Teacher Assistant Professional Development

Day

Working With Economically Disadvantaged & The Demands of

Florida Standards

Melissa Bradley, Title I Program Specialist

Housekeeping

Please silence your devices now.

Working with the Economically

Disadvantaged and the Demands of the Common

Core2013

Teacher Assistant Professional Development

Day

Using Your Resource Folder

Making Connections

1. How does this connect to my students?

2. How can I use this knowledge in my work?

Common Board Configuration

Date: October 21, 2013

Bell Ringer: Two Minute “Quick Write” with poverty experience.

Learning Goal: To understand how to help high poverty students in the classroom.

Standard: FS English Language Arts

Objective: Be able to answer -• What are the risk factors of poverty?• How do these factors affect the academic achievement of low SES students

Essential Question : What should I know about high poverty students to help me support them in the classroom?

Vocabulary: Poverty , 21st Century skills, ladder text, neuroplasticity, discussion frames, chunking

Agenda:• Lecture bursts (Poverty, Florida Standards, Impact of low SES on the Brain, and School Actions)• Cooperative Structures for Review• Individual Reflection

Summarizing Activity Essential Question Carousel

Homework: Try to implement a strategy that you learned today as you work with students in the classroom.

Lake County SchoolsVision Statement A dynamic, progressive and collaborative learning community

embracing change and diversity where every student will graduate with the skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education and the workplace.

 Mission Statement The mission of the Lake County Schools is to provide every student

with individual opportunities to excel.

Lake County Schools is committed to excellence in all curricular opportunities and instructional best practices. This focus area addresses closing the achievement gap, increased graduation rate, decreased dropout rate, increase in Level 3 and above scores on the FCAT, achieving an increase in the number of students enrolled in advanced placement and dual enrollment opportunities and implementing the best practices in instructional methodology.

21st Century Skills Tony Wagner, The Global Achievement Gap

1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving2. Collaboration and Leadership3. Agility and Adaptability4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism5. Effective Oral and Written Communication6. Accessing and Analyzing Information7. Curiosity and Imagination

We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know…Yet.

You will be given 30 seconds to quietly process the statement below and begin to develop your response.

Then you are invited to turn to your shoulder partner and take 90 seconds to share your response. Your partner will respond next.

Children represent 24% of the population, but they comprise

34% of all people in poverty. Why?

National Center for Children in Poverty www.nccp.org

Economically Disadvantaged

or Low SES Students

Dr. Tammy PawloskiFrancis Marion University School of Education

Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children in Poverty www.fmucenterofexcellence.org

Defining and Personifying SES

SES = Socio Economic Status

Students who come from homes with levels of high poverty. “Low SES students”

Widening Your Scope: Moving Beyond Low SES

Students This also applies to all of the other subgroups and students

who don’t fall into a subgroup but experience language-based deficit, stress and are under-resourced:

Poor oral language Poor vocabulary Poor listening and speaking skills Weak comprehension skills

What does low SES look like in Lake

County Schools?  Elementary Schools at 50% or above PercentageLifestream Academy Eustis 97.33%Beverly Shores Elementary 87.70%Lifestream Academy Leesburg 87.06%Mascotte Elementary Charter 86.51%Eustis Heights Elementary 85.26%Rimes Early Learning Center 84.67%Spring Creek Elementary 83.90%Leesburg Elementary 83.43%Humanities Fine Arts Charter 82.35%Clermont Elementary 80.88%Triangle Elementary 80.40%Fruitland Park Elementary 77.22%Sawgrass Bay Elementary 75.49%Groveland Elementary 76.05%Alee Academy 75.27%Villages of Lady Lake Elementary 73.75%Altoona Inc 72.92%Tavares Elementary 69.74%Milestones Elementary Charter 69.27%Eustis Elementary 68.71%Lake Hills 67.86%Umatilla Elementary 65.05%Treadway Elementary 63.19%Seminole Springs Elementary 61.42%Astatula Elementary 59.54%Minneola Elementary Charter 52.29%Round Lake Elementary Charter 51.69%

Middle Schools at 50% or above in rank order

Oak Park Middle 80.14%

Carver Middle 73.79%

Umatilla Middle 68.15%

Gray Middle 62.12%

Eustis Middle 61.92%

Mt. Dora Middle 61.83%

Tavares Middle 57.16%

Windy Hill Middle 56.90%

Clermont Middle 54.46%

East Ridge Middle 50.56%

High Schools at 50% or above in rank order

Leesburg High 62.18%

Umatilla High 56.11%

Seminole Springs Elementary 61.42%

Astatula Elementary 59.54%

Minneola Elementary Charter 52.29%

Round Lake Elementary Charter 51.69%

Two Types of Poverty

Situational GenerationalGenerally caused

by a sudden crisis or loss and is often temporary. Events causing situational

poverty include environmental

disasters, divorce, or severe health

problems

Occurs in families where at least two generations have

been born into poverty. Families living in this type of poverty are not equipped with the tools to move out of their situations.

The Laundry List of PovertyTurn your SESSION NOTES over and make

your laundry list of:

Characteristics of low SES students impacted by

poverty

Turn to Page 28 in your Resource Folder

From the Laundry List…

Impulsivity, blurting out Forgetting what to do

next Nonverbal

communication is more important than verbal

Physical fighting is necessary for survival

Irregular attendance

21st Century Skills (1,3,4,7)

Depression Lack of creativity Unable to concentrate

or focus Poor short term

memory Gaps in politeness and

social skills Reduced cognition

The Impact of Poverty

Poverty and the Brain

ImpulsivityPlanning

Prefrontal Lobe

Hippocampus Memory

Poverty and the Brain

Chronic exposure to poverty causes the brain to physically change at a detrimental level:

Cortisol (stress hormone)

Emotional and social Acute and chronic stressorsCognitive lagsHealth and safety issues

5 Most Likely Brain Disorders for Low SES Children

1. Stress 2. ADHD or ADD 3. Learning Delays4. Attachment Disorders 5. Dyslexia

Good News About the Brain

It is fluid! And it can be

changed!

(neuroplasticity)

However, a bad experience will change the brain differently than a good experience.

Greatest Influence

Time spent in situations

CHANGES the brain…

…for Better or Worse.

She Blinded Me With Science

*

Making Connections

1. How does this connect to my students?

2. How can I use this knowledge in my work?

The Four R’s Needed By

Low SES Students Rigor Relevance Relationships Rules (consistency)

The Rigorous Transition:

NGSSS to CCSS to Florida Standards Next Generation Sunshine State Standards

(NGSSS) are the standards currently used in grades 2-12

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are already in use in grades K-1

In 2014, 2nd grade will be using CCSS In 2015, grades 3-12 will be using

CCSS In spring of 2015, new assessments

will begin using the CCSS

Florida Standards 10 Reading and Writing standards

Standard 10: The use of Complex Text Only 9 instructional standards

Fewer standards BUT each expects a much deeper understanding from students (no more “waterbug effect”)

21st Century #1, #5, #7

Targeted Approach

Text complexity is the HALLMARK

of the Florida Standards

Assessment Passages Are Shorter than traditional

FCAT but…dense Word difficulty (frequency, length) Sentence length Syntax Vocabulary load Knowledge demands Text structure Language conventions Text dependent questions* Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)

Complex Text requires…

slow linear reading close reading rereading stamina a willingness to probe being receptive to deep thinking

Use of Complex Text

An increased use of multiple text sets on the same theme or topic

The use of ladder texts (same content; four different reading levels)

Writing in Florida Standards

Writing will be about the ideas directly related to the text

Increased amounts of writing about what is being read

21st Century Skill #5

*

How Can You Help?

Vocabulary Matters

Language Influences Cognition

Language development socioeconomic status

The link is strong

Higher SES toddlers actually use more words in talking to their parents than low SES mothers use intalking to their own children. Bracey, 2006

Language Challenge #1

Language issues can prevent development of cognitive structure.

Oral language skills must continue to be taught pre-K to 12.

What I think, I can say.What I say, I can write.

What I write, I can read. 21st Century Skill 5

Language Issue #2

Language can be tied to behavior.

Students rely on casual register from home instead of using the formal register of school

which often hinders communication.

Students need to learn how to “code switch” between registers.

21st Century Skill 5

Vocabulary – Ownership is 9/10 of the Law

If a word is not in a student’s oral vocabulary, no amount of decoding will

help with comprehension.

“Vocabulary is the gatekeeper to understanding:” -Dr. Joe Johnson, NCUST21st Century Skill 5

Pg. 16

Making Connections

1. How does this connect to my students?

2. How can I use this knowledge in my work?

How Can You Help?

Building Background

Building Vocabulary

Nancy Frey, PhDwww.fisherandfrey.com

Nancy Frey, PhD www.fisherandfrey.com

Background Knowledge

1. Research shows that:• what students already know about the content…• is one of the strongest indicators…• of how well they will learn new related content.

2. Research shows that:• background is strongly linked…• to vocabulary.

Resources for Building Background Knowledge

How Can You Help?

Not-So-Great Expectations

Hope is Built in High Achieving Schools

Ruby Payne: The Classes & What is Important

Wealthy

Middle

Poverty

Connections – political, social, financial

Work and Achievement

RELATIONSHIPS

Ruby Payne: The Framework for Understanding Poverty

Students Bring Three Relational Forces to School

1. A drive for a reliable relationship

2. A need to strengthen peer socialization (belonging)

3. A quest for importance and social status

Relationships

Students from low SES backgrounds may need a caring and dependable adult in their lives

Support From a Significant Other

Teacher AssistantsTutors Mentors Counselors

Moving Students Forward

Academic tasks need to be referenced in terms of relationships…

“How will learning this affect my relationship…?”

Relevance & Applicability

The brain needs…

…to work in planned social conditions.

70% of the time the teacher should purposely select who is in each group.

21st Century Skill 2Social skills – oral language – listening skills – speaking skills- movement

Ex. Kagan Cooperative Structures

How Can You Help?

Enlisting a Student’s Emotional Brain

Teach the Soft SkillsEvery proper response not seen at school is one that

needs to be taught (conflict resolution, anger management, coping skills, restitution, etc.) :

1. Demonstrate the appropriate emotional response and the circumstance in which to use it

2. Allow students to practice applying the skills

PBS

Handout

Making Connections

1. How does this connect to my students?

2. How can I use this knowledge in my work?

How Can You Help?

A Planned Effort

The brain needs…

Chunking of information into digestible bites

1. Used to think working memory could hold 7 +/- pieces of information now it appears to be 2-4 pieces

2. Teach a chunk (no more than 15 minutes) then let the brain rest to allow for processing

How Can You Help?

Developing Cultural Literacy

21st Century #7

The brain needs…

30-60 minutes of the arts 3-5 days a week

This boosts attention, working memory and visual spatial skills

21st Century #7

Cultural Experiences Are Needed at School

Virtual fieldtrips and tours of Museums and Art Galleries

Display art prints and artists around the school

Exposure to music and musicians

21st Century #7

Moving the Motivation

The brain needs…

Movement 30-60 minutes per day to reduce stress

21st Century #2 and #7

Activity and Movement Decreases depression Increases neurogenesis (the ultimate

low budget anti-depressant)

TRY: Kagan strategies carousel activities dramatizing role playing21st Century #2 and #7

It’s Critical to Be Physical

How Can We Help?

Thank you for choosing our session!

And thank you for being a part of the solution.

Have Questions? Contact

Melissa Bradley, Title I Program Specialist

bradleym2@lake.k12.fl.us