Literacy and Technology News
November 2017
Technology News and Information
Go Math Interactive Files
Follow these steps to access the ActivInspire Interactive Files:
- Login to Think Central
- Click on the word "Resources"
- Find and select the "Go Math Interactive Whiteboard" icon
- From the left side of the screen, select "Promethean ActivInspire"
- Choose the unit and lesson you wish to download.
You will need to download the ActivInspire software to access these files on your laptop. Software Download: https://support.prometheanworld.com/download/activinspire.html
If you have difficulties downloading the software or accessing the files, please send me (Jess) an email.
Check out the 3rd Grade interactive presentation example below...
Free Rice- Skill Practice While Fighting World Hunger
Free Math Fact Apps/Websites
K-2
Xtra Math- Xtra math is a free web-based fact program that allows teachers to differentiate math fact practice and track student progress. You can create an iPad shortcut on the home screen of the iPad instead of paying for the app.
Pet BINGO- Math fact practice app. Students can create an account on the iPad (does not save from device to device, nor can the teacher see a student’s progress), then choose addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Each operation has an easy, medium, and hard level.
Sushi Monster- Free addition and multiplication fact app. 7 addition levels and 5 multiplication levels. Students feed a “fact monster” and race the clock to get the highest score possible.
Multiplication.com- Website (will run on an iPad) with self-correcting, timed fact quizzes. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division all available with facts 0-12. Quiz options include just a specific fact (example: all adding 4s) or up to a specific fact (example: adding up to 4s- 0, 1, 2, 3, 4). Fact games are also available, but must be run through Puffin Academy since they require Flash.
Education City Math- Students can race against one another (or the computer) to complete addition facts. This is available through the “Play Live” feature in Ed. City Math.
3-5
Xtra Math- Xtra math is a free web-based fact program that allows teachers to differentiate math fact practice and track student progress. You can create an iPad shortcut on the home screen of the iPad instead of paying for the app.
Sumdog- Game-based math fact application website & app. Teachers can create free student accounts, assign activities/challenges, and track student progress. This is a great tool for challenging students to become faster with their math facts while solidifying other math skills.
Multiplication.com- Website (will run on an iPad) with self-correcting, timed fact quizzes. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division all available with facts 0-12. Quiz options include just a specific fact (example: all adding 4s) or up to a specific fact (example: adding up to 4s- 0, 1, 2, 3, 4). Fact games are also available, but must be run through Puffin Academy since they require Flash.
Sushi Monster- Free addition and multiplication fact app. 7 addition levels and 5 multiplication levels. Students feed a “fact monster” and race the clock to get the highest score possible.
Monster Math- Students solve math problems to defeat different monsters. Student accounts can be customized on the iPad to focus on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and geometry. Advanced levels are also available (add, sub, mult, div up to 1000s). Does not track data, but is a fun game-based fact practice app.
Daily App Advice- Get Paid Apps for FREE!
Here are the two ways you can see which apps go free each day:
- Download the "Daily App Advice" app to your iPad
- Go to appadvice.com
If you see an app you like, make sure you download it that day because the price usually returns the following day.
Technology Updates
- VoiceOver- Do you have an iPad that will not respond to touch commands and shows a box around apps when you touch the screen? If so, chances are "VoiceOver" has been enabled on your iPad. Triple-click the home button to disable this feature and return the iPad to touch control.
Seesaw
- Activities- Create activities for your students to complete. Add text or voice instructions along with a teacher example for all types of learners.
- Graphic Organizers- Students can easily annotate these graphic organizers to demonstrate their learning.
- PD in your PJs- Professional development sessions from educators who are using Seesaw in their classrooms. Browse a library of previous sessions (by grade and/or topic), or register for upcoming sessions.
Instructional Media Services Updates
- Username: firstname_lastname
- Password: palmyra1234
- Login > Sign in with G Suite for Education (enter your school Google account credentials)
- Take your students on over 200 virtual field trips around the world
- Google Expedition Topics/Trips
- Download the Google Expeditions App to your teacher iPad
November Technology Stars
Alex Heisey
Northside 3rd Grade
Robin Reiman
Literacy News and Information
Close Reading in Common Core Standards
- Megan Ressler & Rose Sargent
“So what exactly is close reading? How is it different from other reading instruction? And, most important, how can you make close readers out of your students?”
Close reading is getting our students to take a closer look at the text, to really focus. Students need to gather as much information as possible as they are reading. The goal of close reading instruction is to foster independent readers to pull from the depths of the text by only considering the text itself.
It is no longer enough for students to just understand what the text says and grasp the author’s message but now they must examine the text more in-depth. They need to examine the author’s tone, or perspective, the implication of the author’s word choice and the text structure or organization. Additionally, readers should evaluate the quality or value, comparing it with other texts and determine its importance.
“Close Reading in Action”
Close reading is unique because it has 3 goals and the text is read 3 separate times.
1. What the text says.
2. How the text works.
3. How this measures up and compares to other texts and implications to their lives.
How do you set your students up for success?
1. Explain to students, “Good readers often read and reread a text, which is what we’ll do with this story. After we read it a first time, we’ll talk about what happened and who did what. After that, we’ll go back and reread some parts of the story to figure out how the text works and what choices the author made.”
2. Briefly introduce the story. Nothing extensive is needed.
3. Students read the story. Teacher asks students questions based on which number reading the students are on.
4. Questions you ask during reading are extremely important. They should encourage a deep consideration for the text. See question stems below. These questions should be text dependent.
Close Reading Questions
First Reading: Determine what the text says.
- What is the text about?
- What is the theme of the story?
- What was _____ (character) like, and what did he/she do in the story?
Second Reading: Figure out how the text works
- What does _____ (a word from the text) mean in this context?
- Who is telling this part of the story?
- What is the author’s purpose for this section?
Third Reading: Analyze and compare Text
- What information do these illustrations add to the text? Or how does this picture different from what the author wrote?
- Compare ___ (an aspect of the text, such as character or main idea) with the same aspect in another text by the same author. (Readers can also examine texts on the same topic or from the same genre.)
- What reasons does the author give to support _____(one of the ideas)?
SOURCE: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/common-core-close-reading-0/
PSSA Information
PSSA Test Changes
- Reduction of multiple choice questions from 68 to 48 items for both grades 4 and 8
- No change in distribution percentage of questions in the 4 reporting categories
- Roughly 20 minutes overall reduction of testing time for both grades 4 and 8
MATH TEST CHANGES
- Reduction of multiple choice questions from 72 to 52 items for all grades 3-8
- No change in distribution percentage of questions in the 5 reporting categories
- No change in number of open-ended questions (3 items); as a result, this will count as 23% of the overall test (was 17%)
ELA TEST CHANGES
- Grade 3:
- No Writing Prompt
- Stand Alone multiple choice reduced from 18 to 9 items
- No change in the number of Short Answer questions (2)
- 4 Reporting Categories (was 5)
- Roughly 40 minutes overall reduction of testing time
- Grades 4-8:
- No Writing Prompt
- Stand Alone multiple choice reduced from 18 to 9 items
- No change to the weight of the Text-Dependent Analysis (16 points); as a result, this will now count as 25% of the overall test (was 19%)
- 4 Reporting Categories (was 5)
- Roughly 15 minutes overall reduction of testing time
PSSA RELEASED ITEMS
NEW ITEM SAMPLERS - PDE
Here is the link to the newly released PSSA samplers:
ELA: http://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/PSSA/Pages/ELAs.aspx#tab-1
Math: http://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Assessment%20and%20Accountability/PSSA/Pages/Mathematics.aspx#tab-1
As a reminder, the 2017-2018 PSSA will not have a stand-alone writing prompt included - only the open-ended response question (3rd grade)/TDA question (4th-8th grade) will remain. The newly released samplers (linked below) do have a writing prompt included - PDE clarified why those are included in the screenshot below.
NEW ITEM SAMPLERS - GOOGLE FILE
All released item samplers (reading, math, science) have been added to Google.
This link has released items from 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B7ehLTVLzOgFYTM4aHpxd1ZNZGc?usp=sharing
TDA, WRITING PROMPT, AND LANGUAGE QUESTIONS
The TDA, writing prompt, and language files have been updated with info from the newly released item samplers....All can be found here:
Language: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B7ehLTVLzOgFOFk1MGEwdVBxeDg?usp=sharing
TDA: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B7ehLTVLzOgFN3hpZ3lLMXhOSFU?usp=sharing
Writing Prompt: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B7ehLTVLzOgFcVItRUVWVmJOQW8?usp=sharing
MATH OPEN ENDED RESPONSE QUESTIONS
Copies of all open-ended response math questions from the released items have been added to a file on Google. It is sorted by grade level and question. In each folder is the open ended response question, the rubric, and the scored samples. There are about 7 open-ended response questions per grade. Feel free to use as practice or to model how to complete, if it fits and you're interested.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B7ehLTVLzOgFRUtUWlBFNlNVVHM?usp=sharing
ANCHORS/ELIGIBLE CONTENT SAMPLE QUESTIONS
There is an updated anchors/eligible content document that has the newly released sample items added under the appropriate categories. Your grade levels document can be found in this folder. This is helpful to see what a question addressing a particular anchor/eligible content looks like on a PSSA sample question.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
This document can also be found in your grade level folder and includes question stems from the released items. This is helpful to see how questions are being worded and would allow us to model questions asked in the classroom in a similar format.
Parent/Family Literacy Newsletters
Journeys Benchmark #1 Most Missed Questions
The most missed questions for Journeys benchmark test #1 I have been compiled and put together in Google Slides. You can find the information here. It may be helpful for 3rd-5th grade teachers to review with your class. It may also be helpful for primary teachers to take a look and see what the expectations are for the beginning of 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.
Free Admission to the Hershey Gardens for Teachers on November 4th and 5th
Maximize Your Professional Learning with Social Media
Are you looking to stay up-to-date on current trends in education, but struggling to find the time or resources? Do you have an Amazon cart full of texts you have aspirations of finishing over summer break, but don’t make it through half of them? You’re not alone! Consider following your favorite education leaders and experts on Twitter or subscribing to their blogs to be notified of new posts. Social media is a powerful tool that can help us maximize our professional learning in minimal time.
Scholastic Teacher (@ScholasticTeach) shares ideas and information for classroom use, books to read, education trends, and about life as an educator.
Whom are YOU following and what can we be learning? Share with us right here next month!
Lancaster-Lebanon Reading Council presents.......
Learning and the Brain
Total Participation Techniques
National Novel Writing Month
Picture Book Month
National Family Literacy Month
November is National Family LIteracy Month! Here are some links to check out for more information and ideas to celebrate and promote.
http://familieslearning.org/our-solutions/national-family-literacy-month-2015.html
http://www.readingrockets.org/news/fun-ideas-family-literacy-month
Updates
Cafe Update
Journeys Update
Journeys benchmark assessment #2 testing window is December 4th-8th with scores due by December 15th. Benchmark assessment must be given by the end of the given assessment window. You can give it earlier.
- There is only one section for benchmark #2: the reading complex text section. This section can be given paper and pencil or through Think Central.
- The paper copy of the assessment and rubric for grading can be found in the elementary common assessment Google file. That is where the most current copy of the assessment is kept.
Write Steps Update
Newsletter Archive
Reading Incentive Programs
Phillies Reading Program
Email community@phillies.com or click here for more information or to sign up.
Hershey Bears Roaring to Read Program
Contests and Competitions
Star Wars Reads Story Starter Contest
* Students are asked to write an original story (up to 2 pages) that starts with this line:
"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."
* Due November 10th
Dunkirk Front Page Journalism Contest
* Students are asked to submit a front page newspaper article. Imagine you're a journalist writing about Dunkirk. Create a headline, date, opening paragraph, and captioned illustration for a story you think could have appeared on the front page of a newspaper after the battle happened.
* Due November 3rd
Colorful Art Context
* Students are asked to draw what autumn looks like to them
* Due November 10th
* 11/1: National Family LIteracy Day
* 11/10: End of 1st Trimester
* 11/10: DRA scores due (1st/2nd Grade)
* 11/10: Narrative Writing scores due (2nd Grade)
* 11/15: WWW and Letter ID due to Data Blender (Kindergarten)
* 12/4-12/8: Journeys Unit 2 Test (Grades 3-5)
* 12/15: Journeys Unit 2 scores due (Grades 3-5)
* 1/2-1/8: Kindergarten DRA Testing
* 1/16: Narrative Writing scores due (Kindergarten and 1st Grade)
* 1/16: HSIW scores due (Kindergarten and 1st Grade)
* 1/22: DRA scores due (Kindergarten)
* 1/22-1/26: Journeys #3 Testing (3rd-5th Grade)
* 1/22-2/2: Study Island Benchmark Testing (3rd-5th Grade)
* 2/2: Journeys #3 Scores Due (3rd-5th Grade)
* 2/9: Study Island Constructed Respond Scores Due (3rd-5th Grade)