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.