.org/teacher-toolbox/home/teacher-quality
Teacher Observations
Teacher Observation Rubric:
This rubric is used by QAS for monthly evaluations recorded in Eduphoria. Please review carefully as the rubric has changed.
The Social Studies Discussion rubric overrides the Discussion section in the Observation Rubric.
Discussion Rubric for SS: Click here.
To support and assist you, department coordinators do frequent walk throughs and file informal observation reports every two weeks. Teachers typically receive comments by email.
Reminders
Do post course News or Help Discussion on how to view Quiz submission feedback. Items were shared in last weeks updates.
Do post the link to your Welcome Synchronous session in the Links Section. If no students attended, please record one and submit the link. Add resources for your students in the Links section.
Set the tone for Discussions early on.
Post the rubric - available in all SS courses
http://www.edudemic.com/online-discussion-tips/
http://www.edudemic.com/5-online-discussion-tips-for-students/
Discussion feedback shows in the gradebook when the grading happens in the gradebook rather than the discussion assess tool. Here is a how to video.
http://www.screencast.com/t/9N2WU44Twsz2
If you are not already using rubrics for grading, try them out.
Ask Erin Mitchell, Erin Hall, and Leah Curtright for tips.
Helpful Hints
Meeting grading deadlines:
Sort your drop boxes by submission date to help you stay within the 3 day grading after those benchmark due dates when you have lots of submissions.
Course News Weekly requirement.
Create your weekly news items on Thurs or Friday and schedule them to release on the next Monday. You will easily meet the your News update responsibilities. The requirements are actually one each week and not four per month.
Pay attention to your settings and make the start date of your new announcement on Monday.
Tips and Best Practices from QAS: What do they look for?
Grading Feedback:
Place the late policy image in every gradebook box for items unsubmitted as soon as you can following the benchmark due date. You have met the new requirement for late policy feedback in grade book items. The gradebook icons let you know if students completed the assessment. The feedback is in place and students are alerted to missing assignments while they still have the opportunity to submit work with only a 10% penalty.
Course News Settings
Late Policy Feedback for Unsubmitted Items
For Students: View Quiz Results
Sharing Resources and Tools for Social Studies Classes
Virtual Tools Symbaloo
http://gavirtuallearning.symbaloo.com/shared/AAAAAbQrH7QAA41-4So-ZA== Do you have additional links to add to this useful tools symbaloo?
Are you in need of some new and fresh resources for your Social Studies Classes?
Sharing some Symbaloo ♥: Social Studies Resources from NCSS 2014 conference. http://gavirtuallearning.symbaloo.com/shared/AAAAAbpqy5cAA41-4VoFMQ==
Do you need a course News item for MLK Day?
<div class="drt" id="z_dd" style="margin-top: 0.9em; display: block;">
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: georgia,palatino;">"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia,palatino;"><strong>Martin Luther King Jr. Day</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia,palatino;"><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Monday, January 19th</span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><img src="/content/enforced/419919-201502_129_1/Civil%20Rights.png" alt="" title="" height="293" width="758" /></span></p>
<br style="text-align: center;" />
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: georgia,palatino;">Selma: 50 Years Ago<br /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: georgia,palatino;"><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/rare-photos-selma-march-thick-history-180953874/?no-ist" target="_blank">Click here to learn more.</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: georgia,palatino;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/selma-director-ava-duvernay-writing-new-speeches-mlk/" target="_blank">About the movie, Selma</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: georgia,palatino;">The History and Events that led to the establishment of a National Holiday.<br /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: georgia,palatino;"><a href="http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkhistory1.html" target="_blank">History of Martin Luther King Day</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: georgia,palatino;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/mlk/activities/quiz/" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/mlk/activities/quiz/" target="_blank">What do you already know about Dr. King?</a><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: georgia,palatino;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <br /></span></span></p>
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