IRT Meeting

September 9, 2011

Morning Session: Social Studies and Science Essential Standards

Eschools

  • Being upgraded tomorrow
  • Chrys Browne will let us know about recertification after the upgrade
  • It will probably be online

Current C&I Updates:

  • Make sure that either you or someone from your school attends IReady (formerly known as Prescriptive Instruction) training
  • Students need to do both Diagnostic test (1st) and complete the lessons
  • Big Universe
  • Used this summer in Title I summer school – online ebooks, about 3000 books, also has a writing feature where students can write and edit their stories, students can also post about books that they’ve read and this goes out to all students in the system, kind of like a “social network” for students, home and school use
  • $995/year right now
  • $1400/year as of January
  • PBWorks Wiki
  • New and improved IRT Wiki
  • Everyone received an email from Jean Monroe with the link
  • Let Jean Monroe and Sherri Miller know what we would like on the Wiki Space

FYI about Report Cards

  • If your teachers put an exclamation point in their report card comments, it WILL NOT SAVE the comments
  • Spell check is not working
  • Mr. Fisher is going to call to check about these

Overview of Essential Standards

  • Science and SS both come from National Standards
  • NC will probably not adopt the National Standards
  • Essential standards have been written using Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
  • Change: no longer an arrow to show a hierarchy of cognitive processes
  • From teaching and learning topically to teaching and learning conceptually
  • Principles and generalizations, concepts, topic, facts
  • Concepts:
  • timeless, universal, transferable, abstract and broad, examples share common attributes, represented by 1-12 words
  • history, cultural geography, civics and economics
  • 2011-2012 Roll Out Plan

Digging Deeper into Social Studies

  • K-12 Mapping View
  • Five Essential Standards: H: history, C&G: civics and government, G: geography and environmental literacy, E: economics and personal financial literacy, C: culture
  • Activity: Build a Map
  • History standard, K-12
  • Figure out the progression of the standards, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 using statements related to the standards
  • K-2 Resources
  • SS Support Documents posted on old and new Wiki (text comparison to New Essential Standards, NC SS Essential Standards, order form for kits) under “Curriculum Updates”
  • We will be given options for purchasing a kit
  • The Harcourt adoption leveled books do not have the text features that are included in the new standards, but the new kit books do
  • link where we can access essential standards, RttT, Support Tools, Professional Standards, unpacking the standards
  • In the search box, type “Common Core and Essential Standards PD” – this will give you the essential standard, crosswalks, unpacking documents, DPI Curriculum Units, etc.
  • Kelly Swartzel sent the standards links in a email to IRT’s

Digging Deeper into Science

  • Essential Standards will be implemented and assessed 2012-2013 school year
  • Within each standard are clarifying objectives
  • Revised Bloom’s language is used
  • Videos: elementary students vs. Harvard grads explaining how a maple seed becomes a tree
  • Want our students to start understanding science concepts at an early age to be able to explain these concepts as they move through school and into life – this makes us scientifically literate
  • It is essential that our students understand the big ideas and how they connect
  • Teachers need to be adept at the science kit components and science notebooking
  • K-12 Mapping
  • Activity: Build a Map to relate the statements to the standards – flow of matter and energy in ecosystems
  • 1st draft of Crosswalk standards can be found on the science Wiki
  • Three Essential Standards: E: Earth Science, P: Physical Science, L: Life Science
  • Example: K.E.1.1: Kindergarten, Earth Science, 1st Essential Standard, 1st Clarifying Objective
  • Elementary Science Wiki
  • Can be accessed via CMAPP (resources, science, grade level, WCPSS Science Wiki)
  • Overview of science essentials can be found here
  • K-5 vertical alignment of science units
  • Teacher guide overview (voice thread)
  • Navigating CMAPP
  • Structure of inquiry- based science
  • Formative assessment probes
  • Science notebooks
  • K-2 Resources (all info found on Science Wiki - K-2 Recommendations to Transition to NC Essential Standards for Science
  • Kindergarten will only teach 3 kits with the new standards (animals, weather, investigating properties)
  • Comparing and Measuring unit is moving to 1st grade
  • Solids and Liquids moving from 1st to 2nd
  • Observing the moon and keeping a calendar objective from 1st grade will move to 2nd grade, Air and Weather unit
  • 2nd and 3rd grade both have standards/objectives about change. This will be a big concept for 3rd grade and will eventually move to 3rd grade. Will discuss this more in detail in the spring.