Inspired Curriculum
Nicole Smith
A Word From the Curriculum Specialist
I am so excited to serve as Westlawn's Curriculum Specialist this year. I have learned so much already. I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting classrooms and interacting with everyone during professional development sessions and meeting with teachers individually. This is my 7th year at Westlawn and I am passionate about our school. Please don't hesitate to contact me so that I may be of assistance to you teach our young Warriors.
My aim is to provide you with relevant professional development. Please let me know if there is anything that you would like to see presented and I will do my best to make it happen.
I seek to collaborate with you on ways help make our students successful. Feel free to share your ideas, we are partners.
I will never pretend that I know everything but I am willing to share what I know. I will come and observe simply to congratulate you on the great things you are doing and to work with you to improve.
Hall of Heroes
Let's celebrate each other!!
You have probably noticed that we have a hall of heroes. The purpose of this is to celebrate the great things that are happening at Westlawn. We have the best teachers in Huntsville City Schools and we want to highlight them. Below are some we have highlighted so far:
Maria Burgos Diaz
Captivating young minds with engaging scientific experiments.
Latoya Jessie
Engaging students with awesome strategies.
Princess Jones
Integrating technology into the classroom.
October and November's Strategy: Reciprocal Teaching
Periodically I will highlight strategies that you are strongly encouraged to use in your classrooms. This is simply to add variety and increase engagement. Try something new, I am here to help you. Please let me know when you implement this strategy and share your work samples (this may help others).
Reciprocal teaching refers to an instructional activity in which students become the teacher in small group reading sessions. Teachers model, then help students learn to guide group discussions using four strategies: summarizing, question generating, clarifying, and predicting. Once students have learned the strategies, they take turns assuming the role of teacher in leading a dialogue about what has been read.
Reciprocal teaching refers to an instructional activity in which students become the teacher in small group reading sessions. Teachers model, then help students learn to guide group discussions using four strategies: summarizing, question generating, clarifying, and predicting. Once students have learned the strategies, they take turns assuming the role of teacher in leading a dialogue about what has been read.
Why use reciprocal teaching?
- It encourages students to think about their own thought process during reading.
- It helps students learn to be actively involved and monitor their comprehension as they read.
- It teaches students to ask questions during reading and helps make the text more comprehensible.
An Introduction to Reciprocal Teaching
Reciprocal Teaching In Math
Reciprocal Teaching Math Lara Parent
Sign up below for Weekend Warriors
Share your thoughts on what type of professional development you would like to have. Click below and tell me.
Nicole Smith: Curriculum Specialist
Please don't hesitate to contact me. I am here for you!
Email: nicole.smith@hsv-k12.org
Location: Westlawn Middle School, 9th Avenue Southwest, Huntsville, AL, United States