Wilson Ranger Post
March 28, 2016
STAAR Reminders...
2. Test administrators: Do NOT leave your manual at home. We don't have extras.
3. Please make sure your walls in the classroom and hallways are covered. When in doubt, cover it up.
4. There's no recess on Tuesday and Wednesday until you hear from a campus administrator.
5. There are no specials on Tuesday. We will have specials on Wednesday.
On Wed, Kindergarten and 5th grade will switch specials times.
6. K-3 Teachers: You may take your learners to the gym on Tuesday for a quiet walk/stretch break. Here's a general schedule that you can work out within your grade level.
8:30-9:30 - 1st Grade
9:30-10:30 - 3rd Grade
10:30-11:30 - 2nd Grade
11:30-12:30 - Kinder
If you would like ideas of simple activities your grade level, contact Lori.
7. Traveling with your class: When you are traveling around the school, please avoid walking past CHall and the music room. Go around by Ahall and the gym to get the the cafe and gym. Remind your learners of the expectation of silence in the hallways.
8. See the email Lisa sent on Thursday for complete STAAR info.
9. Have questions? Please ask!!!
Keeping Parents Informed...
Thanks!
Data PLC Agenda
As a reminder...here's the data agenda.
Also, 3rd-5th grade teachers, please use AWARE to help you plan for your upcoming small groups, tutoring, etc.
Wilson Numeracy...
1. You will give the numeracy assessment for the final time the last week of April.
2. Information on the Math Vocab Schoology Course and the Numeracy Progression are in the March 21 SMORE.
3. We will have our next numeracy training with Ashley Minton on Monday, 3/28.
Math SMART goals for RtI from Mary Kemper
S.M.A.R.T. Goal Support Document with "I Can" Statements: More work has been done on this document to support elementary mathematics educators. We will continue to refine this document as well as add resources for educator reference.
Science from Linda Cook
What Does a Strong Book Introduction Look Like? from Literacy
Happy Spring Everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic break and feel nice and relaxed for the upcoming week! Today's post will entail how to create strong book introductions for your guided reading groups and why it is so important and purposeful for your learners!
First things first you need to know the why! Crafting a strong book introduction is important because it will draw your readers in and get them excited about reading the text! It also provides supportive teaching to help your students successfully read a book that would be just a little bit too hard for them to read independently.
*I do have to give credit where credit is due. When I found Alison's blog on book introductions it is everything that I do and believe in. She just has it all written out and put so eloquently so why reinvent the wheel right? She is amazing and you should go visit her blog especially K-2 teachers. There is a link posted at the bottom of this page for you to click on her original post. :)
Resources
Learning at the Primary Blog by Alison
Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (1996). Guided reading: Good first teaching for all children. Heinemann, 361 Hanover Street, Portsmouth, NH.
Richardson, J. (2009). The next step in guided reading: Focused assessments and targeted lessons for helping every student become a better reader. Scholastic Incorporated.
*The authors of this text are in no way affiliated with this blog – I am referencing their work as a means of explaining and supporting the ideas I set forth in this post.*
“Dos and Donts”
When you introduce a book to a group of students, you DO want to…
- Engage students in talking about and looking at the pictures and words of a book
- Hold a natural conversation (love this!) in which students respond to a few questions
- Introduce important language structures and vocabulary words to help students successfully decode and comprehend the text
- Discuss important concepts and get students thinking about the main idea of the text
- Briefly mention a strategy that students might find helpful as they read the text
- Provide students with a purpose for reading the book
However, you probably don’t want to…
- Do a lengthy book walk and invite students to discuss what they see on every single page
- Spend lots of time “talking at” the students without giving them opportunities to respond
- Give away the ending or surprise in a story
- Have students make lengthy predictions about the content of the book or guess the meanings of key vocabulary words
- Spend lots of time teaching or analyzing words / phonics patterns
Basically, the book introduction should be short, sweet, and pack a punch! Now let’s take a look at how a book introduction might differ, depending upon the level of students that you teach.
Kindergarten / Early First Grade (Or Readers In Levels A – E)
Early readers typically need a relatively supportive book introduction. I like to start by showing students the cover of the text and briefly explaining what the book is about. I don’t hand them the book right away, so I’m sure I have their attention as we look at the cover and title together.
If there are concepts that may be unfamiliar to students in the text (i.e. if students live in the city and we are reading a book about a farm or rural life), I give students a little bit of background information. I also try to connect the text to students’ prior experiences.
Then, I pass out the books and ask students to look at a couple of different pages. I draw their attention to certain things in the pictures, and I may have them find or name these items. If I think that students will not know the name for something important in the picture, I typically “give” them the word (and also have them point to the actual word in the text).
As we look at these pages, I also try to get students talking about what is happening in the text. This helps them get ready to read the words on the page because they’ll have an idea about what some of the pages are about. (And getting students to use meaning is such an important habit for those early readers to develop!)
I also usually tell students a couple of words or phrases in the text. When I read a text to prepare for the lesson, I look for words that may cause problems for students. For example, I typically tell students any sight words that they don’t yet know and would be tricky to decode (like “there”). At the same time, I make sure not to remove all of the “work” in the book – I still want students to have to use their decoding strategies and problem solving skills.
Finally, since texts at these levels are often patterned, I try to get that sentence structure or language pattern “in the kids’ mouths.” I do this by either telling them the pattern or asking a question so that they respond using language similar to that used by the text.
Mid First Grade / Second Grade and UP (Or Readers In Levels F+)
When I work with readers at level F or above, my book introductions tend to be briefer and somewhat less supportive. I teach fewer words and mainly focus on getting kids thinking about the central ideas of the text.
However, my book introductions vary based upon the needs of the group. Some groups need me to point out certain language patterns in the text, particularly if they are significantly different from oral language. Other groups may need more pre-teaching of words because they struggle with phonics.
I also tend to teach a vocabulary word or two when introducing texts to more fluent readers. However, I don’t ask students to guess at the meaning of the word (this just takes too long). I simply tell students the word, have them repeat it, tell them what it means, and explain how it will be used in the book. After we read the book, I have them locate the word in the text and we again discuss the meaning (this time I ask the kids to explain what it means in their own words).
Conclusions
Book Introductions should be conversational – yet still focused on what’s important. You want to give the kids support – but not too much support. It’s such a balancing act!
If you have any tips or tricks for crafting a good book introduction, please share them in the comments! In later posts I’ll be continuing this series with a post about effectively coaching students as they read the guided reading text.
Click here to go to Alison's blog: Alison at the Primary Pod
Enrichment Programs with Regina Owens
Pre K Exploration Fair
Our first Pre K Exploration Fair to be held at Lee Elementary on April 9, 2016 from 9-1. Learners and their parents are encouraged to come out and participate in learning experiences that will assist in ensuring learners are prepared to begin school on day one and parents with understanding of the criteria and registration process. There will be many fun stations that include games and play for leaners but information and resources for parents. The stations include: Registration Assistance, Food Services, Child Find, Transportation, Immunization, Hearing and Vision Screening, Chips – Insurance, and more.
Action Steps.
Please assist with communication to your families and community by:
- 1. Posting the information on your website or school calendars.
- 2. Sending out in weekly communications until April 9th
- 3. Having staff share via email
Please note the link with attached fliers in Spanish and English.http://bit.ly/1nrnQUV
Pre K and House Bill 4
Information.
As shared previously, our Pre K learners will have updated standards that will be implemented in the classroom starting the 2016-2017 school Year.
House Bill 4 addresses multiple areas that CISD has prepared for which includes:
o Prepare to utilize the new guidelines (standards)
o Identify model family engagement strategies
o Select appropriate assessment instruments
o Determine high-quality prekindergarten teacher qualification requirements
o Develop additional prekindergarten professional development opportunities
If you would like more information regarding the above, please visit the TEA website athttp://tea.texas.gov/Curriculum_and_Instructional_Programs/Special_Student_Populations/Early_Childhood_Education/House_Bill_4_High-Quality_Prekindergarten_Grant_Program/
We look forward to sharing the family engagement strategies in the near future.
Dual Language
Information.
We are excited about the learners and families who are interested in the Dual Language Program. The application process has officially closed. The lottery will be conducted on Friday, March 31st at the administration building.
We will notify all campuses upon the completion of the lottery to assist with enrollment and to ensure families are registering learners on the DLI campus if they were selected.
Dual Language Middle School
Information.
We will continue our support of bilingual learners who participated in Dual Language during the 2016-2017 through sixth grade. Learners in 5th grade are supported by taking a World Cultures in Spanish, and learners in 6th grade will take Texas History in Spanish.