1a:
Demonstrating
Knowledge of
Content and
Pedagogy /
- Lesson and unit plans that reflect important concepts in the discipline
- Lesson and unit plans that accommodate prerequisite relationships among concepts and skills
- Clear and accurate classroom explanations
- Accurate answers to student questions
- Feedback to students that furthers learning
- Inter-disciplinary connections in plans and practice
Use of Thinking Like a Historian and Reading Like a Historian strategies in lesson/unit plans: Sourcing, Contextualization, Corroboration, Close Reading (Refer to Historical Thinking Chart).
Social Studies Lesson Plan Template
1b:
Demonstrating
Knowledge of
Students /
- Teacher gathers formal and informal information about students for use in planning instruction
- Teacher learns student interests and needs for use in planning
- Teacher participation in community cultural events
- Teacher-designed opportunities for families to share heritage
- Database of students with special needs
Use of a variety of strategies in planning to address the diverse learners including the use of visuals, gesticulation, verbal cues, and peer-to-peer interactions (Turn and Talks; Think-Pair-Share; Think-Ink-Share; Conga Line; Give one-Get One; Dump and Clump; Jigsaw, Find Someone Who, Back and Forth BINGO, Gallery Walks and others).
Onondaga Historical Association Membership and event participation
SCSD Framework for Active Citizenship - Shift 3: Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action - i.e. school, family and community projects
1c: Setting
Instructional
Outcomes /
- Outcomes of a challenging cognitive level
- Statements of student learning, not student activity
- Outcomes central to the discipline and related to those in other disciplines
- Permit assessment of student attainment
- Differentiated for students of varied ability
Use of checklists and rubrics including DBQ project rubrics and 25-point Paragraph Rubric (TEES – Topic sentence, Evidence, Expansion, Summarysentence)
1d:
Demonstrating
Knowledge of
Resources /
- District provided materials
- Range of texts
- Guest speakers
- Internet resources
- Materials provided by professional organizations
- Teacher continuing professional education courses or professional groups
- Community resources
Primary Document Kits
Library of Congress – ( - Teachers-Classroom Materials-Primary Source Sets)
Onondaga Historical Association – primary documents
SCSD Databases/Library Links (Refer to Summary of Databases)
1e: Designing
Coherent
Instruction /
- Lessons that support instructional outcomes and reflect important concepts
- Instructional maps that indicate relationships to prior learning
- Activities that represent high-level thinking
- Opportunities for student choice
- The use of varied resources
- Thoughtfully planned learning groups
- Structured lesson plan
Analysis of primary sources
“Circle of Viewpoints” – Brainstorm a list of different viewpoints related to a document (Who is involved? Who is affected by it? Who might care? What about people in different locations?) Choose one of the viewpoints, and try to imagine the thoughts and feelings of a character from this point of view; “Act out” the character.
1f: Designing
Student
Assessments /
- Lesson plans indicate correspondence between assessments and instructional outcomes
- Assessment types are suitable to the style of outcome
- Variety of performance opportunities for students
- Modified assessments are available for individual students as needed
- Expectations clearly written with descriptors for each level of performance
- Formative assessments are designed to inform minute-to-minute decision-making by the teacher during instruction
Refer to: Regular Classroom Modifications for ELL Students Sheet and Explanations of Suggested Modifications Sheets
Refer to: Formative Assessment Ideas file on Edmodo.
Formative assessments modeled in PLC:
Headline
$1.00 summary
Signal cards/thumbs up/down
Analogy prompt
Give one - Get one
Web or concept map
Two Truths and a Fib
Turn and talks
Response Board/Cards
Journal Writing
Conga Line
Back and Forth BINGO
Dump and Clump
Component / Indicators / Strategies –Social Studies PLC – Summer 2014
2a: Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport /
- Respectful talk, active listening, and turn-taking.
- Acknowledgement of students’ backgrounds and lives outside the classroom.
- Body language indicative of warmth and caring shown by teachers and students
- Physical proximity
- Politeness and encouragement
- Fairness
Partner work/small group work
Storytelling
Warm feedback: I like how you…..
Cool feedback: Did you think about….? Have you considered….?
2b: Establishing a Culture for Learning /
- Belief in the value of what is being learned.
- High expectations, supported through both verbal and nonverbal behaviors, for both learning and participation.
- Expectation of high-quality work on the part of students.
- Expectation and recognition of effort and persistence on the part of students.
- High Expectations for expression and work products.
Shift 1: Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries –i.e. Primary Source Analysis Tool
Shift 2: Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence – i.e. Sourcing, Contextualization, Corroboration, Close Reading; DBQ Project
Shift 3: Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action – i.e. Essay writing; letter writing; Blood Drives; Fund Raisers; and Awareness Projects,
2c: Managing Classroom Procedures /
- Smooth functioning of all routines.
- Little or no loss of instructional time.
- Students playing an important role in carrying out the routines.
- Students knowing what to do, where to move.
2d: Managing Student Behavior /
- Clear standards of conduct, possibly posted, and possibly referred to during a lesson.
- Absence of acrimony between teacher and students concerning behavior.
- Teacher awareness of student conduct.
- Preventive action when needed by teacher.
- Absence of misbehavior
- Reinforcement of positive behavior
Component / Indicators / Strategies - Social Studies PLC – Summer 2014
3a: Communicating with Students /
- Clarity of lesson purpose.
- Clear directions and procedures specific to the lesson activities
- Absence of content errors and clear explanations of concepts and strategies
- Correct and imaginative use of language
3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques /
- Questions of high cognitive challenge, formulated by both students and teacher
- Questions with multiple correct answers or multiple approaches, even when there is a single correct response.
- Effective use of student responses and ideas.
- Discussion with the teacher stepping out of the central, mediating role.
- Focus on the reasoning exhibited by students in discussion, both in give-and-take with the teacher and with their classmates.
- High levels of student participation in discussion.
Primary Source Analysis Tool- Observe/Reflect/Question
DBQ Project
Circle of Viewpoints
Think Pair Share
Socratic Seminar
Jigsaw
Save the Last Word
Refer to the following resources in the Katie Argus’ Classroom Procedures folder found on Edmodo: Effective Questioning Techniques; Bloom’s Question Stems Social Studies; Bloom’s Taxonomy’s Model Questions and Key Words
Questioning:
Instead of the teacher responding to every student answer, get other students to respond to each other: "Do you agree with him? What would you add?”
Require students to support answers with evidence: "How do you know?"
Post questions and question stems in the classroom to aid beginning level students with the formation of higher-level questions.
3c: Engaging Students in Learning /
- Student enthusiasm, interest, thinking, problem-solving, etc.
- Learning tasks that require high-level student thinking and invite students to explain their thinking
- Students highly motivated to work on all tasks and persistent even when the tasks are challenging.
- Students actively “working,” rather than watching while their teacher “works.”
- Suitable pacing of the lesson: neither dragged out nor rushed, with time for closure and student reflection
Primary Source Analysis Tool - Observe(What do you see?)/Reflect (What do you think?)/Questions (What questions do you have?) graphic organizer.
Primary Sources/Documents – Sourcing using mnemonic devices: POSERS/TACOS/SOAP/LUKAS….
Student use of ”Thinking Like a Historian” routines to deepen analysis:
- Source: Identify the item’s author and purpose. Consider point of view and credibility.
- Contextualize:Situate the item and its events in time and place.
- Close Reading:Identify and evaluate what the source says, paying special attention to word choice.
- Corroborate:Compare claims and evidence across multiple sources to determine agreement and disagreement.
- Reading the silences:What is missing? Details? Perspectives?
Component / Indicators / Strategies – Social Studies PLC – Summer 2014
4a: Reflecting
on Teaching /
- Accurate reflections on a lesson
- Citations of adjustments to practice, drawing on a repertoire of strategies
4b:
Maintaining
Accurate
Records /
- Routines and systems that track student completion of assignments
- Systems of information regarding student progress against instructional outcomes
- Processes of maintaining accurate non-instructional records
4c:
Communicating
with Families /
- Frequent and culturally appropriate information sent home regarding the instructional program, and student progress
- Two-way communication between the teacher and families
- Frequent opportunities for families to engage in the learning process
4d:
Participating in
a Professional
Community /
- Regular teacher participation with colleagues to share and plan for student success
- Regular teacher participation in professional courses or communities that emphasize improving practice
- Regular teacher participation in school initiatives
- Regular teacher participation and support of community initiatives
4e: Growing
and Developing
Professionally /
- Frequent teacher attendance in courses and workshops; regular academic reading
- Participation in learning networks with colleagues; feedback freely shared
- Participation in professional organizations supporting academic inquiry
Membership - Onondaga Historical Association
4f: Showing
Professionalism / 1. Teacher has a reputation as someone who can be trusted and is often sought as a sounding board
2. During committee or planning work, teacher frequently reminds participants that the students are the utmost priority
3. Teacher will support students, even in the face of difficult situations or conflicting policies
4. Teachers challenge existing practice in order to put students first.
5. Teacher consistently fulfills school district mandates regarding policies and procedures. / Opportunity during PLC for teacher collaboration to discuss challenges and ways to overcome those difficulties.
Use of PLC norms:
1.We will maintain a positive tone at our workshops.
2.We will not complain about a problem unless we are offering a solution.
3.We will begin and end our meetings on time and stay fully engaged throughout each meeting.
4.We will contribute equally to the team workload.
5.We will listen respectfully and consider matters from another’s perspective.
Use of PLC essential questions:
1.What do we want each student to learn?
2.How will we know when each student has learned it?
3.How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning?
4.What do we do if they already know it?