Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Looking for a great science resource? Check this out!

This is a wonderful local science resource families and teachers:

Commander Randall T. Boyd Jr. Planetarium

Weymouth’s Community Planetarium

Thursday, May 15, 2014 – 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 17, 2014 – 2:00 p.m.

A family program designed for children 4 and up and the child in all of us.

Climb aboard a magical cardboard rocket with two young adventurers, Bonnie and

Marcus, and experience a breathtaking, up-close look at each of our solar

system's planets with guidance from a talking "Astronomy Book" - a character

personified by a wise, kind old man. It's not until the end of the adventure when

you find out what the true secret of the rocket is - something that makes this

apparently impossible trip to the edges of the universe and back become possible.

This show is particularly appropriate for young children and their families.

The Commander Randall T. Boyd Jr. Planetarium is located at Weymouth High School,

One Wildcat Way, South Weymouth, MA 02190

Enter through the Gold Building's main door located under the silver arches by the flag pole.

Seating is limited to 67 individuals per event, so your registration is important. You cannot be admitted without

being registered. Seating is determined on a first come, first served basis.

*****************************************************

Admission Prices: $5.00/adult and $3.00/child under 12

Admissions will be collected at the door. Cash only, please.

Reservations

Reservations should be made by email at: Anne.Kanies@weymouthschools.org Include the date you have selected to attend, your name, the number of adults attending, and the number of children attending. Yourconfirmation number will be delivered via e-mail.

If email, the preferred method, is not an option for you please leave a message with a call back number at the

planetarium office @ 781-337-7500 (EXT. 25147). Include the date you have selected to attend, your name, the number of adults attending, and the number of children attending. Your confirmation number will be delivered via telephone.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

From the Scholastic Top Teaching Blog

This is excellent. It was posted in September, 2013 on the Scholastic TOP TEACHING BLOG. Follow the link to get even more information about this and to make downloading easier. It's well worth the look!

Click on this to go directly to the Top Teaching Blog

Common Core Lesson Plan Organizers for Math and ELA

By Genia Connell (Scholastic Top Teaching Blog) on September 11, 2013

A notebook titled Common Core Lesson Tracker Mathematics, Grade 3 on a desk with

The week before school began, elementary teachers in my district were presented with brand new reading and writing curriculums along with our first new math series in 21 years. These new programs have been put in place to help us prepare our students for full implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Trying to plan lessons these first few weeks, however, with all this new and unfamiliar material, has honestly left my head spinning. On top of all that, we also have a new teacher evaluation system (our third in as many years!) that will let me know if I am highly effective in teaching all of this new material. Oh my!
In trying to keep everything straight, I turned to a lesson tracking organizer that I created lasted year when I was trying to determine how well the lessons I was teaching in our old curriculum matched the Common Core Standards. This week, I thought I would share my lesson tracking organizers with other teachers who may be feeling as overwhelmed as I am right now or who would like to know they are on the right track with their daily lessons.

How Do I Use Them?

I keep these organizers at my fingertips in my all-in-one binder that also houses my lesson plans and grade book. I document which standards my lessons are hitting as I teach them.
When I teach a concept, I write down the date it was initially introduced, then note all work that was done to practice it along with the dates the practice took place. This could include large and small group work, journal pages, writing assignments, etc.
I track the date of all assessments in the assessment column, both formal and informal.
In the outcomes section, I include notes on the percentage of students who have mastered the concept along with notes on those who need more time and practice.
When I need to take additional notes on students or reminders for what I need to do next time, I simply layer sticky notes on top of the binder pages.

How Do They Help?

Since I began using these tracking sheets, I feel like I am getting a much better handle on what the standards are and how they all fit together with my curriculum.
I’m paying closer attention to make sure adequate practice time is being provided. If an assessment shows there are students who are still not proficient, then I know I need to provide additional support for that standard.
My teaching has become more focused and efficient. I look over the organizer while planning lessons and look for ways to add in ideas from several different strands and learning modalities to my weekly lessons.
These sheets can be a tool to include with any artifacts you may need to provide for your teacher evaluation. They are an easy way to demonstrate you have a purposeful and thoughtful process in place to help your children meet all the required standards.

Download Lesson Plan Trackers for Your Grade Level

While I originally created the trackers for my third grade classroom, I've taken standards for K-5 and put them into files for all grade levels. Looking at the standards for grades that precede mine is also helping me fill in the gaps that are occurring in some areas due to changing curriculums.
The ELA trackers provide all of the standards at each grade level in Reading (Literature and Informational), Writing, Foundational Skills, Speaking and Listening, and Language.
The math trackers cover all of the math strands at each grade level including Measurement, Geometry, and Algebraic Operations.
Each tracker is completely editable, created in Word so you can adjust them to meet your likes and needs. Every standard also includes a link to corestandards.org where you can get more information on the standards.

Click on each picture below to download your own copy.

Lesson Trackers in PDF Format

English Language Arts	Math
Kindergarten	Kindergarten
Grade 1	Grade 1
Grade 2	Grade 2
Grade 3	Grade 3
Grade 4	Grade 4
Grade 5	Grade 5

Genia writes: "I'm hoping you will find these organizers as helpful as I do when I'm planning my lessons. What tips do you have for teachers like me who are making their way through this uncharted territory of the Common Core?"

Monday, April 7, 2014

I Heart Teachers

I Heart Teachers!

A lovely YouTube video that's a sweet gift to each of you!

Happy Spring!

Enjoy.

It's all about the interactions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc1Ep4b7Lhk&feature=youtu.be&utm_content=buffercf105&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Monday, March 31, 2014

So Long, Farewell and Never Can Say Goodbye: Closing Out the School Year

The Lesley New Teacher Community presents

So Long, Farewell and Never Can Say Goodbye:

Closing Out the School Year

Saturday, May 31, 2014 from 10:30am-1:30pm

University Hall, Porter Square Building

Teachers are often surprised at how emotional the end of school can be and how hard it is to say good-bye to a class and their families. Join us for a workshop that focuses on just this---how to close out the school year in a healthy, organized and productive way for you and your students. We will cover report cards and progress reports, end-of-the-year activities and rituals, and saying good-bye to a class or a group of students and families. etc. We’ve invited four experienced and enthusiastic teachers to be part of our panel who represent early and middle elementary schools and Middle/High Schools. There will be examples for you to look at and you’ll be able to make these happen the very next week in your own classrooms.

Let’s try to make this into a show and tell, too. Please feel free to bring anything you’ve put into place or seen in another classroom so that we can all learn from one another.

SAVE THE DATE and RSVP by May 25 to: NewTeachersCommunity@lesley.edu or to salmahdi@lesley.edu or call the School Partnerships Office at 617 349-8399.

For your listening pleasure (and so that you can understand our title!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy9_lfjQopUSound of Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snihdG1rE0YNever Can Say Goodbye

Any questions? Please get in touch with Andi Edson, Director, NTC.

We look forward to seeing you!

Andi Edson, Ed.D.
Director
Lesley University New Teacher Community

aedson@lesley.edu

* Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lesley-University-New-Teacher-Community/218216491575170

* BLOG: Follow our blog at: http://lesleyntc.blogspot.com/

*Website:

www.lesley.edu/community/new-teacher

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

By Special REQUEST: MCAS

By special request we publish again this magnificent posting about the MCAS test and ways to help your students take this all in stride. We know how much pressure is put on them and how much pressure is felt by teachers, too. We hope that you find this posting inspirational and comforting and hope that those of you who want to will change the words and make it work for you and your students.

MCAS Worries?

MCAS? It's an inevitable part of every Spring.

Last year we posted a popular blog entry and we thought it would be good to post it again for all of you. It was a letter that teachers wrote to their students prior to their testing. While this posting is especially aimed at those of you who have students that will be taking MCAS, it's certainly useful for any child, though, and yes, even for an adult who has to take an important test.

From the NTC blog from Spring, 2012:

JoAnne Kazis and Caitlin Florschutz, elementary school teachers who co-teach together at the Memorial-Spaulding School in Newton shared something recently which I thought was inspirational and well worth sharing with the New Teacher Community.

They had taken an EMI course entitled “Understanding Self Efficacy: Helping Students Do their Best Work and Strategies for Examining and Addressing the Academic Achievement Gap. “ This course stressed the significance in making subtle changes in test environments that can improve standardized test scores among students of color and girls.

Joanne writes,

“One way to reduce "stereotype threat" during testing is to prompt students to reflect on their talents, beliefs and values. These kinds of affirmations remind students of what's important to them and can build a line of defense. One recent study actually showed affirmation procedures were directly related to a 40% drop in grade disparities between students in different racial groups.

Another easy way to do this is by displaying inspiring quotes throughout the year (and right before testing) but also including the person's image with the quote (making sure a wide range of races, faces and genders are included).”

JoAnne and Caitlin wrote a letter to their students. Writing a letter like this was inspired by an idea from the 1998 Massachusetts teacher of the year, Mary Ginley.

Joanne has graciously allowed me to share her version of the letter that she and Caitlin read to students right before they took the MCAS this year. She revises the letter each year with details that relates to the class she is teaching and notes, “It just serves as a reminder to them that MCAS just shows one thing, but not everything.”

“Dear Super Star Students of Room 205,

Please remember that the people who will read and score your tests do not know you. They do not know how hard you work every day. They do not know how smart you really are.

They do not know what amazing artists you are,

or how much you know about Harry Potter.

They don't know that you can score a goal in soccer and hockey,

or have a strong serve in tennis.

They don't know that you are a star ice skater, ballroom dancer, swimmer or gymnast.

They don't know that you take care of your little brothers and sisters when they're not feeling well.

Or that you take care of pets at home, write stories about your favorite pets or wish you had a pet.

They don't know you smile and say, "Good Morning" to your teachers, even on rainy Monday mornings.

They don't know that you like clowns, pig dragons and make being "evil" fun.

They don't know that you go to another school to learn a language, or that you speak a different language at home.

They don't know that you have a twin or are 1/3 of triplets.

They don't know that you can balance hours of dance class, sports and play dates and still pass in homework on time.

They don't know that you've entered math competitions, spelling bees and write for the fourth grade newspaper or that you've won trophies, ribbons and other awards.

They don't know that you can sing and dance, play an instrument or are in a rock band.

They don't know what amazing work partners and group project members you can be or that you are a fantastic fourth grade buddy.

And they certainly don't know all about your kind of mind.

But we know you and we are proud of what you do every day, of who you are and all you will be. MCAS scores will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything. There are many ways of being smart.

Your friends,

Ms. Kazis and Ms. Florschutz”

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Get Organized! Classroom and Professional Strategies to Manage Information Overload: A Hands-On Workshop

Our GREAT almost Spring Lesley New Teacher Community event!

Get Organized! Classroom and Professional Strategies to Manage Information Overload: A Hands-On Workshop"

Join us for a fun-filled, hands-on session of elegant technology strategies that can organize your digital curriculum resources for your students. Become acquainted with the online resources that can help keep you informed about best practices and emerging trends in your field.

Given the explosion of digital resources that are now available to help enrich your curriculum and your professional practice, curation – or organization and management of digital content — is a challenge, but we have a few GREAT solutions for you!! Tools like Symbaloo, FlipBoard, ShareShare TV, Diigo and Pinterest work on Mac and PC computers as well as mobile devices.

Bring your laptop or mobile device and join our team as we conquer information overload! (We’ll have some available for you, too, to practice on!)

Who? Lesley University New Teacher Community!

What? Great facilitators who will be giving you lots of chances for hands on experiences

When? Saturday, March 1, 2014, 10:30AM-1:30PM

Where? University Hall, Porter Square Campus

Why? Bring your questions! Bring your challenges!

RSVP: to NewTeachersCommunity@lesley.edu or to salmahdi@lesley.edu or call the School Partnerships Office at 617 349-8399.

RSVP by February 25, 2014.

Any questions? Please get in touch with Andi Edson, Director, NTC.

We look forward to seeing you!

Andi Edson, Ed.D.
Director
Lesley University New Teacher Community

aedson@lesley.edu

*Website:

www.lesley.edu/community/new-teacher

* Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lesley-University-New-Teacher-Community/218216491575170

* BLOG: Follow our blog at: http://lesleyntc.blogspot.com/

Click here to Reply or Forward

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

In Honor of Digital Learning Day, 2/5/14: Resource Roundup

The Lesley NTC is getting ready for our March NTC Technology Event at University Hall in Cambridge. In preparation, feast your eyes on this set of wonderful resources!

Digital Learning Day: Resource Roundup

The third annual Digital Learning Day is on February 5, 2014. The wonderful educators and researchers at Edutopia have compiled some useful resources to support digital learners all year long. (Updated 1/2014)

By Edutopia Staff

Resources by Topic

Integrating Technology into Schools

Video: An Introduction to Technology Integration (2012) Integrating technology with classroom practice can be a great way to strengthen engagement by linking students to a global audience, turning them into creators of digital media, and helping them practice collaboration skills that will prepare them for the future. For a look inside the classrooms of educators who use technology tools in their lessons every day, also check out our "Tech2Learn Video Series: Success Stories of Technology Integration in the Classroom."
Research Review: How to Successfully Use Technology in the Classroom (2013) Edutopia's tech integration review explores some of the vast body of research out there and helps you navigate useful results. In this series of five articles, learn about three key elements of successful technology integration, discover some of the possible learning outcomes, get our recommendations on specific practices and programs by academic subject and promising tools for additional topics, find tips for avoiding pitfalls when adopting new technologies, and dig into a comprehensive annotated bibliography with links to all the studies and reports cited in these pages.
Social Media in Education: Resource Roundup (2013)This collection of blogs, articles, and videos aims to help teachers deploy social media tools in the classroom to engage students in 21st-century learning. For a window into Mimi Ito's research in this area, view our video "Big Thinkers: Mimi Ito on Learning in Social Media Spaces."
Mobile Learning: Resource Roundup (2013)Edutopia’s resource roundup includes links to blogs, articles and other resources related to mobile technologies--from smartphones and tablets, to MP3 players and e-readers. VideoAmy's playlist on this topic, "Five-Minute Film Festival: Mobile Learning," provides additional insights into the challenges and the promise of using mobile devices for instructional purposes.
The Persistent Appeal of Technology in Learning, by Terry Heick (2013)Edutopia blogger Heick considers three reasons why education and technology seem like such an inevitable pairing.
Technology in Schools: Defining the Terms, by Matt Levinson (2013)Principal and blogger Levinson suggests that, if we're going to talk about technology in schools, we should begin by coming to a general agreement about what technology is.
For more ideas, check out our lineup of blogs that focus on technology integration.

Online Learning and Blended Classrooms

The Flipped Mobile Classroom: Learning “Upside Down”, by Beth Holland (2013)Holland of EdTechTeacher considers the mechanics and benefits of flipping both an English and a science class, and suggests a variation on the flipped model for younger or less connected students. For more on the challenges and benefits of flipped classrooms, check out this video playlist from VideoAmy: "Five-Minute Film Festival: Flipped Classrooms."
Blended Learning Series, by Lisa Michelle Dabbs, Andrew Miller, and Heather Wolpert-Gawron (2012) This three-part blog series covers tips and strategies for incorporating blended learning -- a combination of both online and face-to-face education -- in the classroom.
Connecting Project-Based and Blended Learning, by Brian Greenberg (2011) PBL and blended learning prove to be two educational approaches worth combining.
Salman Khan on Liberating the Classroom for Creativity (2011) The founder of Khan Academy, a free educational video library that features over two thousand titles and an interactive dashboard for formative assessment, discusses how his videos can help create a "flipped classroom" that allows blended learning -- online lectures can happen at home and project-based learning can happen during school.

Teaching with New Media Tools

Coding Across the Curriculum, by Matthew Farber (2013)Teacher and edtech leader Farber discusses the history of computer science education in the run-up to this December's Hour of Code initiative.
Creating a “Least Restrictive Environment” with Mobile Devices, by Beth Holland (2013)Holland looks at how mobile devices can help create a 'least restrictive environment' not only for students with disabilities, but for everyone else as well. For more information about selecting and assessing assistive technology and accessible instructional materials, see Edutopia’s "Assistive Technology: Resource Roundup."
Six Tips for Teachers: How to Maximize Shared Resources, by Mary Beth Hertz (2012) Hertz suggests six ways to overcome the problems of technology resource sharing in a school where there may not be enough to go around.
Challenging the Model of 1:1 with BYOD, by Amanda Paquette (2012) Tech specialist Paquette describes how her school district is blending the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and 1:1 classroom technology models to meet students' needs.
Doing More with Less (and Other Practical Educational Technology Tidbits), by Adam Bellow (2011) Bellow, Outstanding Young Educator at ISTE, shares his thoughts on simple ways of integrating technology.
Top Ten Tips for Teaching with New Media Guide (2011) Our downloadable PDF classroom guide is full of succinct and practical ways to prepare our students for 21st-century success. This guide will help you deliver the relevant and meaningful education all students deserve.
Technology Tools Community DiscussionVisit Edutopia's community discussion for information about technology tools, resources, and recommendations (including the vast world of online learning).

Digital Games in the Classroom

Made With Play: Game-Based Learning Resources (2013)Edutopia's Made With Play series takes a look at game-like learning principles in action and commercial games in real classrooms -- and offers tips and tools for bringing them into your own practice.
Game-Based Learning: Resource Roundup (Updated 2013)Check out our collection of articles, videos, and resources on using video games, simulations, and gaming concepts in the classroom.
Five-Minute Film Festival: Game-Based Learning, by Amy Erin Borovoy (2012) The social Web is buzzing about the possibilities and potential downsides of video games in education. VideoAmy has put together a playlist of videos about games for learning.
A Neurologist Makes the Case for the Video Game Model as a Learning Tool, by Judy Willis (2011) Blogger Judy Willis MD was a neurologist before she became a teacher; she shares some insights about how the brain responds to video games.
Games for Learning Community DiscussionVisit Edutopia's community discussion to collaborate with colleagues around ideas for implementing digital games in the classroom.
For more ideas, check out our lineup of blogs that focus on game-based learning.

Working with Digital Learners

Building Technology Fluency: Preparing Students to be Digital Learners, by Beth Holland (2013)Holland reminds us that we're preparing students for a future that has yet to be invented as she defines technology fluency and offers three strategies for building it into curriculum.
Big Thinkers: Henry Jenkins on Participatory Culture and Media Education (2013) University of Southern California media scholar Henry Jenkins describes how educators might fuel civic engagement by tapping the skills their students build in interest-driven online communities.
Digital Citizenship: Resource Roundup (Updated 2013) Check out Edutopia's collection of articles, videos, and resources on cyberbullying, netiquette, and internet safety. For a playlist of videos on the importance of online safety, manners, privacy, and responsibility, also be sure to watch VideoAmy's "Five-Minute Film Festival: Digital Citizenship."
The Digital Divide: Resource Roundup (Updated 2013) The "digital divide" is still a critical issue in education. This updated resource roundup includes resources and organizations to help educators understand the changing landscape and find information about supporting all learners to develop digital and media literacy.
Project-Based Learning for Digital Citizens, by Andrew Marcinek (2011) Blogger Andrew Marcinek shares the real payoff for his digital literacy students: collaboration, networking and results.

This article originally published on 1/23/2012

http://www.edutopia.org/digital-learning-technology-resources

Lesley University New Teacher Community