Online Semester Tests Are Available for Semester 1

*This information is copied from the email that was sent out by the District on Monday, December 8, 2014. Please email either your department chair or myself if you did not receive the email as it does include two attachments.

The District Semester Tests are now available to be scheduled.  You will need to schedule several tests.  You will need to schedule an Essay test, the Multiple Choice test and, possibly, the Accommodation test.

1.)    The Essay test is available from December 17^th – December 22^nd.  Please create your individual testing windows to reflect this entire testing window to allow for makeups.  The Essay Test will be administered online.  The students will log in using their Essay Test passwords and enter their response on the right-hand side of the screen.

2.)    The Multiple Choice test is available from December 18^th – December 22^nd.  Please create your individual testing windows to reflect this entire testing window to allow for makeups. 

3.)    The Accommodation test is available from December 18^th – December 22^nd.  Please create your individual testing windows to reflect this entire testing window to allow for makeups.    This test is available for those students needing accommodations in which they would need to follow the paper copy of the test.  This test can be used for students needing a test read aloud in which a staff member could read from the paper copy while the student follows along on the screen.  This can also be used when a staff member, other than the student’s teacher, needs to transfer answers from a bubble sheet to the SDAP.

Each student will need to log into two tests; the Essay test and one of the Multiple Choice tests (the “… District Exam” test or the “… District Exam – Accm” test).

Tests to Schedule:

Accelerated English 2:

Acc English 2 S1 District Exam – Essay

Acc English 2 S1 District Exam

English I:

English 1 S1 District Exam – Essay

English 1 S1 District Exam

English 1 S1 District Exam – Accm

SDAP/eMetric Semester Tests

If you teach regular English I or accelerated English II, you may be interested in some (or all!) of the documents in the "2014-2015 Online Semester Test Documents" folder. (Most - if not all of you - should already have access to it through your Google Drive, but you can get quick access through this post.)

Items currently in this folder include:
*Chromebook iTester App Instruction Slide
*District Semester Test Administration Details (email from ATI)
*Essay Portion Online Directions (information from ATI)
*Fall 2014 Practice Test Details (email from ATI)
*How to Access SDAP from a Laptop or Desktop
*How to Restore the SDAP Icon on Chromebooks
*Scheduling a District Test (teacher-created cheat-sheet)
*Scheduling a Test You Created (teacher-created cheat-sheet)
*SDAP Teacher Directions Sem Test (from ATI)

As we learn more information about the online semester test process, I will add documents to the folder.

Larry Ferlazzo's List of Games for ESL/EFL/ELL Classrooms

My brother-in-law would be so proud of me for the statement which I am about to make. Jimmy Fallon can be a fun resource for education! He made Larry Ferlazzo's "List of Games for ESL/EFL/ELL Classrooms" not once, not twice, but FOUR times with word games he has played on his show. View Ferlazzo's list here.

PS - Many of them could be tweaked to fit in the traditional classroom as well.

Google Tools Toolbox

Rich Kiker, an "Authorized Google Education Trainer," maintains this living Google tool dashboard resource for educators. (Click on the image above to view it live on his website.) Created using the Symbaloo program, each box links you to either a Google/Chrome tool or a Google/Chrome-friendly tool that could be helpful in your classroom.

Here are a few highlights of the many tools within the Google tool dashboard:
*Readability - This program cleans up the website you are viewing into basically a text article by removing things like ads.
*Google News Archive - This Google website lists a large number of newspapers that have accessible online archives and is a great primary document resource.
*Constitute - This organization maintains a digital collection of the world's constitutions for you to read, search, and compare.
*Street View Trek - A version of the Google Street View of neighborhoods, this site takes you into deserts and jungles while providing information on applicable topics.
*Chrome Experiments - This is, well, pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It connects you with tools being created and piloted.

Each square in the above image represents a different tool, so this is just a quick sampling. Have fun exploring!

Draw Names

Yes, this is technically a website created to simplify the secret Santa name-drawing process. I couldn't help but wonder, however, if there were some creative ways to use this in the classroom. I've only been able to come up with two so far. I'm sure there are many other ideas out there, though! If you have other ideas for classroom application, please add them in the comments. My creativity thanks you in advance!

*Randomize the peer editing process for either paper/pencil or Google Doc versions (Keep in mind that this would not partner students. It would randomly assign a reader to each paper.)

*Randomize peer feedback for presentations and speeches

Using Goobric in Google Classroom

If you have avoided Google Classroom because you didn't want to lose the use of Doctopus and Goobric in your classroom...Or, if you have stopped using Doctopus and Goobric in your classroom because you thought they didn't play well with Google Classroom...Or, if you have no idea what I'm talking about with Doctopus and Goobric...

Fear no more! They can all be friends!

Apparently, even though Doctopus is somewhat woven into the threads of Google Classroom, you can still utilize the full Doctopus script, as well as the digital rubric called Goobric. This tutorial video is about 10-minutes in length, but it will take you through the steps of how to use both tools within Google Classroom.

Giving Feedback with Diigo's Clipboard Add-On

Giving students timely, useful, and clear feedback is a vital piece of the writing process, and of the classroom in general. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be enough hours in the day sometimes. Ok, not sometimes. Ever.

Enter Diigo's Clipboard Add-On for Google Docs. You start by adding on the Add-On. Then, create a document that contains feedback on the general areas where you anticipate to see student's struggling. This feedback could contain a quick explanation of how to fix the issue, a link to an online resource, both pieces, or anything else you desired. After creating your feedback snippets, you add them to the Diigo Clipboard, which appears along the right-hand side of your Google Doc. When you open a student paper, you can view this same clipboard. As you add a comment to the paper, you can copy the pre-generated feedback from the Clipboard (link and all) and paste it into the comment box. The video below is a quick, 2-minute tutorial if you would like to see it in action.

This tool is obviously not the silver bullet for feedback since it is basically a way to give more detailed canned comments. It does, however, allow you to give more feedback in a faster manner, which saves you time for adding those individualized comments for each student.

Bonus: Students do not need to add any apps or add-ons to view your feedback because it is all right there in the normal Google comments box. Yea!

Voice Comments with Kaizena

Kaizena is a Google extension and Google Drive add-on that allows teachers to provide students with more formats of feedback than the traditional Google comment tool. In a nutshell, Kaizena takes the basic Google comment, pairs it with TurnItIn.com's GradeMark tagging feature, and adds in the ability to record a voice comment. Not all of their feedback options seem to be working at the moment, specifically the ability to link a piece of feedback to an online resource. BUT, the feather in their hat - the voice comment feature - appears to be one of their strongest features, and it has worked perfectly for me.

If you are interested in trying it out but would like a little guidance, you may use this Kaizena: Steps for Getting Started instructional/tutorial document I made.

(Feedback Add-On Tip: If you are interested in leaving voice comments, I would highly recommend a program like Kaizena. However, if you are more interested in leaving detailed comments with links to online resources, I would recommend using a program like Diigo Clipboard, which you can read about here.)

Immerse Yourself

Dave Burgess, author of Teach Like a Pirate, writes that the I in PIRATE stands for immersion, and here's a snippet of what he has to say regarding it:

"If you are out on the pool deck and someone asks you to focus on the swimming pool, what does that mean? Would you go stand at the side and stare at it? Would you climb into the lifeguard tower and watch from above? Focus is, after all, supposed to be a powerful and effective strategy. Now compare the concept of focus with the next scenario that defines immersion. You're on the pool deck and someone tells you to immerse yourself in the swimming pool What would this look like? What is implied when someone asks you to immerse yourself in a pool? You're wet! You're in the water! You're either swimming or you're drowning. It's a qualitatively different experience.

I can walk by the open door of a classroom and tell you after a couple of minutes whether the teacher is a lifeguard or a swimmer. A lifeguard sits above the action and supervises the pool deck. Although he or she is focused, there is a distinct sense of separateness both physically and mentally. In contrast, a swimmer is out participating and an integral part of the action" (2012, pp. 14-15).

Burgess goes on to explain that there are times when both lifeguard and swimmer roles are practical in the classroom, however, he is quick to contend that it is vital for teachers to take on the swimmer role when dealing with new(er) material. The analogy he uses compares the role of a swim instructor with that of a swim coach. The most effective swim instructors for those learning to swim are in the water and actively engaged with the learner, modeling and even manipulating the learner's movements in order to help the learner grasp the concept of swimming. A swim coach, in contrast, takes on more of the lifeguard role with developed swimmers, observing and instructing verbally from the pool deck.

How often do you find yourself in the role of a lifeguard in your classroom? How about in the role of a swimmer?

Thinking about your average day, which role would likely be most effective in helping your students learn?

What do you need to do to get yourself into the water on the days when your students are approaching newer material? What do you need to do to get yourself out of the water once students are swimming on their own?

Burgess, D. (2012). Immersion. In Teach like a pirate: Increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator (pp. 13-18). San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting.

70th ASCD Annual Conference

ASCD's (the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) 70th annual conference is coming up this spring! If you are thinking about attending a conference this year, here is an option for you to peruse.

What: ASCD Annual Conference

Where: Huston, TX

When: March 21-23, 2015

ASCD is boasting over 350 sessions offered during the three days for those in the education field, including (of course) teachers. These sessions revolve around the theme Challenging Convention: Leading Disruptive Innovations. Click here if you would like to learn more.

PS - Remember to submit a professional travel application if you are highly interested.

Early Literacy Practices for the Secondary English Teacher

The University of Sioux Falls is offering a literacy workshop this spring. If you need credits for either lane change or re-certification, this might be one to consider with our district's literacy focus. It is a weekend class, so it is a one-time commitment. 

What: Early Literacy Practices: Foundations for Secondary English Teachers

When:
March 27-28
Friday: 4:30-9:30 pm
Saturday: 8 am - 6 pm

Workshop Description:

Secondary English teachers are trained to understand middle and high school literacy practices.  As a result, the background related to beginning literacy is often not part of the curricular studies.  This workshop focuses upon the theories, methods, and issues in language and literacy in the early years.  How do teachers instruct reading and writing in the early elementary classroom? 

The study of these foundational elements will guide current English language arts teachers in middle and high school to have a holistic understanding of literacy for all ages.   The foundations of early literacy practices will serve as the grounds for current literacy practices in the secondary classroom to serve readers and writers at all levels.

Cost:
For Graduate Credit: Workshops are one credit and are graded either Pass or No-Credit (P or NC). Grade reports are not issued to students, however, transcripts may be requested free of charge. The cost is $120 per credit.

Renewal (Non-Credit): Workshops can also be taken for non-credit for $50. A certificate of attendance will be provided for teacher renewal purposes.

Click here to see USF's full Spring 2015 workshop listing.

NaNoWriMo Google Collaboration

Google is celebrating NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, which is November) by inviting three authors to collaborate on a short story live via Google Docs on Tuesday, November 18: Edan Lepucki, Tope Folarin, and Mike Curato. Google is giving the authors one hour to complete the collaborative writing project. (Time is yet to be announced.) There is also an opportunity to submit ideas for the first line of the story. Read Google's post about it here.

There are a number of ways to possibly incorporate NaNoWriMo into the classroom during November, and no, they don't all include writing an actual novel. Here are just a few ideas:

1. Present the challenge to your students and let those who are interested run with it. (That's the obvious one. And who knows? Maybe our school libraries will soon have displays of books written by students!) PS - If you or a student take on the challenge, you can use Cameron Matthew's NaNoWriMo word-count spreadsheet to stay on target.

2. Encourage writing every single day, like the NaNoWriMo writers. Model this by starting each class with writing. It could be for a certain amount of time or you could have students aim to write a certain word-count each day. Bonus points for doing it with them. If you want students to be able to track their word-count throughout the month, give each of them access to this spreadsheet.

3. Tune in to all or part of Google's one-hour short story challenge on November 18. It is followed by a Question/Answer time with the three authors.

4. Have a journal prompt or assignment where students submit a first-line suggestion to Google's collaborative short story challenge. (Due November 12.)

5. Mimic Google's collaborative short story challenge. Use a recently read short story as a model text and let the students be collaboratively creative.

6. Although many NaNoWriMo "novels" are never published, there are some that have spent time on the NYT Best Seller list. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen and Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern are just two examples. Create a literature circle experience using NaNoWriMo novels.

7. If there is no time for a literature circle during November, encourage students to read published NaNoWriMo novels for independent reading.

Any other ideas? Please leave them in the comments!

"Excellent Short [Video] Summary of Carol Dweck's Research"

Larry Ferlazzo posted this video on his blog, and it caught my eye. Coming in under 5-minutes, it really is an "excellent short summary of Carol Dweck's research." (Also, if you haven't had a chance to check out Ferlazzo's blog, I'd recommend doing so. It has all sorts of resources.) Enjoy!

Lexile Based Readings at ReadWorks

The ReadWorks website allows you to search reading passages by Lexile, similar to NewsELA, but it also includes more in-depth comprehension questions, paired with a teacher guide. The comprehension questions combine multiple choice and short-answer. The website does require registration, but it is completely free. You can filter readings by topic, Lexile, grade level, all of the above, etc. Once you find a reading you like, you can save it to your ReadWorks account for easy access.

Below is the updated Lexile chart showing both the current Lexile band and the "stretch" band implemented recently with the CCSS. Click on the image to access the information behind the Lexile band change.

Accountable Talk Stems

Elizabeth Wiggs (@e_wiggy) shared this conversation bubble document via Twitter recently. It is intended to help students join in the conversation. She also shared her Google Document here so that others wouldn't have to recreate the wheel. (It is view only, so you will need to make a copy of it and save it to your Google Drive if you wish to manipulate it.)

A Grammar Lesson via The Big Bang Theory

The gentlemen in The Big Bang Theory attempt to be grammatically correct in their discussion of Back to the Future. Fun times!

Ironic, Don't You Think?

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month and a fantastic time to encourage your students (and yourself) to write! Read more on the NaNoWriMo webpage, or read about one teacher who challenged her students to write a novel in a month.

Google Drive Facelift

If you haven't had a pop-up appear on your Google Drive homepage yet, you might still have the ability to access the new Drive format. (They are apparently pushing out the update to batches of people instead of all at once.) Click on the gear icon on your Drive homepage. Click on "Experience the new Drive." You should now have the new format. If you want to see the new format before switching, you can read about it here.

Curriculum Study Update

Just a reminder that the English curriculum cycle is a bit off since we did a mini-update a few years ago while integrating the Common Core. We will start our study the fall of 2015, and we will implement the fall of 2017. As I gain more information, I will update the Curriculum Study page on the English Instructional Resources website.

Timer for Google Presentations

Using a visual timer to promote time-on-task is a common classroom management technique, however I have not been able to locate a timer that embeds directly into Google Presentations. I did recently stumble across an alternative. (If you know how to embed a timer into a presentation, please let me know!)

Orzeszek Timer 1.11 is a little pop-up timer box that floats in front of your presentation slide, so you can still provide students with a visual timer without leaving your presentation. Access the program from the Orzeszek website here, or read another educator's blog explaining the timer here. 

Steps for Installing Orzeszek Timer 1.11

1. Go to the Orzeszek website.
2. Scroll to the bottom and click on the first green text "Orzeszek Timer 1.11" to install.
3. Save the folder to your preferred location. (You will be able to delete this folder at the end of the installation.)
4. Open the new "orzeszek-timer-1.11" folder.
5. Double-click on the "Orzeszek Timer" file.
6. Click "Extract All."
7. Extract the file to your preferred location. (If you extract it to your home folder, you will be able to access the timer from any computer.)
8. The new folder should open automatically. If it doesn't, go to where you saved it in the previous step. Double-click the "Orzeszek Timer" file. 
9. Click "Run."
10. A little timer box should appear. You can type directly into the box to tell it what time to set. The timer is programed to recognize "2 min," "2 minutes," "two minutes," etc.
11. Hit the "Enter" key to begin the timer. Click in the box to pause the timer.
12. (At this point, you can delete the first folder. Leave the second folder as that is where you will access the timer each time you need it.)

Online Semester Tests for 2014-2015

Just a reminder that regular English I and accelerated English II will be administering semester tests via the South Dakota Assessment Portal's secure browser. Here's a recap of the district information:

"A practice test will be available for each District Semester Test several weeks before the District Semester Test dates.  The tests will not necessarily be related to the content of the course and should not be graded.  The purpose of the practice tests is for students to become familiar with the process of taking a test online through the SDAP as well as for teachers to practice using ScoreNet to score the written portions of the test."

Accelerated English II

1.       Multiple Choice Test: Online

2.       Essay Test:  Students will enter their essay response online.  The Essay portion of the test will be administered the day before Semester Tests as in the past.  Teachers will use ScoreNet in the SDAP to enter the Essay score for each student.

English I

1.       Multiple Choice Test: Online

2.       Essay Test:  Students will enter their essay response online.  The Essay portion of the test will be administered the day before Semester Tests as in the past.  Teachers will use ScoreNet in the SDAP to enter the Essay score for each student.

Google Classroom Updates!

Google Classroom is beginning to roll out some new features based upon educator and student feedback! (I say beginning because I have high hopes regarding where Classroom can go...) Keep sending them feedback for improvements you would like to see. And, if you hear another teacher mention a desired improvement, send some more feedback. Bombard them!

Here are the most recent features:
1. You can invite students to your class via Google Groups.
2. If the assignment doesn't require a document to be "turned in," students can mark assignments as "done."
3. Teachers have more control over student comments on the Stream.
4. Teachers can export grades into an Excel spreadsheet.

And, here's the BIG one..

5. Teachers can sort students by last name!

Google posted further detail on each of the updates; you may read them here if you so desire.

Keep sending Google feedback!

Other Smarter Balanced Provided Support Documents

The Smarter Balanced website offers a few other support documents and resources.

Practice and Training Test User Guide: This document guides you through the tests. It also addresses the "TA (Test Administrator) Practice and Testing Site" option.

Activities: SB has provided some sample activities to practice the class-activity-before-the-test piece. All grade levels can be accessed here, but the single high school activity can be accessed directly here.

Performance Task Scoring Guides: There are multiple documents for each grade level, but the one that will probably be most helpful is the ELA Performance Task/Braille Performance Task. It explains how students earn points for each questions.

Performance Task Writing Rubrics: SB has provided their rubrics for all four possible writing types found in the Performance Task. They can be found at the bottom of this page.

Accessing the Smarter Balanced Practice Portal

Teachers are starting to think about (and ask about) the Smarter Balanced practice portal. Although you can access it through clicking multiple links from the SB homepage, you can also directly access the portal here. (For convenience, you may want to save the portal page as a bookmark if you plan to use it in class.)

• Once on the portal page, click on the green "Practice and Training Tests" box.
• On the Practice Test page, scroll down to find the two green boxes; click on the "Student Interface Practice and Training Tests" to access the practice test. (The other green box, "TA Practice and Training Site," is a practice site for test administrators.)
• Leave all information boxes as the pre-filled "GUEST" and click "Sign In."
• Select the proper grade and click "Yes."
• Select the appropriate practice test. (Click here to view a chart explaining the differences between the ELA HS Training Test and the ELA Practice Test.)
• Follow the rest of the directions on the screen to enter into the test.

Turnitin Webinars

Turnitin is offering a number of webinars this week as they focus on their "Student Success Week." You can find the whole list here, but I've also included the links for a few that may be of higher interest regarding feedback.

(It is unclear if they will archive the webinars for all to access, but the registration pages do say that all registrants will be emailed a link to the recorded webinar. If you are interested in one, you may want to register just to have access to the archive.)

*Thursday, Oct. 9 @ noon: Students Feed Back: Student Perceptions of Instructor Feedback

*Thursday, Oct. 9 @ 3pm: Is the Pen Mightier than the Pixel? Students' Reactions to Handwritten vs Digital Comments

*Friday, Oct. 10 @ 1pm: The Role of Automated Feedback in the Classroom

Research Lesson Plans

This post on Edudemic looks at 15 research lesson plans posted by Google. They are broken down by beginner, intermediate, and advance. I haven't had a chance to look through all of the lesson plans, but hopefully they can provide some inspiration. Access them here.

6+1 Rubric Updated to Address the Common Core

Education Northwest recently revised their 6+1 rubric, the one we commonly use around our district. They have cross-walked it with the Common Core, and released this new version. As a teacher, it breaks down the traits in a way that allows you to give more specific feedback to your students.

What Your 9th Graders Did Last Year

Here is a small sample of some pieces used at the middle school level for reading and writing:

RACE
Most Whittier and some Patrick 8th-grade teachers used the RACE: Restate, Answer, Cite, and Explain strategy with their students last year (2013-2014). This year, most 8th-grade teachers are using it. It is a strategy to help students answer constructed response questions.

Sentence Starters for Response
These two documents, Reading Strategies and Cognitive Reading Strategies, are used by many middle school teachers to help students work through the reading strategies, as well as the idea: What strategic readers are thinking. Both documents also provide example sentence starters for responses.

Sorting Google Searches by Reading Level

(Image from Caitlin Tucker's blog post)

Here's a useful trick to find readings appropriate for your audience. When you (or your students) do a Google search, follow-up the search by clicking on "Search Tools," then "All Results," then "Reading Level." Google will provide you with a breakdown of basic, intermediate, and advanced reading levels. Click on the reading level for your audience to filter your search results. Click here to view these directions with screenshots.

Lucid Charts: Digital Flowcharts/Diagrams

If you are looking for another way for students to demonstrate their knowledge, you might want to check out Lucid Charts. Students can create digital flowcharts/diagrams that include text, images, videos, etc. One example idea: Students can track character interactions throughout a text. They can connect characters through explaining the relationship or conflict. They can also add text to describe each character and his/her development. PLEASE NOTE: If you think you might utilize this tool, please visit this site sooner rather than later. Lucid Charts does require you to upgrade to free educator version, and it seems this process can take about a week. The educator version allows your students to do more with their charts.

(PS - I know it is hard to read the boxes in the example above, but I wanted people to be able to visualize a possible end product.)

Building Continuing Education Contact Hours Log Sheet 2014-2015

Remember to track your building continuing education hours for easier recertification! The district has provided an electronic log sheet, which I converted to a Google Sheet. As you enter in your contact hours, it does the math for you and converts the contact hours into renewal credit hours.

Access the original Excel version here (it is at the bottom of the webpage) or the Google version here. If you use the Google version, you will need to make a copy of the Sheet so that you can edit it.

Here's what counts as building CEUs according to the district website:

On this form, you may list the following activities: *Building in-service time 
*Book talks 
*Building-sponsored training that is not a Red Apple Workshop course (i.e. CGI, Senteo Clickers, SmartBoard, 21st Century Teaching and Learning, etc.) 

You may not list the following activities: 
*Staff meetings 
*Collaboration 
*Planning meetings 
*Trainings sponsored by an entity other than the Sioux Falls School District 
*Red Apple Workshop classes (you will receive a Continuing Education Contact Hour Certificate from the instructor) 
*District-sponsored in-service 
*Time increments of less than 30 minutes 
*Do not include any activities for which you have received a Continuing Education Contact Hour Certificate from a District administrator and/or an instructional coach

New Infinite Campus (Beta) Training

The district is currently offering 1-hour training opportunities on the new Infinite Campus that teachers will be using starting in January. Four classes have already been offered, but there are many more throughout the month of October.

Training Description:

"Infinite Campus will be changing in January 2015. Come learn all about the changes and spend time exploring the new features. Attendees will be able to log into the new Infinite Campus Instruction with test accounts that will not impact their current accounts/classes/grades. Create Categories, Assignments, Seating Charts, Student Groups and more in the new system so that you are prepared for the transition in January."

Register for the next one (Oct. 9) here!

Upcoming Trainings:

Thursday, Oct. 9

Wednesday, Oct. 15

Thursday, Oct. 16

Wednesday, Oct. 22

Thursday, Oct. 23

Wednesday, Oct. 29

Thursday, Oct. 30

High Frequency Verbs in the Common Core

This chart lists the verbs used in the CC standards and their frequency. (For example, analyze appears 73 times in the high school ELA CC standards.) Since this is the academic vocabulary of the standards, it is most likely to be the vocabulary found in the Smarter Balanced test questions. Something to keep in mind as you think about the academic vocabulary of your goals.

(The chart is a view-only PDF, but you may add a copy of it to your Google Drive.)

Semester Test Preview Dates for 2014-2015

You are invited to preview the District 1st semester tests at the following locations, dates, and times:

·         Wednesday, October 29 –Roosevelt  High School – 3:15  - 4:30 p.m. - Library

·         Thursday, October 30 – Washington High School – 3:15 – 4:30 p.m. - Little Theater

·         Monday, November 3 – Lincoln High School – 3:15 – 4:30 p.m. - Library

You are invited to preview the District 2nd semester tests at the following locations, dates, and times:

·         March 3rd –Roosevelt  High School – 3:15  - 4:30 p.m. - Library

·         March 31st – Washington High School – 3:15 – 4:30 p.m. - A116/A117

·         April 7th – Lincoln High School – 3:15 – 4:30 p.m. - Library

The test preview provides you with an opportunity to see the kinds of questions that are attached to the content standards and how they are worded. If you are unable to attend the preview at your building, you are very welcome to attend a preview at another building. If you are unable to attend any of these previews, you may call ATI (367-6112) to set up a time to view your test(s).

Please keep in mind that all previews must be completed by November 30th for the first Semester.

Physiological Evidence for Mindsets?

Michigan State University is pursuing more research on Carol Dweck's mindsets. Even if you are still on the fence with mindset research, there is now physiological evidence to support the growth mindset message. Read a little bit about it here.

Conferences Are Coming...

It is hard to believe, but conferences are upon us already. Below are a few resources for both new and veteran teachers alike to help us get in a positive mindset.

ASCD article: Ignore the first part re: 30-minute conferences unless you actually have that!

Harvard Family Research Project: The middle section is specifically for teachers. Even if you just read the sidebars, there is some good food-for-thought.

Edutopia: 5 points, quick and succinct.

Model Peer Feedback Through the Butterfly Video

This week, I heard a few teachers talk about using the butterfly feedback video (from our August inservice) with their students as they approached the peer-editing process. The teachers received pretty positive student feedback. Here's the video if you wish to use it in some way as well.

Automatically Diagram Sentences Online

If you or your students are wondering what a sentence looks like fully diagrammed and need a little assistance, visit this site. It allows you to type in your sentence and then view it in a diagram. If you hover over a word, it also pops up a little information box that tells you how the word is working in the sentence. Kind of geeky; kind of fun.

Student Access to Google Classroom

There are a few different ways for students to access Google Classroom. Students can add the app from the Chrome App Store or they can access Google Classroom through the actual website (classroom.google.com). Once they are on the website, they can drag the padlock icon from the address bar to their bookmark toolbar to create a shortcut.

Convert Spreadsheet Responses to Google Docs!

To convert spreadsheet responses to Google docs, follow the steps below.

Add the Add-on

1. Open the spreadsheet with the responses.
2. Click on "Add-ons" on the spreadsheet toolbar.
3. Click on "Get add-ons" in the drop-down menu.
4. Search for "Save As Doc" in the search bar.
5. Click on the blue "+ FREE" button for the add-on called "Save As Doc" by thebowles.org.
6. "Save As Doc" is now added to your spreadsheet.

Use the Add-on

1. Back on the spreadsheet, click on "Add-ons" on the spreadsheet toolbar.
2. Hover over "Save As Doc;" in the pop-up menu to the right, click on "Start."
3. A "Save As Doc" box will open on the right-hand side of your spreadsheet.
4. Name your new doc in the "Save Doc file as" box.
5. Check the box for "First row of selection contains headings" if this is true for your spreadsheet. (It should be true because the first row should be your quiz questions.)
6. Check the box for "Add a page break after each row" to place each responder on a new page in your new doc.
7. Click on the "Select all data" button to highlight all boxes of text on your spreadsheet. (Alternatively, highlight what portion of the spreadsheet to include before you start the add-on.)
8. Click "Save as Doc."
9. Your new doc should show up in your drive (most likely on the "My Drive" page).

Native American Authors at SD Festival of Books (American Lit Teachers!!)

The SD Festival of Books is approaching. There is quite of bit of information on their website. I also highly encourage you to peruse the presenter list as there may be an author or two applicable to your classroom. At first I was going to pick out a few names to highlight, but my list kept growing! A handful of Native American authors (most of whom are local SD authors) will be presenting at events this year. Click on their names to learn more about each author.

Joseph Bruchac

Elizabeth Cook-Lynn (Crow Creek Sioux Tribe)

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve (Rosebud Sioux Tribe)

Kevin Locke (Hunkpapa - Lakota)

Gwen Westerman (Sisseton Wahpeton - Dakota)

Teaching with The New York Times

The Learning Network, The New York Times' education blog, is focusing this week on Great Ideas from Readers. This feature contains full lesson plans that utilize articles and information from The New York Times. Lesson ideas cover a variety of topics, including infographics, using columns as mentor texts, and argumentative writing.

PS - This may be another option for weaving informational texts into your classroom.

EdCamp Comes to SD!

FREE CHOICE PD!

Harrisburg will be hosting SD's first EdCamp on Saturday, September 20th. This "unconference" runs from 8am - 3:30pm. Visit their website here.

This week, the Harrisburg Ed Camp crew also sent out a few informational videos.
1. Explains what an Edcamp is
2. A little longer TED video about PD

Google Classroom Ideas and Suggestions

Ideas and Discoveries

*Post your daily agenda as an announcement. Include pertinent information such as: date, the essential question/goal, a brief list of the days tasks, etc. Then, attach files used during the class (notes, PPTS, handouts, etc.) This can serve as a one-stop-shopping-spot for absent students.
*When a student turns in a paper through a Google Classroom assignment, the student's version of the document is un-editable until you "return" the graded document. If a student needs to edit something before you grade it, he/she must undo the turning in, and then resubmit the document by clicking the "Turn In" button a second time. This will update the time-stamp showing when the finished document was officially turned in.

Suggestions for Google

Below are some suggestions teachers have shared about possible improvements to Classroom. I encourage you to send this feedback to Google as well; hopefully with many voices, they will listen to the feedback in a timely manner. (Your teacher dashboard and your class pages have a feedback button in the lower right hand corner.)

*Provide a "View as Student" button for teachers. (The student page is different than the teacher page.)
*Allow teachers to schedule future assignments by setting a future date and a specific time. Future assignments should remain hidden to students until the scheduled posting date/time.
*Provide options for alphabetizing student names, especially by last name. (Few teachers have a grade book set up with student names alphabetical by first name!)

USD's English Department: Colloquium Series on Literature

USD's English department offers a series of 1-hour lectures each year. They are free and open to the public. The hard part is that they are on Mondays and start at 4...which doesn't really bode well with our teacher schedules. I still wanted to pass along the information, however, on the off chance that somebody somewhere might be interested enough in one of the topics to find a way to make it work. Maybe you are compelled to take a personal day and travel to Vermillion for a pre-dinner lecture. Who's to say?
 

MLA and APA Paper Formatting Tutorial Videos

The USD Writing Center recently published four tutorials on YouTube. They are "How To" videos for formatting papers (headers, margins, etc.) in MLA and APA. Ranging from 11-24 minutes, the videos are a bit lengthy, so they may work best as resources shared with students or in a Blendspace type of activity.

Google Timer

If you ever need a quick timer during class, simply open a new Google search. Type "timer" into the search bar. The very first result should be a timer that looks like the above photo. It is automatically set to countdown from 5-minutes, and beeps will sound at the end. You may adjust the length of time by clicking on any of the numbers (hours, minutes, or seconds). Then type in the length of time you desire, including seconds. (For example, you have to enter 4 0 0 to set the timer at four minutes.) You may also turn off the sound by clicking the volume button in the top right corner of the timer. (Or, just must your projector or computer.) And, if you'd like the timer to be the only item showing on the screen, click the box image in the top right corner of the timer. Once you have it ready, click "start." If you are timing multiple pieces in a row, click "reset." This will reset the timer to your last settings. Only reset the time if you are ready to use it, though. It starts the countdown immediately.

Google Classroom Video

Google released this video midsummer, showing off a few of the features of Google Classroom. It's only two minutes; check it out if you haven't yet had a chance to play with Classroom. Google also released this short video where teachers who piloted the app last year shared a few thoughts.

Nap Time?

Feeling like this after the last two weeks?
 
 If you plan on napping this weekend to recharge for next week, keep these simple tips in mind:

Grammar Review

English Grammar 101 has made grammar practice and review interactive for you and your students. It offers six modules (Word and Phrase Patterns; Clause Patterns; Verb Tense and Verbal Patterns; Verb Forms and Sentence Patterns; Punctuation and Capitalization; and Supplement - Troublesome Words) that include information, practice, and quizzes over the topics. Students receive immediate feedback as they practice and take quizzes. This could be useful as beginning of the year review or as supplemental pieces as you teach grammar throughout the year.