English Department Coordinators

January 2012

Calendar of Events for English

March 11-22Writing SOL Testing Window

April 8-19M.S. NWEA Testing Window

April 8-19H.S. SOL Simulation Testing Window

April 22-May 3M.S. SOL Simulation Testing Window

April 22-May 3HSHS NWEA Testing Window

May 9 (8am)AP Literature and Composition Exam

May 10 (8am)AP Language and Composition Exam

May 20-June 7SOL Testing Window

Middle school items

Middle Bridge curriculum

  • Rising 7th and 8th (students not currently in advanced who would like to move up a level)
  • January 29 to May 3, 2013

School / 7 Teacher / 8 Teacher
Brookland / Tamiko Duckenfield / Heather Orr
Byrd
Elko / Carrie DuPuy / Sandra Wilson
Fairfield / Leah Domer
Holman / Cathy Harris / Tracey Wilbourne
Beth Statzer
Hungary Creek / Emily Roberts / Shelly Barnard
Moody
Pocahontas / Debbie D’Alessandro / Debbie GiIlfillan
Rolfe / Chris Cole / Emma Alcazar
Short Pump Middle
Tuckahoe / Christina Sulzer / Sandy Shaw
Wilder / Lakisha Morris / Debra Woodcock

Achieve Visits

Date / 8:35-10:00 / 10:30-12:00 / Lunch (no visits) / 1:30-3:15
February 5 / Rolfe
Steve Billings
Room 106 / Elko
Dana Kingston
Library / Wilder (Reading)—2701
February 6 / Fairfield
Jamie Wolfe &
Emma Washington
Room M4 / Hungary Creek
Yatsuki Hoang
Room 1609 / Pocahontas

Items for ALL

Teacher Evaluation Survey Results (see attachment)

Notes on Reviews: Please DON'T allow teachers to review/use/preview previous SOL tests (2010/2011/2012)—these will be used for both benchmarks and simulations for the next few years—the state will not release a test again until 2015.

Benchmark exams—Review procedures

  • No questions nor passages may be used other than for review—copies of assessment should not be made nor distributed outside of the directions below
  • In short, there are two options – a printed copy or looking at the test digitally (either projected or just by the teacher). The digital option is best as all students will be in the same place and have access to graphics and charts.
  • The Testing Security Agreement is still in place.
  • What this means during review is that students cannot have an individual copy of the test or be given access to it digitally.
  • In addition, teachers cannot print their own copies. We certainly want these tests to be used as a tool for instruction, but we also have to maintain security as much as possible. If a paper option for review is desired, teachers will need to check out a copy from the CAR and sign it back in when they are finished reviewing.
  • Here are some directions to describe the process digitally:
  • First, log in to an individual class in schoolspace.
  • Then click on the “lessons” link.
  • Then drag your mouse over top of the benchmark test (you might have to scroll down to see it).
  • You will then see options like settings, utilities, reports, etc.
  • Click on “reports” under the assessment.
  • Then click on “Item Analysis”:
  • From here there are some clickable options to see or hide answer choices and see or hide the whole text to each test. Teachers might just want text to show, they might want text and answers, or they might want to go question by question by clicking on the text option under each question. This method does not show individual student data, so it is safe to use this method on the projector for the whole class.
  • Select Display Options:
  • Or, Select “View” to see entire question.

Benchmark exams—Summary Results (see attachment)

Summer Reading

  • General Reading Lists will not change unless your staff has items to add
  • Middle School Advanced List will not change—we had no parent issues/concerns last year
  • Attached is a suggested High School Honors List—Please discuss with your staff and give me your feedback
  • Timeline for summer reading items if you choose to develop lists at each high school again this year:

Action / Time Frame / Responsibility / Artifact
School teams (advanced/honor teachers) propose reading titles for school-based advanced/honor reading lists / February-March / Teachers
Department Chairs / Draft Advanced/Honor reading list
Preview novel titles and themes on school advanced/honors reading lists; eliminate novels that are “out of date” or too controversial / March / Department Chairs / Final Advanced/Honor reading list
Select assignments for chosen reading lists to create summer assignment sheet for students / March / Teachers
Department Chairs / Grade level summer reading assignment Sheet
Create text review sheets for each Advanced/Honors novel selected that does not have one already on file / March / Teachers
Department Chairs / Text preview sheets
Send summer reading assignments to specialist for approval / March 29 / Department Chairs / Summer reading assignment sheets loaded on common sharing platform
Send approved summer reading assignments to schools / April 19 / Secondary English Specialist / Approved summer reading assignment sheets
Distribute summer reading to school libraries, counseling, school web master and teachers / May / Secondary English Department chairs / Final summer reading assignment sheets
Distribute summer reading to students / May-June / English Teachers / Final summer reading assignment sheets
Distribute summer reading to bookstores, public libraries, and county web master / May / Secondary English Specialist / Final summer reading assignment sheets

SOL updates

  • Instruction Reminders
  • Review Vertical Alignment
  • Teach Nonfiction
  • Pair Passages
  • Teach Roots and Affixes
  • Teach Composing Online
  • Offer Students Choices (reading & writing)
  • Integrate All Strands
  • Formative Assessment Ideas
  • Pull passages from content texts
  • Punctuate the text
  • Ask reading comprehension questions
  • Include vocabulary
  • Include short essay/constructed response questions
  • VMFA Workshop
  • This workshop will be an excellent experience for upper level English/Language Arts teachers, upper level Art teachers who include units on African art, and World History teachers. It’s an amazing opportunity for anyone who teaches Things Fall Apart by Achebe. (If you are interested, please make sure the ticket desk understands that you want the teacher workshop and not the Literary Studio talk, which will also be fascinating—but you won’t get the resources or the “teaching perspective.”)

Don’t miss Looking for Africa in Things Fall Apart by Chenua Achebe—designed for English, Art, and History teachers—on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, from 4:30 until 7 pm.

Investigate the connections between Chenua Achebe’s classic novel Things Fall Apart and works of African art (including examples from the Ibo culture) in the VMFA collection. Find out why this Nigerian author chose to write his novel in English and how the work has inspired other writers. The workshop includes gallery observation hunts, writing and/or sketching activities, discussions of racial and cultural stereotyping, comparisons with Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, as well as suggestions and resources for other activities and classroom research projects for English, history, and art classes. FYI: Achebe recently published There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra—just after his 82nd birthday! Fee: $20 each; $18 for Members

How to register: phone the VMFA Ticket Desk at 804.340.1405, Sat –Wed: 10 am – 5 pm; Thurs + Fri: 10 am – 9 pm. You may also buy tickets on-line:

Karen Getty is VMFA’s African Collection Educator and also coordinates the Tour Services/Docent Program. Ms. Getty earned her B.A. in Art History at The College of William and Mary, and holds an M.A. in Art History with a focus on African and African-American Art from Virginia Commonwealth University. She was Special Exhibition Educator for Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria and is currently curating an educational exhibition on African Art. This is your chance to ask the expert!

Resources:You will receive a CD with the PowerPoints presented during the workshop, which include images of Ibo art in the VMFA collection; lesson plan ideas, suggested on-line resources—and your certificate of attendance! (All VMFA teacher workshops are suitable for recertification points.) Of course, a boxed dinner with scrumptious cookies is also provided.

The workshop and related resources address the Virginia SOLs listed below:

English/Language Arts: 8.4.abdf; 8.5.a-m; 8.6.a-k; 8.9.abcd; 9.1.a-l; 9.3.bdefg; 9.4.a-i and kl; 9.5.a-j; 9.6.a-i; 9.7.a-f; 9.8.a-f; 10.1.a-k; 10.2.a-d; 10.3.bdefg; 10.4.a-k; 10.5.abcdfg; 10.6.a-g; 10.7.a-h; 10.8.a-d; 11.1.a-h; 11.2.a-d; 11.3.bdefg; 11.4.a; 11.6.a-h; 11.7.a-f; 11.8.a-i; 12.1.a-f and i; 12.3.a-h; 12.3.bdef; 12.6.a-h; 12.7.a-c; 12.8.a-g