ALICE ISD - ISC GAZETTE
FEBRUARY 2015
Differentiating Instruction
Carol Ann Tomlinson, a leader in the field of differentiated instruction, and her colleagues define differentiation as “an approach to teaching in which teachers proactively modify curriculum, teaching methods, resources, learning activities, and student products to address the needs of individual students and small groups of students to maximize the learning opportunity for each student in the classroom.” (Tomlinson, Brighton, Hertberg, Callahan, Moon, Brimijoin, Conover, & Reynolds, 2003, p. 121)
In a successful differentiated class, we stop hiding behind the factory model of teaching. We teach in whatever way students best learn, even if that's different student to student, or different from the way we best learn ourselves. Many of us are guilty of that from time to time - teaching the way we best learn, not the way our students best learn. We can do better. We can embrace the root of differentiation: responsive teaching. As students' learning story is revealed, we adjust our instruction in order to maximize their learning. If a student needs more, less, or a different challenge, we provide it as we can.
Most schools conspire against this, unfortunately. As institutions, they are designed to meet the needs of students who "get it" first or easiest. This curriculum-by-age approach protects the status quo, and it provides a false sense of orderly effectiveness. Since teaching and learning can be messy processes, we seek easy schematics; they make us feel like we know what we're doing and we are in control. As a consequence, we are our own worst enemies when we try to teach so students actually move content and skills into long-term memory. In order to live up to a school's mission, we sometimes have to part way with its protocols.
Where Do I Start?
1) Start small. Begin with whatever steps feel right to you. Differentiation isn't so hard. Change is. Go in a direction that's likely to result in some success. Start with one subject or one class. Start with 10 minutes a day or 15 minutes a week. Just start.
2) Study your students. The more you see them as distinct individuals--the more you understand them as human beings--the clearer your motivation will be.
3) Use formative assessments regularly (ones you develop to be close to your teaching--not standardized ones). As you see where your students are in relation to your learning goals, you'll understand more clearly what you need to do next to help students move ahead from their starting points.
4) Invest time in thinking through classroom routines--giving directions, handling transitions, starting and stopping tasks, using materials effectively. Envision how you want things to work and help your students do the same.
5) Make the students your partners in creating a classroom that works well for everyone. Don't do differentiation to them, do it with them. Explain your thinking and ask for their input. Enlist their help in making sure the classroom runs smoothly. Get their input on which approaches work best for them.
Differentiation just asks of us what we expect from our students: flexible thinking, intellectual risk-taking, problem-solving--and a deepening sense of humanity.
- Classroom Q & A by: Larry Ferlazzo
https://lynnjake.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/literacy-centers-in-middle-school/
Read Alouds at William Adams Middle School
carpet for a read-aloud. It was the first time, and the
students now beg for the time!
Building a Plot Line
Students in Action
A STAAR passage worksheet transformed into an interactive learning session. One group of students built a plot line on the floor with tape and post-its.
Increasing Critical Thinking
This work station had another group compare 2 texts/2 genres using a Venn Diagram created on paper plates.
Literacy Stations at Dubose and Memorial Intermediate
Literacy Stations are a component of the instructional framework that utilizes authentic materials including books, magazines, newspapers, graphic elements, and electronic print. Each Literacy Station includes activities that reinforce the targeted student expectations for the week. Lesson concepts are presented through read-alouds and mini-lessons. Students rotate among the stations at designated intervals in an assigned group.
Teachers are able to address differentiated instruction through providing activities that reinforce the same skill using the range of reading levels within their classrooms. While students are working independently in the stations, the teacher is able to conduct guided reading groups or writing conferences.
The 5th and 6th Grade Teachers at Alice ISD have begun to implement Literacy Stations to provide more targeted reading and writing instruction to their students. Through the TLI Grant, teachers were provided with carpets for conducting read-alouds or independent reading, listening stations for reinforcing reading and fluency skills, and additional reading materials.
The pictures below were taken at Dubose Intermediate School in AJ Wilson’s 5th Grade and Maggie King’s 6th Grade.
Read Aloud
Writing Station
Mrs. King's classroom
I BELIEVE IN ALICE ISD
Alice ISD Campuses Receive Recognition
In an effort to recognize and promote the positive accomplishments of its students, teachers and campuses, the Alice Independent School District has teamed up with the Alice Chamber of Commerce and the Alice-Jim Wells County Economic Development Corporation to create "I Believe in AISD."
Every month during the school year, the program will surprise one elementary or secondary school along with one department at the Alice High School with certificates and additional rewards for the teachers in recognition of their accomplishments. -By Anthony Ruiz. For entire story please click link below.
http://www.alice24-7.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=33&ArticleID=9902&TM=82097.86
Mary R. Garcia Elementary Receives Recognition
The school district and the community recognize the faculty and staff of Mary R. Garcia for their hard work and dedication to improving the educational experiences of their children. I Believe in Alice ISD would like to commend the staff for working with PK students and helping them to become problem solvers, teaching them how to work with others, and strengthening their pre-reading skills – skills which are getting them ready for the challenges of the upper grade levels.
Cheers to the Kinder, 1st and 2nd grade teachers and staff for working so diligently to implement the balanced literacy framework with more fidelity. The hours of planning and attending staff development does not go unnoticed.
And finally, we would like to celebrate the 3rd and 4th graders who recently took their spring benchmark exams. The results of their performances in all subjects for both 3rd and 4th grade are to be commended – they have shown significant improvements since the beginning of the year benchmark. Our hats off to the entire faculty and staff at Mary R. Garcia! Congratulations!
Alice HS CTE Department Recognized
The school district and the community recognize the Career and Technical Education teachers and staff of Alice High School for their hard work and dedication to improving the educational experiences of all our high school students.
As we come to the end of “Career and Technical Education month” I Believe in Alice ISD would like to highlight this department for its many accomplishments.
Thank you for the job you have done this past year and a half in improving and refining the Career and Technical Educational opportunities for students. Through your willingness to push forward and reach new heights you have been able to add more programs which enable students to leave Alice High School with certifications in different areas.
In order for these programs to be successful it takes dedication from teachers to get kids motivated to enroll in the courses that they offer, and from the numbers you have enrolled you are definitely doing an outstanding job.
This department serves the entire high school population either through principles courses or in the coherent sequences of courses. This is the one group of teachers that touches the lives of all the high school students.
Best wishes to your students as they compete in the Skills USA in Laredo or in the many other state competitions that they will be attending this semester. Our hats off to the entire Career and Technical Education faculty and staff of Alice High School.
UGLY RUMORS
This year will be similar to the first year of STAAR. A "bridge study" will be conducted to link or "bridge" the spring 2015 Staar grades 3-8 mathematics tests and previous (2014) mathematics tests.
The following info comes from a document on the TEA site.
"The bridge study process will statistically map the previous performance standards to the new assessments using student performance data using common items appearing on both the prior version and the new version of the STAAR mathematics assessments. The 2015 state and federal accountability results will be based on student performance on the 2015 assessments at each equivalent passing standard:
- Phase-in 1 Level II
- Final Level II
- Advanced Level III"
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2015/20141208mtg/2015_assessments.pdf
Math Staff Development
Much of the professional development deals with deconstructing the expectation, looking at clarifications, vocabulary, and how to teach the skill. Elementary professional development is really focusing on hands-on activities. These are also important for upper grades.
If you have questions about the skills being taught or need clarification, please contact Anna Holmgreen (Director of Instruction for Math) or Melissa Kulchak or Toni Norrell, our math consultants.
Remember when planning, start with the Year at a Glance and the IFD for the Unit... and don't forget the Focused Instructional Guides (FIGS) which give additional activities and strategies. The FIGS are found on teksresourcesystem.net.
Sorting shapes
Regular or irregular figures?
Hands-on for teachers, too!
Balanced Literacy Training Recap: February 10th
Guided Reading Recap:
FYI- In Kinder, if they can do concepts of print, they should be at a level C. Level C should be planned good conversation.
In guided reading, look at the Continuum and pick one thing to teach. What is the prompt? When teaching comprehension, the "about and beyond the text" parts really need to be planned. Comprehension is done after the guided reading lesson and this comes from the Continuum.
The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark is more about making notes to yourself about what students need and what they are doing.
Running Records- The qualitative analysis is the Meaning, Structure, and Visual. Circle only what they can do.
Structure-Can we say it that way in English?
Visual-This means letters and sounds, sounding out words, looking at first sound (levels C and D) but at upper levels it needs to look more like the entire word.
Meaning-This means picture. Does it make sense in the story?
After students have read in guided reading, teach them something!
Teach a reading strategy. Do not let them leave the reading table without teaching them something. Choose something based on your observational or anecdotal notes. It should be something that you noticed that day as they read. Be careful not to teach them something that they already know.
Always name something that they did well.
“Children should feel loved, smart, and like readers at the guided reading table.”
Writer’s Workshop Recap
- Don’t change locations
- If other children want or try to listen to conferences during writer’s workshop, let them.
- Share time or the author’s chair is to celebrate their writing, keep them accountable, tie it or link it back to what they did, and it is an opportunity for more teaching points.
Interactive Writing: 10-12 Minutes only
- Both the students and the teacher write
- You should see a good mix of both student and teacher writing
- Teacher writes words that are too easy and too hard
- Students write what is just right for them
- Children should be chosen to write what they are using but confusing
- Concepts of print
- Mechanics of writing
- How words work
- Students should be the ones to compose and think of the message that will be written
- If they have said it, it will be easier for them to reread. It will mean more to them
- It has to be their words
- It needs to be spelled correctly and look right
- Make sure the message is constantly repeated
- Reread as you go
- Clap, snap, or count words if they still cannot do one to one matching
- Children should say words slowly before writing them. Stretch them out with them
- Always remember that sounds are more important
- Say, “What sound do you hear?”
- Say, “What letter makes that sound?”
- All students should be making sounds
- Students should be very close to teacher and chart
- Link sounds to something that they know
- Revisit or go back to add to it
- Keep students engaged with magna doodles, dry-erase boards, or actively practicing words by spelling them in the air, on their hand, etc. during the interactive writing lesson
- Hang it up when done so they can reread
- You may use white correction tape for errors
- This is not the time of day where you use your popsicle sticks
- Nothing is random during interactive writing, everything is planned and purposeful
- Keep a sheet of spelling notes on each student and use this sheet when choosing kids to come up and write
- Always link what you did in interactive writing to what they do in writer’s workshop!!!!!!!
Notes contributed by Lori Trafton
Model Classroom Project (Samara)
Remember to come back and share the information with your colleagues!
Alice ISD Counselors Are the Best
National School Counseling Week was celebrated this month across the district. We hope that our counselors know just how much we appreciate all that they do. Counselors have a tremendous impact in helping students achieve academic success.
Counselors by campus:
Leslie Davis, AHS Lead Counselor and Senior Counselor
Mireya Barrera, AHS Junior Counselor
Mari DeLaCruz, Sophomore Counselor
Aracelli Gonzalez, Freshman Counselor
Rosa Anna Gonzalez, WAMS 8th grade
Margie Longoria, WAMS 7th grade
Kristi Kelley, Dubose
Ana Salazar, Memorial
Monica Villarreal, Schallert
Susan Marquez, Saenz
Gloria Rodriguez, Noonan
Carmela Ramos, Salazar
Rosario Canales, MRG
Edna Yzaguirre, Hillcrest
Laurie Lerma, District Migrant Counselor, District Lead Counselor
Monica Saenz, District Sp Ed Counselor
The Questions that Matter Most
Here are a few things to think about: Who is doing most of the asking? What is the purpose of the question? (to clarify?, to test knowledge or skill...?)
"Sometimes we do need to be the person asking the questions, sometimes we need to be the person transferring information; however, the quality of our questions, their power to engage and challenge thinking, combined with the opportunities we provide our students to ask the questions that matter to them are likely to be the times when the most powerful learning occurs. The challenge is to maximise these times."
Need a little encouragement? Watch this video: "What Do Teachers Make?"
Computer Labs Spotlight
Below is a picture taken in the Schallert Elementary Computer Lab. Shirley Snelling, the Computer Tech at Schallert, made a 3-D keyboard for her computer lab. When I talked to her about it, she said she saw the idea on Pinterest and had to do it. She also wanted to create it because her students ask her on a daily basis where certain keys are located on the keyboard and she simply directs their attention to the 3-D keyboard.
The keys are even color coordinated to show which keys are supposed to be hit by each finger.
In the I-Station and Computer labs there is an alphabet posted, and each letter relates to technology. This was amazing to see because it shows the alphabet in a different light. For example, D is for Desktop, G is for Google, T is for Toolbar, and Y is for Yahoo.
Regional Science Fair Results
Regional Science Fair Participants
Regional Science Fair Winners Advance to State!
Kinder-
Tess Rodriguez- 3rd Place (Physical Science) (Noonan Elementary)
7th Grade-
Mya Cruz- 3rd Place (Engineering and Bioengineering) (WAMS)
Jesaiah Torres- 2nd Place ( Plant Sciences) (WAMS)
The two Junior Division winners will advance to the State Fair and compete at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The competition will take place on March 26th-29th at the Henry B. Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. Good luck to our Regional Winners!!!
Winner- Jesaiah Torres
Winner- Tess Rodriguez
Winner- Mya Cruz
Alice I.S.D. Instructional Support Center
Departments and Contributors
Dr. Grace Everett - Superintendent of Schools
Curriculum and Instruction Department
Velma Soliz-Garcia, Assistant Superintendent (Curriculum & Instruction, Career and Technical Education, Technology, District Coordinator of School Improvement, and GearUp)
Marta Salazar - Director of Instructional Services (ELA, Dyslexia, Parent Involvement)
Elida DeLeon - Director of Advanced Academics (GT/AP, Social Studies, Discipline Hearing Officer)
Anna Holmgreen - Director of Instructional Services (Math and Data Analysis)
Erika Vasquez - Director of Instructional Services (Science and RtI)
Dina Hinojosa - Texas Literacy Initiative - Literacy Shepherd
Technology Department
Velma Soliz-Garcia, Assistant Superintendent
Rachel Martin, Instructional Technology Coordinator
Special Education & 504 Department
Gracie Garcia, Director of Special Education & 504
Federal & Special Programs
Dr. Alma Garcia - Federal Grants, State Grants, Bilingual/ESL Programs, Migrant and Homeless Liaison
Career and Technical Education Department
Velma Soliz-Garcia, Assistant Superintendent (Curriculum & Instruction, Career and Technical Education, Technology, District Coordinator of School Improvement, and GearUp)
Mike Carper, Alice High School Assistant Principal & CTE Campus Administrator
Celina Garcia, Alice High School CTE Department Chair
Finance Department & Human Resources Department
Dr. Melonae Day, Assistant Superintendent Finance and HR
Student Nutritional Services
Krystle Flores, Director of Nutritional Services
Student Health Services
Lisa Lozano, District RN
Email: velma.solizgarcia@aliceisd.esc2.net
Website: Aliceisd.net
Location: #2 Coyote Trail Alice, TX, United States
Phone: (361) 664-0981
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alice-Independent-School-District/555189921231282