Raising the Curve

Raising the Curve

Yvonne steps up to the front of the room. The anxiety level is high, and there is no turning back. It is her turn to present her findings to the class. She looks around and realizes she is not the spectator this time; SHE IS THE PRESENTER!

We often ask our students to step out of their comfort zone, raise their learning curve, and explore the unfamiliar. As a teacher, my classroom is my sanctuary, I am safe, I am loved, and I am confident of my abilities to lead our young minds. However what happens when you are asked to lead your peers? ANXIETY occurs, that's what! (insert nervous laugh) 

It's Now My Turn

Recently a few colleagues and I were asked to create and present to our site staff reading strategies and Kagan structures we could implement in our classroom to raise our student's academic performance. Well, let me tell you this was no easy feat! As we contemplated ideas, brainstormed, and created this professional development opportunity, I realized that although I ask my students to raise their learning curve every day and explore the unfamiliar- I truly do not ask this of myself.

Once this experience was over, I was left with one simple question... Where do I go from here?

"YOU HAVE TO GO WHOLEHEARTEDLY INTO ANYTHING IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE ANYTHING WORTH HAVING." -Frank Lloyd Wright 

So How Do We Raise Our Learning Curve?

Raising our learning curve is actually a lot easier than we think.

First, we should be open to trying out new things in our classroom. Our students benefit from the shake-up we give them by doing this. Because we can sometimes fall prisoner to our routines; learning something new and putting it into action can come with great benefits.

Second, allow yourself time to make mistakes with whatever it is you are trying out. That is how we learn best- Trial and Error. Doing this will lower your anxiety level since you are already mentally preparing yourself for the bumps that may lie ahead.

Finally, once you do feel comfortable, share your ideas with someone else. As teachers, we are continually looking for the next best strategy in teaching, so why not share the wealth with those around you! Trust in your abilities to lead not only your students but your team.

Lead By Example

After our training, I returned to my class re-energized and ready to tackle something new. During our professional development, my colleague, Rocio Carmona, shared a strategy she uses with her students to incorporate active reading into her daily routine. Therefore, I did what I previously shared with you; I TRIED SOMETHING NEW! Did it go as perfectly as I had hoped? No, but this doesn't mean that my students and I won't perfect this over time, quite the opposite, as I continue to incorporate this into my weekly routine, my students will master it and the benefits they will gain from this active reading strategy will prove rewarding. The following is a  clip of what this looked like on our very first try. 

Climbing the mountain herself, 

Yvonne Milian

Cooperative Beginnings!

Cooperative Beginnings!

Using Cooperative Learning structures truly is essential for student learning, when implemented correctly.  The power behind watching students learn, think, and grow from their peers is indescribably rewarding.  I often get asked when people visit my classroom “How do you get your students to this higher level of thinking/discussing?” It’s not easy and it DEFINITELY doesn’t happen overnight.  But today I’d like to share with you some tips, ideas, and structures that will help you get your kiddos there too! 

Why do we need cooperative learning? 

“Students taught with cooperative learning have a more enjoyable learning experience and are more motivated to continue learning beyond school, especially from and with others.” -Dr. Kagan

“Scores of empirical research studies demonstrate cooperative learning enhances the quality of reasoning, the developmental level of thinking, meta-cognition, quality of problem solving, creativity, and social perspective taking.”

I have personally seen my students already making leaps in collaborative conversations in just the 7 weeks we’ve been in school.  Their conversations are starting to become more organic, many of them are starting to not need to use the Accountable Talk Cards anymore.  Collaborative conversations is one of those “go slow to go fast” ideas.  We spend a lot of time on the baby steps the first few weeks of school from Teambuilding, to small partner share structures, leading into team structures, and then successfully having academic collaborative conversations.  I have already seen an improvement in many of my students' confidence levels.  They feel comfortable talking and sharing in their groups, as well as asking for help when they need it.  I am also starting to see my students naturally working collaboratively on their own even when I haven’t instructed them to do so.   I hear them giving their peers positive specific praise even when not directed to! It’s super cute! We still have a ways to go to get to that higher level of collaborative thinking but these kids are off to a great start! If this is something you’ve been thinking about doing more of in your classroom, I HIGHLY encourage you to start today!

“Teachers using cooperative learning find teaching less stressful and and find renewed desire and energy to teach.  Many report they were facing burnout until they discovered cooperative learning and now look forward to, and take joy in, teaching.”

This is the process I go through when starting off the year, to start building successful collaborative conversations:

1.  Teambuilding: Teaching students to work in harmony with one another to complete a task.  This is a very important step!(see my last blog)

2.  Accountable Talk: I give the students and also display “Accountable Talk” frames, and MODEL, MODEL, MODEL, how to use them in conversations, as well as positive praise!

3.  Kagan Partner Structures: In addition to Teambuilding, it’s important to introduce partner structures right away.  I start with Rally Robin, Rally- Coach, and A/B partners to get students used to working with a partner on academic tasks.  Once this is being done successfully, I move into structured Collaborative Conversations with groups.

4. Kagan Group Structures: Once students have learned how to work collaboratively with a partner, giving positive feedback, working together cooperatively, etc, then I move into team structures.  I start with Kagan structures such as: Talking Chips, Round Robin, All-Write-Round-Robin, Numbered Heads Together, and RallyTable, just to name a few.  Implementing structures like these frequently and consistently really reinforces students working together to accomplish a common goal.

5.  Start Small with Conversations: In the beginning, I will simply display the weekly Essential Questions from Wonders and have students use their notes and cite text evidence to answer/discuss that question within their table groups.  Once they get the hang of this process and how a conversation works, I will move onto more complex tasks, such as Philosophical Chairs and Socratic Seminar (these both involve higher level thinking and discussion skills). 

6. High Level Conversations: I will start to have students analyze and synthesize across multiple texts in order to develop their own original stance, thoughts, or opinions using text evidence to support their ideas.  They learn to build on the ideas of their peers.   These types of discussions generally lead to culminating writing activities such as a RACES constructed response or essay following the discussion.  These types of discussions really prepare students to be successful with their writing, citing text evident, and just communication and social skills in general.

Collaboratively Learning,

Megan Brown

megan.brown@omsd.net

Focusing on Fluency

Focusing on Fluency

Reading fluency has always been a top priority in my classroom.  It is crucial.  Reading fluently is a necessary skill for comprehension.  In my experience, my students who struggle the most in reading comprehension are those who struggle in reading fluency.  Fluency is the bridge to comprehension.  A fluent reader does not have to focus on decoding words, they can turn their attention to what they are actually reading. They can make connections to the text. In other words, fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same time. Less fluent readers, however, must focus their attention on figuring out the words, leaving them little attention for understanding the meaning of the text. So as a primary teacher committing to practicing fluency every day is a decision that has to be made and kept.    

What does timed reading fluency instruction look like? 
What can teachers do to help students who are struggling with fluency?  

"The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before." -Steve Young

It is essential to provide students with opportunities to read and reread a wide range of stories and informational texts on their own, with a partner, and chorally as a class. For students to become fluent readers many components are necessary.  Students must be introduced to new or difficult vocabulary and provided practice reading these words before they read on their own.  They must be given opportunities to hear a variety of texts read fluently and with expression.  Also, students should practice timing their oral reading fluency daily and be recording their growth, to help monitor their progress.  Of all things in the day, timed fluency practice is one that I NEVER skip.  Why? Well, because regardless of how my students are doing during choral reading, partner reading, U.A. time or small groups they need timed practice.  They need to be setting goals and challenging themselves.  I find that with guidance their fluency will improve because they will naturally be competing against themselves. 

I

Where do I start? How do I create a daily fluency routine that will be successful in my classroom? 

First, you need to find a spot in your day where you can dedicate 3-5 minutes to just fluency. It could be first thing in the morning, right after lunch, or right before the kids go home.  It's a small amount of time that can be fit in anywhere. The goal is to use less than 5 minutes for this fluency time.  Are you going to get it done in 5 minutes the first day?  Probably not. So take time to get routines in place, so it runs smoothly for the rest of the year.   I promise it will get faster.  Here are some of my big reasons why I dedicate 3-5 minutes to fluency each day. 

Students have the opportunity to:

• Set Goals
• Reflect on Reading Fluency
• Coach and be Coached by a Peer
• Be Inspired to be Life-Long Readers
• Form Good Reading Strategies

Step 1: Establish partner fluency procedures

I establish my partner fluency procedures at the beginning of the year. I partner them according to fluency scores.  My students are partnered by similar fluency scores. These partners may change every six weeks after the Unit Fluency Assessment is given. I partner students with similar fluency scores so that I can differentiate fluency passages given to each set of students. In other words, they get passages that are appropriate for their level and can be read successfully. 

Step 2: Establish your reading strategies
The reason why we have reading partners is that if a reading partner gets stuck, the other partner is right there to help them through it.  Rather than giving out the word, I teach them how to be a good coach by giving reading strategies and hints before giving the word.  Getting kids to this point is the hard part.  It must be modeled.  By using reading strategies consistently throughout your day, your students will begin using them with each other. 

Here are some I like to use: 

• Sound It Out
• Look for the Spelling Pattern
• Chunk It
• Try a different sound
• Reread
• Does that make sense? 

Step 3: The Fluency Routine- 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday-Same Passage

1. First, each partner will record a realistic goal on their weekly fluency record chart.
2. Partner one will read, and partner two will coach and track as they read for 1 min.
3. Partner two will call time, help partner count words, and record results.  
4. Partner two will give praise.
5. Then they switch and repeat the process.  
6. I end with (strategically) asking one or two students to tell me what went well and what could be improved within their partnership.  
7. My role during this time is to sit with a different set of partners daily to monitor and assist. This helps me check for understanding and listen to their reading fluency.  

It's important to know this doesn't look pretty when you first start.  It will take longer, and that's okay.  If you do this consistently each day, and continuously share with your students what went well and what can improve, you will find that this can be a very beneficial time.  

Step 4: Have your students track their fluency

Thursday

Each day students record their WPM on their passage.

First Read(Monday), Second Read(Tuesday) and Third Read(Wednesday). 

On Thursday, they will record their first, second and third read onto their weekly fluency record chart and fill in yes/no for meeting their original goal.  

Fluency Goals

Step 5: Comprehension

Friday

On Friday, I have my students complete differentiated written comprehension questions with their partner.  They work together to come up with answers using text evidence.  This day takes longer than 5 minutes but is beneficial to solidify they are comprehending what they are reading.  

So are you ready to set the stage for fluency in your classroom? I hope you are feeling inspired to take action.  I think you are going to be amazed at the improvements and gains your students will make with practicing fluency consistently in your classroom.  Good Luck! Please email me with any questions or if you'd like to see this in action.

  

                               Positively Teaching,                              

Randi Muehlen

Why Can't I be a Math Person?

                   

The opinions shared below are those of the writer and may not represent the experiences of everyone born in the twentieth century.

I have always been proficient at computation. Back in the 1900's, when I was a youngster, it did not matter much if you understood why you were adding or subtracting only that you could compute quickly and accurately. D.O.K. 1 does not even come close to the substandard level I operated at as a child in math. Like a robot, I added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided accurately and quickly--day in and day out. With purple stained fingers from the 1970's copies, I would finish one worksheet anxious to begin the next.

I don't blame my teachers in any way whatsoever. I know in my heart of hearts that they did the very best they knew how to do. And isn't that all any of us can do? But times have changed and so have I. I love math. I love thinking about math. I really believe that's one of the biggest difference between then and now. We now empower our students to think.

Writing is a passion of mine and I relish every opportunity to combine writing and math. I enjoy writing math scenarios that students can use to make sense of math problems. Without a story, numbers don't hold meaning. It's really empowering when students learn how to create their own math scenarios.

"Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms; it is about understanding."
                                                                                                                           -William Paul Thurston


Hmmm...? I wonder if my perception of myself would be radically different if I'd been instructed using a comprehensive math program like Eureka Math and had access to the technology available today. I would undoubtedly have benefited from the individualized instruction and pacing of Zearn and the opportunity to talk through my learning with a shoulder or face partner using KAGAN strategies. Here's the takeaway:  If we truly embrace a growth mindset, then let's neither limit ourselves, nor our students, by doling out labels.

Putting Two and Two Together,

Lola Jollie

Computers in the Classroom

Computers in a math classroom

My site went to one-to-one computers in the classroom and I have been trying to figure out the best use of the computers in my math classes.  While there has been no stated expectation for use, I want to use the computers in an effective and meaningful way for my students.

Here are some of the resources I have been using with the computers:

Edulastic

I use Edulastic on a weekly basis to give assessments to my students.  Edulastic has a bank of pre-made questions that I can add to my assessment or it allows me to create my own questions.  The program has all of the Smarter Balanced stem questions so I am able to create questions using the different stems that students may see on the CAASPP at the end of the year.  It also tracks students progress on each of the standards so I get a complete picture of how each student is doing in relation to the standards.

Khan Academy

I use Khan Academy a couple times a week just as a quick dip-stick measure of how the students are doing on certain skills.  I have liked this web resource as it gives students immediate feedback as to how they are doing on the skill.  I am allowed to assign each student different problems or I can assign the entire class the same set of problems.  Khan Academy has the skills aligned with Eureka and its modules.  You can also review reports and see how much students have progressed as it relates to the skills in Eureka.  The dip-stick measure takes only about 10 minutes and it gives me some useful data as to how students are learning a specific skill.

Desmos (https://teacher.desmos.com/)

Desmos is a program that uses the SBAC calculator and its graphing function.  This program is entirely free and it has pre-made lessons for teachers.  Eureka piloted several lessons at the 7th and 8th grade level that are now available on this website.  Many teachers create their own Desmos lessons and post them to this resource bank:  

https://sites.google.com/site/desmosbank/

Some of the lessons that I have used this year with my students are: 

transformation golf:  https://teacher.desmos.com/search?q=transformation+golf

scientific notation https://teacher.desmos.com/activitybuilder/custom/5aa86b6c99efa4456d109819

exponent mistakes:  https://teacher.desmos.com/activitybuilder/custom/57ba19934932cb4a07e421e3

I strongly encourage you to try some of the 'polygraph' activities as they are designed to encourage academic dialogue in very non-threatening manner.

These are some of the main resources I have been using so far this year.  However, I am really trying to figure out how I can use my computers this year to give voice to my students.  I am at a project based school and so next month I will describe some of the ways I try and use the technology to have students make their own choices.

"There can be infinite uses of the computer and of new age technology, but if teachers themselves are not able to bring it into the classroom and make it work, then it fails."

Nancy Kassebaum

Senator from Kansas, 1978-1977

I have been given a gift of one to one computers in my classroom and now I am trying to make it work.  I am also trying to make the computer usage meaningful and relevant - not only for my students but for me as well.  

Excellence is not an act, but a habit

Kevin Stott
De Anza Middle School

What Made You Begin a Career Teaching?

What Made You Begin a Career in Teaching?

It's the start of a new school year! For many of us who have taught for years, our mindset may be summer is over and we are going back to work.  For new teachers, the mindset tends to channel the exciting start to a new chapter.  Beginning my 9th year, I love to reflect back on that feeling of starting my first year of teaching and why I chose to be a teacher.  There is power in remembering your purpose, passion, and role in educating young minds daily!

"Know what sparks the light in you; then use that light to illuminate the world!" -Oprah Winfrey

You Are Making A Difference!

Remember when you were in school and you had that one teacher that would greet you with a smile or high five and say good morning each day?  You may not have realized it at the time, but I bet reflecting back you understand how meaningful that small part of the day was.  Each morning we have the opportunity to connect, inspire, and create a positive experience for our students.  We are unaware of what each student experiences in their life before and after school, but in the middle of those time periods is our chance to make a difference in the life of a child every day.  A smile, a lesson, a listening ear, a joke, a positive outlook, and a connection with each individual student is the start of an impactful school year!

"The strength of our student relationships makes the difference in translating 

our passion for teaching into their passion for learning." - Beth Morrow

Making a Positive Connection With Students

1. Send an "About The Teacher" letter home

• Students of any age love learning about their teacher!

2. Have students complete an "All About Me" poster

• Students get a chance to shine by selecting a pointer and sharing orally with the class.

3. Participate in Kagan community and team building activities

• Students get a chance to learn about their classmates in a fun, engaging way!

4. "Student of the Week" Award to incorporate PBIS

• Recognize a new student each week for positive behavior.

Learning and Teaching With a Smile,

Jenna Russ

Teachers Need Other Teachers

        Teachers Need Other Teachers

Have you ever made a decision and then thought to yourself… “Why did I just do that?” I have had many moments like this and just in May I had decided I was going to leave the Spotlight Team to go back to school to get my BCLAD. My heart was set on it, informed the directors of my decision, and I was ready to start a new chapter in my life. As I went home, after making my decision, I began to have mixed feelings. I wanted to go back to school, but not because a BCLAD was a certification I had been wanting, more so because I wanted the extra money in my paycheck with the educational units added to my degree. As I sat in my home waiting for my husband and daughters to get home, I knew I didn’t want to miss out on any special events at school, I wanted to be at the sports/dance events that my daughters would participate in, and I wanted to be there for my husband as he coached another year of High School wrestling.

Together we make a BIG difference!

As my heart beat a little more each time and my mind was putting my priorities in order, I also realized I didn’t want to leave a great group of teachers that I had begun to know and work with. At El Camino, I have wonderful colleagues that are there to comfort and help in any situation and now I had gone beyond my school boundaries and found district colleagues that would also be there to inspire me along my teaching journey. I pictured Lola Jollie’s smile and words that always brought warmth to my heart, I thought about meeting Gus Macuil and Kimberly Reza; their laughter and discussion for teaching truly inspired me and lit the flame, to my passion, a little brighter.

“Coming together is a beginning. 

Keeping together is progress. 

Working together is success."

~Henry Ford

My priorities quickly became clear… God is and always will be first in my life as He makes way for all things good that come from Him. My Family comes next; they are my heart and soul, the ones that keep that smile on my face, even when I’m down. Then comes Teaching; my dream and passion to help kids realize they are the key to change in the future. Interestingly enough, as I began teaching I met the best of friends that are still there for me in an instant. From them, I learned that it’s important to have amazing and positive colleagues to collaborate with. As we put our skills to work, sharing job responsibilities, and focused on the professional objective we soon realized healthy relationships were building; the stronger the relationship, the stronger the teamwork and the more effective we became.

So here I am again on the Spotlight Team. I have a great class. I see some obstacles ahead and things may be a mess at times, but because of this wonderful team I can honestly say that I have sunshine on rainy days, I have laughter when my joy is gone, and I have hope when I think all is lost. We need each other and I hope more of you OMSD shining stars get to know this amazing Spotlight Team that is not perfect by any means, we are just here opening our doors to collaborate and remind you that you are not alone… our goal is to help one another create positive learning environments for our students.

Live, Love, Teach,

Hilda Sanchez

    

                       

Going Digital . . . Setting Goals and Starting Small

Going Digital . . . Setting Goals and
Starting Small

Last March I was lucky enough to attend the Spring CUE Conference
in Palm Springs with a few fellow educators from my school site.  I was
really looking forward to learning new and innovative ways to incorporate
technology into my classroom. Wow, what a dizzying couple of days! I
definitely came back from the conference with my mind filled with
wonderful new ideas about using digital tools with my students.  Despite
all the excitement from the conference, just a few days later, I found
myself back in the same routines that I had been in before heading to
the desert. While some of the things I learned were easy to start right
away in my classroom, there were a lot of good ideas that got put on
the back burner.  I simply categorized them as “these would be great to
use next year,” and “I have all summer to work on that.”

So here we are, well over a month into the new school year and all that
summer prepping never quite happened. Who was I kidding anyway?
Over the summer I got married, went on a fabulous 3-week honeymoon,
and moved into a new home with my husband.  Disappointed in myself, I
decided to look back on my notes from that conference and pick a few
strategies that I could easily start using in my classroom within the next
month. There were a lot of great ideas in my head, but two really stuck
out to me; #BookSnaps and Interactive Digital Notebooks.

Stay focused, go after your dreams and
keep moving toward your goals.
- LL Cool J

#BookSnaps

For me, #BookSnaps was the easiest of the two digital tools to start
using with my students.  The idea of #BookSnaps is to create a digital
and visual way for students to express what they have learned from the
text.  They can be used with any text and really help students to make
meaningful connections with what they are reading.  While the idea comes
from using the Snapchat app, the process can also be done using Pic
Collage, Seesaw, Google Drawings, and Google Slides.  Depending on
what types of devices your students have access to, and the grade you
teach you might find one platform will work better for you than others.  I
used Pic Collage to create the #BookSnap pictured above. My
students are using Google Slides on their iPads. #BookSnaps were first
started by Tara M. Martin and you can check out what she has to
say about them here.

www.tarammartin.com/resources/booksnaps-how-to-videos/  

Her website gives student examples as well as how-to videos for many
of the platforms listed above.  

Every #BookSnap should include:

• A picture of the book cover
• The Author's name
• A picture of text you want to annotate
• Annotation

They can also include:

• emojis
• Bitmojis
• hashtags

Digital Interactive Notebooks

Interactive Notebooks have always been a part of my teaching.  
Students really enjoy them and they are a great way to showcase
student learning.   The downfall of Interactive Notebooks for me is the
time spent on cutting and gluing everything in them, not to mention the
inevitable mess they can create.  Why not make them digital?
Creating a Digital Interactive Notebook can require a significant
amount of prep time, but saves me time on the other end. Less
instructional time is lost. So where do you begin? Here are a few
suggestions to get started.

• Set up your notebook in Google Slide
• Create a cover slide and table of content.
• Choose your format. For example the left side of your slide is

teacher input and the right side is for student output.

• Be creative, there are so many different digital tools you can include in your Interactive Notebooks
• Share with students using Google Classroom.
• Be sure to make a copy for each student in Google Classroom so that students can edit.

Learning about new digital tools for the classroom is always fun for me. The hard part is actually trying some of these ideas out with my students. Start small, try one tool at a time. Don't be too hard on yourself if it does work out at first. There is always a learning curve.

Learning and Teaching with Grace,

Alina

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I am almost certain Aesop’s Fable, The Tortoise and The Hare, was written for teachers teaching writing. As I begin this year I realized I often place unrealistic goals upon myself and my students, but as I did more thinking the goal isn’t unrealistic—my process is. High expectations are great to have, but kids are not going to write like college students the first time their pen hits the paper.  So as I am writing this blog at an ungodly hour, I want to remind myself how to get the writing result that I want.  My first year teaching I received advice that I will always try to remember, “Diana, if you want your kids to do anything, you must teach them each step to mastery, so they can perform independently.”

                My homeroom students are just absolutely frustrated with writing at the current moment, and they are feeling defeated, which is partly my fault because I had them write an informative essay with research too early in the year. This particular group of students struggle with writing, I know that about them, and I wanted them to struggle, but not as much as they did.   That first year advice came back to me in a powerful way.  I am rushing the process. Here is the plan, and I really hope it works. Mistakes and failures lead to success and perseverance, right?

1. Journal Writing

Students need to be able to dump their ideas onto the pages, and understand they can always go back to edit.  Being able to put ideas on the paper is the best way to get started.  Grammar and spelling will not matter at first; getting started can be hardest part.  If students are used to the task of just writing, then starting won’t be so hard.

2.  Constructed Responses and Summaries

Taking the next bigger step will feel natural to kids who have felt success along the way and are comfortable with a smaller scale writing piece. Using planning sheets to help students organize their ideas and evidence will help them map out their responses, and show them what   I expect them to be able to do ultimately.  

3. Essays

Essays are a series of constructed responses and summaries, so by chunking, kids should be able to feel less stress and defeat.  The length of an essay seems daunting, but if they know how to break it down, they will feel and be capable.  Once they are writing essays then we can move into the editing and revising process.

With this plan, I think I can get this group of kids writing more independently and successfully by the end of the year, which is the goal in the first place. THE END OF THE YEAR DIANA, not the beginning of September.

Diving into a New Adoption…The Start of a Journey

        Diving into a New Adoption

Photo by Vlad Bagacian on Unsplash

Here I am a month into my 9th year of teaching 6th grade, and I’m still learning new things every day. This year my ‘learn something new’ is the district’s new History-Social Studies (HSS) adoption- MyWorld. Full disclosure, I didn’t love everything about the McGraw Hill adoption, but it was familiar. I had learned what to use from the textbook and what needed to be supplemented with outside resources. The previous adoption was old but it was familiar. However, I did discover that I wasn’t growing as an educator by using the same old lessons. 

“The journey is never-ending. There's always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what's right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” Antonio Brown

In May of 2018, an email came out about signing up for the new HSS adoption training. I noticed right away the first training date was on the last day of our summer
break. Quickly, I decided that I would be enjoying my last days without an alarm clock
and would sign up for a later date. Flash forward to the middle of July when I finally
decided I should retrieve my work bag from the back of my closet and get to planning.
And then the panic set it. I didn’t have any idea of where to start with social studies.
So even though I was enjoying my life without an alarm clock, I knew I’d feel better
if I had an idea of what the new book had in store for my students and me, and I signed
up for the first training.

The training was informative, but I noticed right away that this adoption was SO
different than the previous adoption. First and foremost, this adoption offered videos
to show to students at the beginning of most lessons as a way to build prior knowledge
and vocabulary before reading. I was excited about these videos, to say the least. My
second observation was that this textbook was much more complex and rigorous. Of
course this is positive thing because my students need to be able to read at this academic
level, but I was worried about time. Another interesting observation I made, were the
Quests in each topic (chapter). These Quests can act as performance tasks/investigations
that my students can conduct while we \read and learn together! So now the question is,
how will I implement all of this in the time allotted for social studies instruction?

“I'm not saying it's going to be easy; I'm saying it's going to be worth it.”
― B. Dave Walters

Here are three steps to diving into the new adoption:

1) Take some time to look through the student's Active Journal practice book. Surprisingly,

the Active Journal has some excellent vocabulary building practice, and each lesson has a
reading strategy focus.

2) Log into Pearson Easy Bridge (the MyWorld Inactive website which can be found on
the teacher page of the district Symbaloo) and look over the Topic you're studying with your
students. If you're worried about the complexity of the length of the lesson, try printing out
the lesson summaries. These summaries could even be a pre-reading assignment that you assign
your students beforehand.

3) Try the Quest projects! The Quests would be a good idea for students to practice for the
performance task ina meaningful, engaging way. *Note: The Pearson's trainer mentioned
that some teachers only assign the Quest for some topics.

Diving in with you,

Jenni Merry