Fantastic Finds at FHES
April 4-8
Being Intentional Everyday
Collaborative Practices
Each week the Instructional Team will be highlighting great things we're seeing at Forest Hills. When you see something you would like to know more about and implement in your classroom please collaborate with that teacher. If you would like to see this practice in action, the Instructional Team will be glad to schedule an observation with that classroom.
Engagement Everyday
Our focus for the year is student engagement. These are some engagement strategies we're seeing at Forest Hills.
- Learning targets
- Think time I & II
- Quality questioning
- Formative assessment
Some of Our Fantastic Finds
Mrs. Woodard's Class
Students are engaged in a reading lesson in our courtyard on a beautiful day.
Coach Rodi and Coach Wallace
Students are engaged learning about archery in PE.
Mrs. Johnson's Class
Students work together to create pictures with polygons, count them, and identify them.
Mrs. York's Class
Mrs. York uses an engagement protocol called parallel lines. Students line up in two lines facing each other. Students in one line ask the questions, and students in another line answer the questions. One of the lines rotates after each round of questions so that students must answer all questions.
Mrs. Johns's Class
Students use boomerangs to learn about different notes, sounds, and instruments. Hands-on learning is fun!
Mrs. Prince's Class
Students help each other sound out and spell words in their journals.
Engineering and Robotics in Mrs. Lane's Class
1. Students learn about coding on www.code.org at the computer station.
2. Students apply their learning about coding to their math unit on measurement to create a pathway for the robot to follow.
3. Students input the codes into the app Blockly.
4. Teams of students test their codes to see if the robot follows the correct path.
Tools for Engagement
Each week the instructional team will be giving out a gift for teachers to use in the classroom to foster engagement. This week our lucky winners are Ms. Hall, Mr. McKinnon, and Mrs. Adams. They will be receiving an accountable talk tool kit. These kits include talking sticks that foster meaningful conversations among students.
Tip of the Week: Table Tags
How can you monitor for confusion or readiness? Try this!
Place paper signs or table tents in three areas with colors, symbols, or descriptors that indicate possible student levels of understanding or readiness for a task or target. Students sit in the area that best describes them, moving to a new area when relevant.
-Leaders of Their Own Learning, p. 70
Weekly Recap
Tech Tuesday
Dr. Barry Wiginton presented us with google tips for the following:
-effectively searching (related:, site:, drag and drop, & search engine tools)
-using a timer