Emailed from Southwest Georgia RESA

COMING FALL 2014:

Welcome to Writer’s Workshop: An Introduction for Teachers at Grades K-2

Writer’s Workshop is not just about teaching kids to write; it’s about teaching kids to be writers through the use of high-impact lessons, valuable sharing, individual conferencing, and the guidance of talented teachers modeling their own writing process so students learn not only what to do but how to do it as well. In this training, K-2 teachers will cover the basic structure and function of the workshop, look at an array of appropriate introductory lessons and the special demands of teaching primary students. Training will be divided into three parts: day one is in August with days 2 & 3 beginning in early October. The final day fo-cuses on integrating reading and writing, in particular, how lessons learned in Writer’s Workshop can im-prove reading comprehension and fluency as well as how lessons learned in reading can improve revision and mechanics. Participants will have full access to individualized support from the presenter, Steve Peha, Founder of Teaching That Makes Sense, throughout the year via e-mail and phone or Skype. You will also receive full access to thousands of pages of classroom-proven curriculum that Steve has created at his web-site: www.ttms.org.

SAVE THESE DATES: August 26, October 14 and October 16

Continued page 2

Endorsed through SWRESA!

Cohorts will begin on August 4 in

Bainbridge-Thomasville-Albany-

Leesburg and Camilla.

www.swresa.org

The Endorsement consists of 4 courses and meet

once a week on Monday nights! This endorsement

is has a blended mode of delivery..online and face-

to-face. For more information...CLICK HERE

Join the PRINCIPALS SUPPORT NETWORK!

BEGINS JULY 24 with Mark Wilson

Register now at www.swresa.org

SWRESA is delighted to announce the creation of a

new "Principal's Support Network". This network

of "seasoned" principals and "new" principals will

provide support and technical assistance for princi-

pals in their implementation of the TKES, Tiered

Certification Support, and design of professional

learning. Principals will be actively engaged and

benefit from the sharing of effective practices.

All principals (New and Veteran) are invited to reg-

ister for 8 sessions during the 2013-2014 school

year. Sessions will begin at 8:30 and end at 12:00.

New or Nearly New Principals are invited to stay for

sessions after lunch from 1:00-4:00. Please follow

the links for flyers with detailed information!

SWRESA Principal Support Network

SWRESA NEW Principal Support Network Information

Southwest Georgia RESA

2014 JULY NEWSLETTER

Southwest Georgia RESA May Newsletter Page 2

The Southwest RESA 5th Annual Science Conference was a huge success with over 125 science teachers attending. Kudos to Sarah Erwin, Science Specialist, Cheryl Clark, RESA Staff and all of the presenters!

Welcome to Writer’s Workshop: An Introduction for Teachers at Grades 3-8

Writer’s Workshop is not just about teaching kids to write; it’s about teaching kids to be writers through the use of high-impact lessons, valuable sharing, individual conferencing, and the guidance of talented teachers modeling their own writing process so students learn not only what to do but how to do it as well. In this training, 3-8 teachers will cover the basic structure and function of the workshop, look at an array of appropriate introductory lessons and the special demands of teaching elementary students. Training will be divided into three parts: day 1 is in August with days 2 & 3 in early October. The final day focuses on integrating reading and writing, in particular, how lessons learned in Writer’s Workshop can improve reading comprehension and fluency as well as how lessons learned in reading can improve revision and mechanics. Participants will have full access to individualized support from the presenter, Steve Peha, Founder of Teaching That Makes Sense, throughout the year via e-mail and phone or Skype. Teachers will also receive full access to thousands of pages of classroom-proven curriculum that Steve has created at his website: www.ttms.org

SAVE THESE DATES: August 27, October 15 and October 16

The Flipped Classroom!

High School Labs!

Elem STEM Classroom

Reading Writing and

Science!

General Election

November 4, 2014

Primary Run-off Date July 22, 2014

Online Professional Learning

Opportunities

Differentiation of Instruction (PL14003) PLU’s: 2 Begins July 8, 2013

Differentiated instruction is a philosophy and an approach to teaching in which teachers and school communities actively work to support the learning of all stu-dents through strategic assessment, thoughtful planning and targeted, flexible in-struction. According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, one of the early advocates of this

approach, differentiating instruction means ‘shaking up’ what goes on in the classroom so students have multiple opportunities for tak-ing in information, making sense of ideas and expressing what they learn. Most teachers naturally incorporate elements of differentiat-ed instruction to some degree in their classrooms every day. Every time you use a pre-test to help you plan a learning activity, present information in multiple ways or offer choice in the format for a final project, you are reflecting the key belief of differentiated instruc-tion—that all students can learn, in their own ways and in their own time. In other words, making a commitment to a more differentiated classroom does not mean starting over, but rather building on current best instructional practices in an explicit, intentional, focused and systematic manner. This workshop is a synthesis of current research and an introduction to the theory and practice of differentiated instruction within an Alberta context. Offering general information and strategies for differentiating instruction, including why and how to:

use a thoughtful planning process

develop learner profiles

access student needs and student progress

create differentiated learning experiences

leverage technology to support differentiation

develop school wide support.

Providing ideas for differentiating learning and teaching for specific student groups, including English as a second language learners, students with disabilities and students who are gifted. Although these groups of students will benefit from the same process and strate-gies used to differentiate instruction for other students in the classroom, planning effective instruction to meet their specific needs re-quires additional considerations.

Offering practical specific ideas and strategies for differentiating learning and teaching within four core subject areas: English language arts

mathematics

social studies

science

Please register for this course at http://www.swresa.casenex.com/ The cost for SW RESA participants is $260; out-of-area participant's cost is $350. Payment should be made online to Casenex.

HB 671 Identification and Education of Exceptional Students (PL14001)

PLU’s: 5 Begins July 8, 2013

Course participants will develop instructional and leadership skills needed for teaching students with special

learning needs, as well as students at-risk for academic and social failure. The concepts of teacher collaboration,

least restrictive environment, accommodations and modifications, confidentiality, behavior management, identifi-

cation, and giftedness will be reviewed using authentic case studies. Participants will reflect upon how these con-

cepts drive instructional practices in today's challenging classroom environment. Using the cases as a launching

point, teachers will be given the opportunity to participate in on-line discussions regarding beliefs, best practices,

challenges, and current research. Please register for this course at http://www.swresa.casenex.com/ The cost for

SW RESA participants is $260; out-of-area participant's cost is $350. Payment should be made online to Casenex.

Southwest Georgia RESA April Newsletter Page 3