Monday, March 31, 2014

Instructional Tips

Checking for Understanding

The link below is a great resource for a variety of ways to "Check for Understanding" and make a quick formative assessment of whether students have grasped key concepts from your lesson.  
Employ these strategies and create your own.

http://nelearn.myelearning.org/pluginfile.php/439/mod_page/content/17/strategies.pdf

Who, what, when, where and how?  
These basic but critical questions should be mastered by all students.  Please be sure to check for basic understanding in these areas during your lessons.

Fractions and Multiplication

We are emphasizing fractions at every opportunity.  Continue to take part in the daily fraction challenge and engage your students during lunch and other moments when classroom learning is not taking place.

Who can create the best multiplication fact rap?  

Task you kids to identify a beat and build a rap to teach multiplication facts.  Once your song is tight, record a video and post it on your teacher blog.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Housekeeping

Spring is here and there are several things we need be on top of to maintain our social and academic environments.

1.  This is the first week of the final grading period.  As grades are averaged to this point, all teachers are expected to do complete the following activities.
a.  Conference with all parents of students with an average of (69 - D) and below and advise them that this final grading period is key for their child to pass the class in question.
b.  Notice of proposed meeting should be sent home in form of a teacher request (can be a form letter for the entire grade level).
c.  Parents should be called if the signed conference request is not returned.
d.  Conferences should be held on March 20th and 21st. 

2.  We must improve on student departures from the cafeteria and gym as they report to class each morning.  If we maintain order and supervision from the time students entire and maintain it throughout he day, disruptions will be limited.  Please adhere to the following practices.
a.  At 7:45AM all teachers unless otherwise assigned should be at their door ready to receive their students and supervise other students in order to ensure that they are in line, walking ans quiet.
b.  All personnel without a homeroom should be posted in the halls as well supervising student movement.

3.  After school departure.
a.  Classes must be escorted out of the building by the classroom teacher.
b.  Walkers should be dismissed in an orderly manner and not allowed to run off carelessly.
c.  Remaining students should stand with their teacher and not be allowed to run about playing.
d.  Students not picked up by 3:15PM should be brought into the office, seated and parents called to determine arrival time.  Teachers should not leave students unless they have communicated that their students have been left or either delivered to after school care.

4. Spring Break Packets - Please prepare for your students a grade level spring break packet.  Please make sure your packet includes the following. Post packets on your Blog by March 19th. Send home hard copies on Thursday.

a.  At least (3) writing prompts with rubric for earning scores on levels 1-4.
b.  Vocabulary Study (Define, use in a sentence, alphabetize list)
c.  Math samples followed by practice problems.
d.  Practice work on fractions (numerical and word problems)
e. Reading passages with follow up questions.
e.  Online activities posted to your Blog
f. Assign Discovery Education Probes in Reading and Math

5.  I will be attending a scholastic literacy summit March 18 - 22nd.  In my absence I expect the school to operate with even greater efficiency as it incumbent upon everyone to step up and do more to ensure that we are doing the jobs that we are tasked to do.  Mr. Robertson is our designee.  Unless otherwise noted he should be contacted if you need assistance.  Please adhere to the following.

a.  If you are going to be absent register the absence in sub-finder so that a substitute can be secured.
b.  If you are going to be late call in to Ms. Holmes and to me at (205)515-8649.
c.  If you incur an emergency and need to leave work before your regularly scheduled time you should contact me and Ms. Holmes.
d.  The Superintendent and Curriculum Department are sending me to this conference and they are well aware of my travel plans.  They very well could decide to visit the school in my absence to see how we operate, therefore I expect as stated above a higher level of professionalism and attention to detail in my absence.

6.  Finally, we need to upgrade our office decorum.

a.  There should be fewer outbursts in the office area as we understand that there is work going on.
b.  Respect visitors and parents, they should only see professionalism from us.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Education Technology Collaboration Week

April 2 - 6, 2014 will be Technology Collaboration Week at Charles A. Brown Elementary School. We will joined by students from local Universities in collaborative professional learning focused on infusing educational technology in our school.  Plans are underway for collaborative experiences using Samford University's Virtual Classroom, Miles College Undergraduate students will present Technology centered lesson plans and University of Alabama EdS candidates in Educational technology will conduct grade level professional development for our staff.

Please read the following articles in preparation for Thursday's grade level meetings.

http://www.projectred.org/latest-news/192-why-high-tech-teaching-is-a-win-for-everyone.html

http://www.projectred.org/latest-news/194-a-new-wonderfule-wheel-on-samr-and-bloom-s-digital-taxonomy.html

Great job on setting up your teacher blogs!  All student assignments should be completed for E-Learning Day and recorded in the grading system by March 17th.  Be sure to label the grade under projects.  If there are students who do not have access to a CPU at home, allow them to complete the assignment in your classroom prior to 8:00AM.  (Record the number of students who need to work at school).  Each teacher should send home the E-Learning parent sign sheet and keep copies in a folder.  If students complete the assignment at school, the teacher should sign to verify work.

Your blog will serve as the digital portfolio for you and your students. You and your students should post s work products such as prezi presentations, power point presentations, graphic organizers, podcasts, lesson exemplars etc.