Notes on report out 7/23/12
What your colleagues can learn from what you’re doing.
Catherine: Putting together our own bundle on heroes
-google is your friend
-we’re writing thematically. We want kids to decide what makes a hero
-having them construct argumentative essays
[two goals, take the information they’ve read and use them to support their thesis and w7.1 write an argumentative essay]
-kids are going to participate in Socratic symposiums
-journal
-glogster- create an interactive poster- their definition of hero and choose someone that they know and give reasons to support why that person is a hero.
Jenny: 8th grade math group Pythagorean theorem
-just started writing
-current bundle
-Pythagorean theorem
-just starting to think about UDL applications to the first
-tried to find websites- geometric sketchpad
Shavon: 7th grade math group
-we were looking at what we’re not going to be focused on
-really looking at the common core learning standards
-4th unit plan- expressions
-using the bundle that is available as a guideline
-looking at the task through new eyes- what do we want the kids to learn.
Xochy: Can animals think
-What are the barrier
-using ideas from this morning
-really thinking about looking at this from the angle of a student
-splitting up roles, vocabulary, Omaha Zoo (need links etc.), background knowledge
-strong background knowledge prior to reading the background knowledge
-8th grade Lexile level.
-really using the resources
Kelly: Social Studies- analyzing cause and effect
-Desertification of Africa
-European colonization of Africa
-Students banned from the library
-kids don’t have computers
-bring in articles based on the idea
-do research in the classroom
-get different articles at a higher and lower grade level
-word sift- links on the side with images (see what it is and ask what do you think happened here).
Cheryl: New unit on cultural diversity
-expose students to different world cultures and customs
-persuasive techniques through various means.
-brain pop video
-wordle off of the text (no text yet)
Christina: Omnivore’s Dilemma How to teach vocabulary using the sources
-articles on the UDL website
-two different representations horizontal and vertical, website, visuwords.com
- food journal and later that’s going to be translated to a project.
Omnivore’s Dilemma-making good decisions and choices
-working on what works for their students, writing skills, graphic organizers
-a lot of giving them options for t-charts, Venn diagram, similarities and differences
Mikelle- Number sense
-broken down the standards and tasks and skills.
-now looking at the actual lesson
Nicole- 8th grade nonfiction bundle- big world little me
-Obama’s speech, Frederick Douglas on woman’s suffrage.
-wordle and word shift- ESL and ELL learners
-main purpose of it is how do they fit in the world
Claire- Omnivore’s Dilemma
-have it as a real hands on learning activity
-go over what they eat
-use this website- choose my plate.gov to create a nutritionally sound meal for breakfast, lunch, dinner
-they would discuss the website
-write an essay that compares and contrasts their current eating habits
-different activities for higher and lower level students with more and less challenge.
-nothing about their actual writing so we’ve added those portions
-Supersize me etc. different movies to prompt their students’ thinking
[strengthen the ELA portions- persuasive piece vs. the idea of making healthy choices. This is just one lesson. Could also disuses the point of view of different parties- what is the goal of the web designer, the author etc. What is the evidence to suggest point of view. Doing exactly what the advanced argumentation expectation is. You’re operating on two different levels- one on writing and one around argumentation. “Eat this not that” would be a good book to use].
Donna: 7th grade relationships- text based evidence to form an argument opinion on text. Aligned with the Park(?) assessment as well.
-using different texts, nonfiction and fiction texts
-writing assignment
-four tasks developed
-refining those tasks
-two of them are identifying changes in relationships
-characterization
-replaces a character with another character to see how that impacts the plot
-research projects- conversation or where are we now
-short responses
-Gang Leader for a Day- nonfiction text that they’re working on. They’re excerpting. Visuwords-> looking at relationships
-exercise on authors’ tone: shows doesn’t tell
-the author tells very little, each story shows a lot
-doesn’t really say “this is dark and scary.” How we as readers pick up on the tone
-use symbols and quotes
Technology in the classroom- limited or expansive role of technology in schools
-looked at lexile levels. All above 6th grade level. Found alternative articles
-Visuwords to let students look at key terms in the task.
-Cartoons, photos, pictures- pro or con of technology
analyze those
-articles that teachers posted to talk about the pros and cons: talk about the point of view and the evidence.
Rafael: PowerPoint presentation for the 8th grade nonfiction bundle
-PowerPoint for students to use- what the unit is about, visuals through pictures through google, drawn in and engaged in the task. Group and whole group presentation
- trying to create a package that teachers could use to get students drawn in.
Terrance: Working on proportional relationship in 7th grade math
-Bundle that’s on the website- looked at that in May
-thing they didn’t like- series of tasks and have series of work.
-they didn’t take into consideration the different entry points of students.
-What are the prerequisite skills that students need.
-go back to 6th, 5th, and 4th grade to find out what it is that students need to know.
-hopefully will have those skills and resources in
-Collier math resource. Have tape diagrams
-Click on link and do some self-e learning platform.
-Visual thesaurus: type in vocab words, make links between 3-5 of the words. Could do whatever they want to do to express themselves- write or voice thread.
Rate, scaling, part and whole pop, as well as balance.