Educational Services Weekly Update
2/23/20
Relevant Research & Resources
What is life without the internet?
This is a good time to remind our staff that while we do have many amazing digital resources available to students, we also want our students to have a balanced learning experience that does not include screen time all day. I continue to hear this concern from parents during LCAP input sessions. We know how frustrating it is to have a lesson plan and then not be able to complete said plans because the resources are not accessible. But with a district theme of "Know My Story, Know Our Story" we began the year focused on building personal relationships and getting to know our students. Below are a few additional ideas that I have seen teachers doing in action, that might be good reminders for teachers to keep in their back pockets if/when the Internet is not our friend in the future. These are also good to keep in mind when we get into CAASSP season and students need a non-testing, non-iPad activity.
- Journal prompts on real paper with real writing (about student chosen topics, topics you have been studying, things going on their lives or the world, etc.)
- Class meeting/ circle - I have seen teachers do a sharing circle to share compliments, to air concerns, to share successes or challenges, or to work through a class challenge
- CGI - One CGI problem, where students have time to work with manipulatives to solve a problem, and then have to explain their problem-solving to a partner, and then during a class share out
- Read Aloud - Kids of all ages still love listening to a story being read to them! Even upper grade kids love a good picture book. And reading a common story can lead to class discussions, partner talk, and even writing responses to the story, the theme, the lesson, or a creative writing prompt
- Book Talks - Give students time to share a book that they enjoy. What do you love it? Who might want to read it? What other books does it remind them of?
- Nature Walk - Get outside. Take students on a walk. The walk can be for exercise, for observation (which of your 5 senses notices something), for writing or art inspiration, to share stories, or to learn from our outdoor environment.
- Connections - Give students time to make connections between learning. When students have to articulate how two seemingly random topics are connected, it can help solidify their learning.
- Questions - Give students time to generate their own questions. Our students come to us as curious 5 year old asks millions of questions. By 6th grade, the amount of questions a student asks in a given day has dropped considerably. Open their minds up to the possibilities of what they want to learn and what they are curious about.
CELEBRATIONS & GRATITUDE!
KUDOS
* Julie B - The USDA asked Julie to share a presentation at one of their monthly webinars for all participants in the national USDA grant. Multiple participants cited Farm Lab and the work being done for Farm to School here as inspiration for their own programs, and Julie's presentation was very well- received. She knocked it out of the park!
* Julie S, Christie A., and the ELPAC Testers - Thank you to this group for your tireless work to make our first week of ELPAC testing the best it could be (with iPad and Internet problems, oh my!). This year is the first year that the ELPAC is being done online. Thank you Julie, for your leadership as we all learn the process! Thank you to Julie and Christie for being on site, supporting testers and testing students alongside of the team. We want our English Learners to show their best learning and that takes a village of support!
Updates & Calendar items of interest
Please see below
Key dates for you:
- 2/25 - ILC
- 3/3 - Management and ILC
- 3/24 - During this ILC Julie S. will be covering all things CAASPP. Please plan to bring your site testing coordinator if that helps you.
- 4/22- 50th Anniversary of Earth Day
TEAM TOSA this week:
James - ECC
Robyn - M/T- LCH, W/Th - PDL, F- conference
Ashley- PEC
Sanjana - OK
Know My Story/ Know Our Story -- 5 Facts about Us
Glen Warren, Director of LOL
- My wife’s name is Elizabeth Warren, and we are both public school educators.
- We have three children, two are attending the same college and pursuing the same major!
- Not sure how this happened, but our family has recently been engaged in community theatre, typically musical comedies (of all things). Everyone in our family loves music of all kinds, including but not limited to Tim McGraw, Weird Al, and Tower of Power.
- Everyone in the family loves Disneyland and Downtown Disney.
- We remembered my mother this school year and the beautiful music she sang with my dad (a jazz guitarist and physicists).
Educational Services
Email: amy.illingworth@eusd.net
Website: www.eusd.net
Phone: 760-944-4300
Twitter: @AmyLIllingworth