Civics Resources

 Civics Time!

Many quality sources provide curricular materials that help teachers bring civics alive. This multi-disciplinary subject is more than the particulars of government: it also encompasses geography, economics, history, international relations, participatory skills, community interaction and involvement.

What So Proudly We Hail is a new, free website created by two teachers who use literature to teach civic skills, through questions such as “What does it mean to be an American?” and “For what are we willing to fight and to sacrifice?” Through primary and secondary sources, songs, art, videos, and question-based curriculum, the site has a range of ideas for teachers of all grade levels. 

DPI Social Studies consultant Kris McDaniel maintains a webpage on Wisconsin Resources such as the Wisconsin Digital Archives, the state government portal, the Wisconsin Blue Book, the State Cartographer, and more. She has also tagged websites as “civics” in her Diigo library.

Using primary sources in civics education is the topic of a 2005 article by Lee Ann Potter of the National Archives. Similar resources from the Library of Congress include Ten Tips for Facilitating an Effective Primary Source Analysis and the Primary Source Analysis Tool. McDaniel created a Wisconsin-specific Primary Source Toolkit, too.

Students who play the challenging civics-based games at http://www.iCivics.org earn points which can be used to help choose which real, community projects will receive quarterly $1,000 grants from the site. Envisioned by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor as a broadly encompassing civics learning platform, iCivics.org lets teachers set up an online classroom to gauge what and how students are learning. 

Making Transitions Smooth with Music

Using music in the classroom is a great way to help students transition without always having to direct them with your words.  Here are some tools you might consider this year. Kathy

Upper Elementary Music

Pintrest Options

Make your own classroom alarm "bell" clock with music - procedures for your computer

Music for Management

Reflection..........Can we use Bloom's Taxonomy?

I found this interesting article on educator reflection and Bloom's Taxonomy.  It is worth thinking about.
Thanks Peter Pappas!

Conscious Classroom Management - Some Nuggets to Share

Taking some time today to read another Classroom Management book, Conscious Classroom Management by Rick Smith.  It is a book that is being used with the New Teacher Orientation.  It is good to review some golden nuggets in successful teaching as we move into the new year:

• Content, procedures and behavior are the functional trinity of the classroom, and students want to learn them all.
• Every professional has good days and not so good days. We are all human.
• Knowing when our own resources need a boost is a sign of great strength. Being open to receiving the boost is key.
• Effective teachers sometimes make mistakes, feel overwhelmed, stressed and under-appreciated.
• Counter isolation - getting out and connecting positively with others is a proactive step that teachers need to do purposefully. Working together is an essential element for teachers to survive and flourish.
• Teaching is not just hard work, it's 'heart' work. - Eleise Buxton
• The more we build in choices for our students, the more likely they are to feel energized as participants in their learning process.
• An effective teacher prepares systematically for the start of a successful school year by thinking through how they will connect with students, manage behaviors and begin to orchestrate content in a highly successful learning environment.

Reading this book made me reflect on all of the many components that come together for effective teachers. It is why being in classrooms and seeing this work first hand is such a joy. Kathy

E-books: free for elementary students

WOW - check out this list of free websites that offer e-book reading suitable for elementary students. 

• Children's Storybooks Online

• Mighty Book

• Starfall

• We Give Books

• Woodlands Interactive Stories

Do you have any similar resources to add to my list?  Please comment with your suggestions. Kathy

CCSS: The Shifts in Instruction are Key to Understand

If you have not had time to study the "key shifts in the CCSS" this is important information.

Digging into these key shifts grade level by grade level. Check these out.  

If you prefer videos for learning and/or reviewing CCSS information check these out.

SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENT- resources for educators

Resources for Educators and Administrators:

·         “From the Page to the Classroom: Implementing the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy” and “From the Page to the Classroom: Implementing the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics”

These professional development videos were developed by the Council of Great City Schools for central office and school-based staff and teachers as an introduction to the instructional shifts required by the CCSS. The videos feature some of the content writers speaking about the CCSS at professional development conferences hosted by the Council.

·         Share My Lesson 
Developed by the American Federation of Teachers and TES Connect, Share My Lesson’s Common Core Information Center offers facts, figures, and tips about the CCSS and high-quality resources aligned to the standards across all subjects.

·         Teaching Channel
Teaching Channel offers a free library of high-quality videos featuring real teachers demonstrating their best educational practices. The large library of CCSS videos includes tags that specify the exact standards to which a lesson is aligned.

·         Common Core in Practice: Great Teachers Demonstrate Moving to Deeper Learning
America Achieves developed a series of videos demonstrating effective instruction aligned to the Common Core. These five videos show how teachers are putting the new standards into practice in their classrooms and how enthusiastically their students are responding.

Teacher - A Noble Title

In re-reading "The First Days of School" by Harry and Rosemary Wong I realize how wonderful it is to re-read books that remind us about the key elements that make an effective teacher.  On vi Trish Marcuzzo from Omaha Public Schools shares her thoughts on a person worthy of the noble title....Teacher. 

Some people go into teaching

because it is a job.

Some people go into teaching

 to make a difference.

Understanding the Progressions in Math - Teacher Resources

Progressions for the Common Core in Mathematics: http://ime.math.arizona.edu/progressions/#

The authors of the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics are releasing draft papers that provide in-depth discussion of the domain progressions across grades, highlight connections across domains, elaborate on the learning expectations for students, and provide instructional suggestions.

K–5 Progression on Number and Operations in Base Ten

K–5 Progression on Counting and Cardinality and Operationsand Algebraic Thinking     

Grade 6–8 Progression on Expressions and Equations

Grade 6–8 Progression on Ratios and ProportionalRelationships (draft)

K-5 Progressions on Categorical Data and Measurement Data(draft)

Grades 3-5 Progressions on Number and Operations—Fractions(draft) *

 * note: this document can be read with Preview on a Mac or with the latest version of Adobe Acrobat on a Mac or PC. It does not work with earlier versions of Acrobat. To download the latest version free, click here.

Feedback is so key.

Interesting..............

In a book titled Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, surgeon Atul Gawande (2007) writes about cases in which failure to follow basic medical practices compromises the physician's oath to reduce patient pain and mortality. For example, since the mid-1800s, members of the medical profession have recognized hand washing as an effective way to prevent infection and thus reduce pain and mortality. Even so, Gawande reports, hospital employees have astonishingly low compliance rates with hand washing guidelines. Despite "knowing better," these medical personnel systematically neglect a well-known, research-verified practice that "makes patients better." There's an analogy to be drawn between the physician's oath and our oath, as educators, to improve student learning. Is there a technique or research-based finding that we know improves learning but that we must learn or be reminded to apply conscientiously and systematically? We say yes. It is feedback.

Jane Pollock's book, Feedback : The Hinge That Joins Teaching and Learning is excellent.

Have you ever experienced an EdCamp?

I hear that EdCamp is a popular professional development in the realm of an un-conference.  That means instead of signing up for sessions and listening to speakers you spend more time connecting with other teachers and signing up for topics that get posted that day - typically on a board or online resource - and then you attend according to your interest.

Check it out.  It is in Milton on Saturday, July 27th.   EdCamp sign up -- tickets are limited but free.  If you go let me know how your experience went.  Grab a friend and go.

Date: Saturday, July 27th

Place: Milton Middle School

Website: http://www.edcampjvl.com/

Tickets: http://edcampjvl.eventbrite.com/

More resources for High-Yield Strategies - GANAG, Marzano, etc

SupportingHigh-Yield Strategies, GANAG and Technology – nice resources. This connects you to another school that Jane Pollock is working with also.

Flipping Your Classroom -- Why does it matter?

I have used this website with teachers many times.  It is nice to know the person behind the great website now works in the same school district I do - Waterford Graded School District.

Check high quality resources for creating a flipped classroom  - what it truly means, how to do it and why it matters.

Are you pondering about IN9 Interactive Notebooks?

As I have been reading and thinking about interactive notebooks with Jane Pollock, I have been inspired by some of the following.

Interactive notebooks - comic video   using animoto

Science interactive notebook - student overview

Social Studies interactive notebook - teacher story

Social studies interactive notebook - discussion and e-technology for concept development  Google tool to try connected mind

Discovery Ed presenter - media and notebooks, students growing

I find viewing some videos on YouTube a way for me to gather ideas and review what I need to do to insure my notebook is a true IN9 interactive notebook.  Many teachers have and do use notebooks but not all of them are truly interactive and allow for students to engage in the materials themselves in ways that will help themselves understand, question, clarify and remember the key learning concepts.  Let me know what you think or if you have other helpful online resources to share.  Kathy

SMARTER Assessment Blueprint Findings

Recently, SMARTER publicized their draft version assessment blueprint to be finalized before the 2014-2015 assessment roll-out.

The Blueprints define these elements of the assessment:

Content - standards, indicators, claims, that are to be included for each assessed content area and grade, across various levels of the system (student, classroom, school, district, state)

Emphasis and Balance of content, generally indicated as number if items or percentage points per standard and indicator

Item Types - sending a clear message to item developers how to measure each standard and indicator, and to eachers and students about learning expectations

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) - indicating the complexity of item types for each standard and indicator

Specific content for ELA/Literacy will likely include: 

·         32-40 computer adaptive items: selected and constructed
·         some technology enhanced
·         all automatically scored
·         literary and informational reading (emphasis on informational text 6-11)
·         some targeted standards in writing, speaking and listening, and research
·         1 performance task
·         writing and research assessment targets
·         scored for purpose/focus/organization, evidence/elaboration, and conventions
·         some scored automatically, some by hand

And for Math:

·         30-41 computer adaptive test items: selected and constructed
·         some technology enhanced
·         detail the item types and assessment targets per grade level, rather than per grade strand
·         all four claims: concepts and procedures, problem solving, communicating reasoning, modeling and data analysis (problem solving and modeling and data analysis will be combined)
·         one performance task: focus on problem-solving, communicating reasoning, modeling and data analysis

(Compass Learning Navigator - Lisa Kennedy)

Check out the Informational Pages: GANAG, Assessment, etc

I am working to coordinate information for our learning community onto the "EducatorChat"  weebly that is under-construction.  I will attempt to provide text as well as video tools for your learning and reviewing of information on the many important topics on the forefront of our educational community.  Let me know if you have a suggestion of a topic, feedback, a neat tool or text piece that you would like me to share through the blog and/or the website.

Weebly
Weebly Basic Tutorial

Dylan Wiliams - 3 webinars for building your background knowledge

I found these 3 webinars which I am enjoying to build my background knowledge for August 22nd.  Perhaps you would like to join me as these are free.  More information

SMARTER Balanced Assessment - Take a few student test items

Here are some resources to assist you with information about the upcoming SMARTER Balanced Assessment.  It may be particularly interesting for you to take some of the sample test items offered to the public to help everyone see what the test will be like.

SMARTER Balanced Assessment - website

SMARTER Balanced Assessment - Info Test Items

SMARTER Balanced Assessment - Take a Practice Student Test

Let me know if you have questions.  Kathy

PALS Update - Kindergarten and 1st grade Teachers

Here are the key points on PALS for Fall
--- we are in the process of creating the training for PALS - new kinder teachers and all first grade teachers

1. Two weekends ago the Governor signed the expansion of literacy Screener for all students 4K - 1st grade for 2013-14 and for 4K - 2nd grade for 2014-15. 

2. The DPI has selected PALS as the required literacy screener and is currently working on that contract so they can purchase the materials.

3. The PALS (Form A) will be shipped to school district shortly - they are to arrive in August.  I found the paperwork Ron had filled out for the ordering of the kids.  If there has been any change in the numbers please let me know.

                Kindergarten - 7 kits needed, 1st grade - 7 kits needed

4. Please store the past school year’s materials, Form B, for use again in the 2014-15 school year.

5. Training for 1st grade will be similar to the training that was provided for kindergarten last year. 1^st grade teachers (and new 5K teachers) will be required to complete an online tutorial on PALS administration and scoring and an online tutorial will also be provided on how to use the PALS online score entry and reporting system.

6. The fall administration window for 5K will be October 14 through November 8. The fall administration window for 1^st grade will be September 16 through October 11.

7. I will keep you updated but here is the website for addition information:  http://www.palswisconsin.info/

 I worked with the training of teachers with PALS last year and will be working on insuring I know all aspects of this work.  Let me know if you have any questions, Kathy

                                                        

Dylan Wiliam on August 22nd

I look forward to learning more about formative assessment with you from Dylan Wiliam on August 22nd from 8:30 - 3:00 at Waterford Union High School.

I created an online flyer with the free program "smore".  I will use this flyer to keep you updated on any additional details regarding this event.  View it here https://smore.com/5ue1

Feel free to stop in and introduce yourself to me if you have time during the summer, Kathy Hoppe

SMORE.COM
If you would like to learn more about the use of smore for your classrooms here are a few quick tools.

Smore website https://www.smore.com

video tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYb8y5xlixE

classroom ideas http://www.teachgennow.com.au/2012/06/58-smore/

Get Ready to Communicate with Your Parents

Remind101 is a unique tool that teachers are using across the country to send information to parents in a "broadcasting fashion" in which the parents monitor their own accounts - phone numbers, e-mails, etc to stay informed of testing, field trips, etc.

Remind101tutorial - by Remind101

Teacher Blog about Remind101

InspiredTeacher Blog about Remind101

Key Facts on WI Educator Effectivness

Here is the June 2013 Key Fact Sheet with key websites and other resources you may wish to review.

Let's Make it an Exciting 2013-14

Let's Make it an Exciting 2013-2014 for Students and Their Learning

Published on May 30, 2012

Students are the future, but what's the future for students? To arm them with the relevant, timeless skills for our rapidly changing world, we need to revolutionize what it means to learn. Education innovators like Dr. Sugata Mitra, visiting professor at MIT; Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy; and Dr. Catherine Lucey, Vice Dean of Education at UCSF, are redefining how we engage young minds for a creatively and technologically-advanced future. Which of these educators holds the key for unlocking the learning potential inside every student?

View the video