Secondary English Weekly #7
Issue Seven / October 8-12, 2018
LOOKING FOR PREVIOUS ISSUES OF THE NEWSLETTER?
DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO AN EXTENSIVE LIST OF TRANSITIONAL WORDS AND PHRASES?
-The list is available to you on the ELA 6-12 Webpage, at the "ELA Strand Resources (Reading, Writing, Language, & Speaking)" Quick Link in the resources under "Writing Strand."
LESSONS ARE AVAILABLE EACH WEEK TO HELP PREPARE STUDENTS FOR AIR SUCCESS USING THE READ METHOD
The Standardized Prep lesson for this week focuses on analyzing answers. It asks students to use the ODE Rubric or Student Friendly Rubric to decide scores for released AIR item sample answers so that they are able to know what is required to score well. It also teaches them a quick trick to analyze prompts called TIP. Here is that lesson:
- October 11, 2018 (Analyzing Answers)
-If you have missed any of the lessons released thus far from September and October, they are available below and on the ELA 6-12 Webpage, at the "Thursday Standardized Test Prep" Quick Link. These lessons are based upon the CCS 2018 AIR Data Report and its recommended actions simplified in the READ Method for AIR Preparation.
- September 20, 2018 (Complex Text Instructional Routines-Text Annotation)
- September 27, 2018 (Complex Text Instructional Routines-Word Pyramid & Question Quads)
- October 4, 2018 (Analyzing Questions)
USE THIS LIST TO GUIDE WHAT YOU DO IN THE CLASSROOM
1-Make close reading of text central to lesson.
2-Structure majority of instruction so all students read grade-level complex texts.
3-Emphasize informational texts from early grades through graduation.
4-Provide scaffolding that does not preempt or replace text.
5-Ask text-dependent questions.
6-Provide extensive research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).
7-Offer regular opportunities for students to share ideas, evidence, and research.
8-Offer systematic instruction in vocabulary.
9-Provide explicit instruction in grammar and conventions.
10-Cultivate students’ independence
This week, take a closer look at the writing part of number 6 on this list, "6-Provide extensive writing opportunities." According to the Standards, our students must be writing "routinely." If we have not done so already, we must let go of the outdated protocol that only asked students to write one paper per quarter. That protocol does not give our students enough time to practice writing and editing their own work. Our students can certainly continue to produce longer writings each quarter, but they also must practice writing skills with many smaller pieces. A school in New York City slated for closure adopted the policy of "almost daily writing" with explicit writing instruction and increased their results on state exams by 67% in two years. Simply put, we need to explicitly teach writing and allow students to write frequently. Using exemplars and a writing workshop format can make this task much easier. You can find many exemplars and writing workshop resources on the ELA 6-12 Webpage, at the "ELA Strand Resources (Reading, Writing, Language, & Speaking)" Quick Link in the resources under "Writing Strand." Here are some of those items:
NATIONAL DAY ON WRITING CELEBRATES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY ON OCTOBER 20TH.
The National Day on Writing® (October 20), an initiative of the National Council of Teachers of English, is built on the premise that writing is critical to literacy but needs greater attention and celebration. Every year NCTE and enthusiastic participants around the world continue to grow this event. This October the National Day on Writing celebrates its 10th anniversary. Think about how you can celebrate in your classroom and look at these ways to get involved!
#WhyIWrite Social Campaign Throughout the month, posts will go up each day with insights and opportunities to share #WhyIWrite.
October 14 – Writing for Empathy #NCTEchat NCTE member Nicole Mirra will lead a Twitter chat around the role writing can play in fostering a critical, civic form of empathy in schools.
October 19 – Writing = Hope × Change / National Write-In
Join celebrated author Jacqueline Woodson in a virtual write-in as she guides aspiring writers through an exploration of why we write and how our words can transform our lives and those of others. Sign up today to get updates on this project. (Must be an NCTE member.)
October 20 – National Day on Writing
People around the globe will share their love of writing via the #WhyIWrite hashtag.
COMMONLIT WANTS YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR SPOOKY STORIES
October is a great time of year for students to learn about suspense in literary texts. This week, CommonLit has collected a list of their favorite spooky stories. You can find some of the texts below, or you can check out the entire collection on their Featured Content page!
The Night the Ghost Got In by James Thurber Grades 5-6
A boy believes he hears a ghost in his house.
The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs Grades 7-8
A man makes a wish on a charm that is given to him by an old friend and suffers the consequences.
Was it a Dream? by Guy de Maupassant Grades 9-10
A grieving man visits the grave of his diseased lover, where he discovers an awful truth.
The Veldt by Ray Bradbury Grades 7-8
A family comes to realize how much they use and depend on the technology of their futuristic home.
The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell Grades 9-10
A big game hunter falls off his yacht and is rescued by a mysterious general who claims to hunt only the most dangerous game.
The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe Grades 11-12
This is a classic and suspenseful tale of revenge told from the perspective of the murderer.
—NOTE: You and your students access CommonLit through the Clever icon on CCS computers or at clever.com/in/columbuscity on a personal computer. Once on Clever, click the CommonLit icon.
NOMINATIONS NEEDED BY THIS FRIDAY!!
-The Franklin County Board of Commissioners invites Columbus City Schools to join them in celebrating Franklin County high school students who exemplify excellence in either academic disciplines or studio and performing arts. This event celebrates the diversity of talents in our high school students and celebrates their exceptional skill, discipline, and artistry in their areas of interest. These students may not be acknowledged often, but their accomplishments serve as an example to others, both within their school and the greater community.
-The five students selected from our district will be invited to attend a breakfast meet-and-greet with the Commissioners on November 20th at 8am and then immediately following breakfast, be individually recognized at the start of the Commissioners' General Session meeting at 9am.
Please submit the following by THIS FRIDAY October 12th to Carla Mae Phillips (cphillips3865):
-Name, Grade, and School of your nominated student
-Statement of Accomplishments, Qualifications, and Strengths for your nominated student (100 words or less)
DON'T DELAY, REGISTER TODAY!! WE NEED MORE SCHOOLS TO REGISTER FOR THE WINTER DEBATE TOURNAMENT!!
HIGH SCHOOL DEBATE
Our students have a fabulous opportunity to compete against one another at Capital University in December. Please register your school today! They will compete using the following resolution.
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reduce its restrictions on legal immigration to the United States.
Debate Type: Policy This is a two-on-two debate that focuses on a policy question that hones a student’s research, analytical, and delivery skills. Policy debate involves the proposal of a plan by the affirmative team to enact a policy, while the negative team offers reasons to reject that proposal and stay with the status quo. Throughout the debate, students give constructive and rebuttal speeches and have the opportunity to cross-examine one another. Each Constructive speech is 8 minutes. Each Cross Examination is 3 minutes. Each Rebuttal is 5 minutes. Each team has 5 minutes of prep time that can be used during the debate. A judge or panel of judges determines the winner based on the arguments presented.
Debate Teams: Debate teams are made of two students. Those students prepare to debate both the affirmative and negative sides of the debate resolution. On the day of the debate, each two-person team will be told which side (affirmative or negative) they will be debating during each of the three rounds. Each school can bring up to five teams (10 students).
Date of Debate Tournament: Friday, December 7th from 8:30am-1pm Team Check-ins from 8-8:30am; Tournament from 8:30am-12:30pm (three rounds: 8:30-9:44, 9:50-11:04am, and 11:10am-12:24pm); Award Ceremony from 12:45-1pm.
Location of Debate Tournament: Capital University, Ruff Learning Center, 631 Pleasant Ridge, Bexley, OH 43209
Registration and Resources: Click HERE to access the debate folder with registration form, a flyer to hand out to increase participation, and numerous resources for preparing your students to be great debaters. Be sure to register your school NOW even if you don’t yet know the names of students on your teams. That can be added later. The deadline for having all your names added is November 2nd.
DEBATE FOLDER: https://tinyurl.com/debatehs2018
MIDDLE SCHOOL DEBATE
Gifted & Talented hopes that you will join them for the winter debate at Capital University on Friday, December 7, 2018. See this memo with information regarding debate. The resolution for the middle school winter debate is Resolved: The United States Federal Government should significantly limit regulations on artificial intelligence.
-G &T encourages all schools to consider integrating debate through ELA or Social Studies content areas by having the students research the topic and develop arguments with supporting evidence to support a position on this topic. They also encourage schools to consider bringing a team or two to participate in the December tournament. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn how to develop writing, speaking and listening skills, as well as increase knowledge and capacity for reading informational text. Debate is one of the most effective classroom instructional strategies.
-REGISTRATION: Please submit the Intent to Participate form included in the memo either electronically or fax (number on the form) by October 19, 2018.
-Contact Michele Ballinger, Vonda Spencer-Keane, or any elementary gifted intervention specialists for resources and support.
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES AND NOMINATE BOOKS FOR NEXT YEAR'S AWARDS
The Buckeye Children’s and Teen Book Award program is designed to encourage students in Ohio to read literature critically, to promote teacher and librarian involvement in young adult literature programs, and to commend authors of such literature. The Buckeyes are one of the only state reader's choice awards in which students get to nominate the titles as well as vote on the final winners. The only adults who may submit nominations or votes are teachers and librarians who are representing a group of students from their school or library. This allows the Buckeyes to be truly a student-chosen award in all aspects.
Nominating occurs year-round, on the Buckeye Awards website, and voting is from Sept. 1-Nov. 10. The winners will be announced on December 1, so have your students go to www.bcbookaward.info to nominate, vote, and see past winners!
Below are the current nominees. Letting your students know that they have a voice in choosing the winner is built-in, real-world encouragement for reading the novels either in class or as independent choice reads.
For Grades 6-8:
- Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
- Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
- Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart
- Scythe by Neal Shusterman
- Refugee by Alan Gratz
The Teen Buckeye Book Award nominees (for grades 9-12):
- Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
- The Immortal Throne (Into the Dark #3) by Bree Despain
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
- Warcross by Marie Lu
SOME STUDENT CONTESTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
MLK BREAKFAST SPEAKER: A CCS STUDENT-ONLY CONTEST
CCS will select one student speaker to represent the district at the 2019 Martin Luther King Breakfast, held on January 21st at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Exhibition Hall C. The student chosen will get into the breakfast free and receive two complimentary tickets for his/her parent or guardians. The competition to become that speaker is open to all students in Grades 6-12. The CCS Superintendent will introduce our student speaker.
HERE is a flyer to use to increase participation.
Theme of Speech: The Purpose of Education-intelligence plus character
Length of Speech: 3 minutes max.
Deadline for Entry: Monday, December 10th
How to Enter: Have your teacher send or share a recording of you reciting your speech to the ELA 6-12 Curriculum Office or have your teacher contact the ELA Curriculum Office to come out and videotape you giving your speech. Teachers can email speeches as attachments or make a requests to have students recorded to cphillips3865@columbus.k12.oh.us, or text/share videos to 740-228-1509. Please Include the student's name, school, grade, contact information, and the teacher’s email & phone number.
THURBER HOUSE PEN & TELL IT FOR GRADES 6-8
Pen & Tell It 2018 Registration is now open!
Do your 6th-8th graders love to write? Thurber House has a class for them! These stand-alone Sunday sessions offer something for every writing interest, from budding poets to young comedians. Registration Deadline: Monday, October 29!! Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to reserve your spot ASAP! $25 per session. REGISTER HERE.
Sunday, November 4
1:00-3:30 p.m.: What's Your Problem? with Jody Casella
The best stories have conflicts that seem unsolvable, but how do writers DO that? How many different conflicts can there really be? This class will show you how to create characters with BIG problems and stories that will keep readers guessing.
Sunday, November 11
1:00-3:30 p.m.: Write Jokes Like a Pro with Mike Larsen
There are no “dad jokes” in this class. Learn how to write funny, original jokes on any subject, for any occasion. Jokes make everything better – stories, schoolwork, trying to convince your parents to let you stay up later. You’ll learn the secrets of the comedy trade from a successful professional comedian.
Sunday, November 18
1:00-3:30 p.m.: From Page to Stage with Winter Mead
Make your words come to life! If you’ve ever thought about writing for theatre, television, or film, you know how important it is that words on the page can translate to the stage or screen. We’ll start off with some improvisation games to find inspiration, and then get that inspiration down on the page when we write and workshop scenes.
Click here for more information!
Questions? Contact Meg Brown at megbrown@thurberhouse.org
WELLSPRING OF IMAGINATION POET MENTORING PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL
Wellspring of Imagination is an extensive poetry and visual arts program for high school students. It consists of an intensive three days with prominent poets and artists, working on writing, visual arts, and presentation of poetry. The workshop culminates with a recital for family, teachers, and friends. The activities will be supplemented with hikes, music, and presentations from visual artists. The teacher/poets will then mentor the students for the next calendar year. At the conclusion of the program, a book of their poetry will be produced. High school students/teachers should contact Alan Cohen at owl111@frontier.com to participate this year. Wellspring 2018 will take place on November 1st - 3rd at a private lodge in Hocking County with the performance at Alley Park Lodge Saturday the 3rd at 7pm.
MADLAB THEATRE YOUNG WRITERS PROGRAM 2019-DEADLINE NOVEMBER 9!
MadLab, a professional theatre in downtown Columbus, would like to tell you a little bit about their Young Writers Program in the hopes that you will get your students involved. Now entering their 8th year, they have worked with over 65 local high school students and produced almost 70 of their short plays. This 6-minute introductory video can tell you more about the program that began in 2011 as a way to help high school students grow as artists and playwrights, gain professional theatrical experience, and develop critical thinking and editing skills that will help them in the future. Each year, they select up to 10 short plays by local students to be produced in a festival. Over the course of 6 months students will:
Participate in writing workshops
See staged readings of their scripts by MadLab actors
Work with local and national playwright mentors to revise and improve their scripts
Experience a full-scale production of their scripts at MadLab
The Young Writers program is offered at no cost to the students. They are striving to reach new communities and populations with this program, and are willing to provide transportation, translation services, and anything else students who are selected might require. More information, photos, and videos from previous years can be found on our website and youtube page. DOWNLOAD THIS FLYER TO SHARE WITH YOUR STUDENTS! DEADLINE IN NOVEMBER 9!!
TEACHER CONTESTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
NOVEL CONVERSATIONS
Novel Conversations is a podcast summarizing the world’s greatest works of classic literature: in 35 minutes you get the whole story from cover to cover. In each episode, Frank Lavallo hosts two readers, and the three of them give their reactions to the story and read their favorite passages along the way. Each episode features Endnotes by Ted Schwartz, a segment with interesting facts about the author. Think of how this may be used in your classroom and check out all of the Podcasts at https://www.thefrontporchpeople.com/novel-conversations.
BARNES & NOBLE TEACHER SALE
To say thank you, Pre-K-12th grade educators will receive 25% off list price on books, toys, games, & more in stores and online from 10/6 thru 10/14 at Barnes & Noble. Educators can also visit stores to receive giveaways, while supplies last, and to enter for a chance to win great prizes! Visit http://spr.ly/6187D4PqH #BNEducator for more details.
BOOK OVERSTOCK SALE
Starting Monday, October 8th, hundreds of Bound to Stay Bound books will be on sale for $6.50 or less. Visit www.btsb.com to see titles and place orders.
GOOGLE CLASSROOM FOR ALL TEACHERS PD SESSION THIS WEDNESDAY
Presenter: Alan D’Aurora
Dates/Time: October 10, 2018 from 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Location: Dominion Middle School - Room 103
Target Audience: CCS Teachers
In this course, participants will be taught how to create a Google Classroom Web page for their actual, current classes, and be shown how to post assignments, video, and documents for instant implementation.
CLASSROOM LIBRARY WEBINARS
It’s All About the Books: Designing Classroom Libraries to Support Student Choice and Instructional Goals presented By Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan
Register Now for three, 75-minute webinar sessions from 4:00pm–5:15pm on these dates:
- Monday, October 22, 2018
- Monday, October 29, 2018
- Monday, November 5, 2018
Tuition: The cost of this Webinar Series is $169.00 per person. If you register a group of three to nine people at the same time there is a discounted rate of $159.00 per person. When signing up ten or more participants at one time, please call in advance for large group discount pricing. Tuition also includes access to the recorded webinar sessions for up to 90 days after the conclusion of the webinar series. For group pricing information please call 800-541-2086, ext. 1100.
PENNY KITTLE AND KELLY GALLAGHER LIVE WEBINARS
Kittle and Gallagher will present three, 75-minute webinar sessions based on their new book 180 Days: Two Teachers and the Quest to Engage and Empower Adolescents from 6:00pm–7:15pm on
- Wednesday, October 17, 2018
- Wednesday, October 24, 2018
- Wednesday, November 7, 2018.
Tuition The cost of this Webinar Series is $169.00 per person. If you register a group of three to nine people at the same time there is a discounted rate of $159.00 per person. When signing up ten or more participants at one time, please call in advance for large group discount pricing. Tuition also includes access to the recorded webinar sessions for up to 90 days after the conclusion of the webinar series. For group pricing information please call 800-541-2086, ext. 1100.
FREE CORWIN WEBINAR SERIES
Corwin's free Monday Afternoon Webinar Series has begun. This season you can look forward to live Webinars with John Hattie, Jessica and John Hannigan, and Ken O'Connor—to name just a few. It doesn’t get much better! Download the print schedule here. Register here.
-The next ELA-related Webinar is Power Up Blended Learning: A Professional Learning Infrastructure to Support Sustainable Change from Catlin Tucker on Monday, October 15 at 5pm. In this free webinar, Catlin Tucker will provide an overview of a blended learning coaching cycle designed to support teachers from goal setting to implementation to reflection.
FREE FALL TEACHINGBOOKS WEBINARS TO EXPLORE
-TeachingBooks has an Essential Elements Webinar Series happening this fall that includes four Webinars to introduce you to TeachingBooks and leverage your usage of TeachingBooks. Click HERE to see descriptions and to register for any of the fall webinars.
-The next Webinar is Lead the Way: Train Your Staff to be TeachingBooks.net Trainers on Tuesday, October 9th at 3pm. This free Webinar will perpetuate leadership and support site-wide collaboration with colleagues and administrators, equip your staff with tools and strategies to facilitate trainings using this suite of digital resources, and create a staff development plan using TeachingBooks resources to support literacy outcomes.
TEACHINGBOOKS BLOG-OCTOBER GIVEAWAYS
Each month TeachingBooks features free and fun book contests and giveaways. See this month's contests HERE.
UNCOVERING AMERICA
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC has launched a project and curriculum called Uncovering America. It explores understandings of what America/American identity is, both past and present. Though the curriculum draws on works of art as the main primary sources, the NGA developed this project hoping to fill a gap for ELA and social studies educators:
www.nga.gov/uncoveringamerica.
The project is now open, and the NGA is looking for English educators in each state to try some of it out and let them know what works and doesn’t. If you would like to participate as a representative for Ohio, details are included in this FLYER.
THE GREAT AMERICAN READ
Explore the list of 100 books and vote for your favorite novels once a day, every day! Voting will close on October 18th. Consider having your students vote and root for their favorites.
Vote Now. Tune into PBS every Tuesday at 8pm for The Great American Read episodes. Visit this DOWNLOADS page for posters, memes, book facts, and book quotations and this RESOURCES page for media and book club items.
COLLEGEBOARD REGIONAL FORUM
Registration is now open for the Midwestern Regional Forum, February 10–11, 2019, in Cleveland, Ohio. The College Board regional forums foster dialogue among K–12 and higher education professionals. Don’t miss the chance to participate in the collective effort to propel the students in our care to success in high school, college, and beyond.
2018 OHIOANA AWARDS
Reservations are now being taken for the 2018 Ohioana Awards event in the Ohio Statehouse Atrium on Thursday, October 18, from 6 to 9 p.m. All book award winners will be present! Meet and hear Celeste Ng, Deanne Stillman, Ruth Awad, Brian Alexander, Sally Derby, and Tamara Bundy. Christopher Gellert, winner of the 2018 Marvin Grant for an Ohio writer age 30 or younger who has not yet published a book, will also be honored. Reservations are $50 per person and include a reception with hors d'oeuvres and wine and complimentary parking at the Ohio Statehouse. Make your reservations online at this link: http://ohioanalibrary.mybigcommerce.com/2018-ohioana-award…/
NCTE CONFERENCE 2018 (NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR TEACHERS OF ENGLISH)
Registration for the 2018 NCTE Annual Convention in Houston, TX on November 15-18, 2018 includes access to all General Sessions, concurrent sessions, Special Interest Group meetings, the Now Screening film festival, NCTE Central, and the Exhibit Hall. Check out featured speakers and sessions or register HERE. Register by November 5 for the best rates. After November 5, registrations will still be accepted here as well as onsite at the George R. Brown Convention Center at the higher price.
NCTE TWITTER CHATS
#NCTEchat is a fast-paced monthly Twitter chat where incredible ideas fly and solid advice comes in 280-character snippets. Join the conversation!
- Sunday, October 14, 8:00 p.m. EST: Writing for Empathy
- Sunday, November 11, 8:00 p.m. EST: #NCTE18
AMLE CONFERENCE 2018 (ASSOCIATION FOR MIDDLE LEVEL EDUCATION)
Are you attending AMLE2018 in Orlando on October 25-27? http://www.amle.org/annual
If you go, you can expect 400+ sessions, one-on-one discussions with education leaders, and networking with other passionate middle school educators.
FREE POSTERS
The newest AuthorSpeak™ posters are now available! Visit the English Teacher’s Free Library to download posters featuring great quotations from our favorite authors, including Harper Lee, Mark Twain, and George Orwell. GET YOUR POSTER →
BULKBOOKSTORE $500 MONTHLY GIVEAWAY
BulkBookstore's Educators Monthly Giveaway of $500 in free books shows appreciation for teachers, librarians, and schools around the country. Click HERE to enter.
Carla Mae Phillips
Email: cphillips3865@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12
Phone: (614) 365-8386
Tim Wangler
Email: twangler8446@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/English6-12
Phone: (614) 365-8386