WHAT TO “WATCH” FOR AT E.T.RICHARDSONOrganizational Structures and Processes - Madeleine O’Dowd & Daniel Tracy

Advisory Program – Joseph Pizzica

Google Chrome in Education & Teaching Literacy through Social Studies -

Sarah Pizzica & Madison Weary

Chromebooks in the Science Classroom – Megan McLaughlin

Organizational Structures and Processes

…a shared vision of what a high-performing middle school is and does

• “This We Believe” – new school vision statement, mission statement, and core values,

centered on meeting the academic, social, emotional, and developmental needs of adolescent learners.

• NMSA criteria for exemplary middle schools– Committees led by teachers and administrators to target specific

areas identified by the STW survey. – Team leaders and administrators address academic and building

issues • school-wide plan for field trips • grade and school-wide themes • schedule for state assessments• cross-curricular activities.

The administration holds the school-improvement enterprise together…

• Team Leader responsibilities• Monthly meetings with building

representatives• STW Action committees• Walkthroughs, formal, and informal

observations inform staff development• Regular data meetings with grade and content

area teams

…learning, experimentation, and time and opportunity for reflection are the norm

• Team meeting time is built into the schedule • Departments and teams have time to work together

during extended days and professional development days

• Learning opportunities for the staff have included book studies: This We Believe and Other People’s Children

• The district supports staff participation in best practice networks, associations, learning communities and professional development focused on middle grades improvement and achievement

…content rich professional development is connected to reaching and sustaining the school

vision and student achievement

• District-wide long-term plan for professional development to increase student achievement across all grade levels

• Cultural Connections• TPT• Targeted professional development

– The advisory initiative – Visits to other schools to observe programming prior to

implementation, for example, STEM, Challenge, and LA Plus. – K-6 writing program: staff was trained during the 2012-13 school

year, at a summer workshop in July 2013, and during the November 2013 Professional Development days.

the school is not an island unto itself; it is part of a larger educational system…

• Guidance counselors loop with students from 7th to 9th grades; the 6th grade counselor remains as the expert in 6th grade.

• Spring: – Counselors visit the elementary and high schools to begin the transition process. – 6th and 8th grade special education teachers attend 5th and 9th grade IEP meetings; – 5th grade special education teachers bring small groups of students to visit ETR– ETR’s life skills teacher takes small groups of 8th graders to the high school; – the ETR administration, the 6th grade counselor and a group of 8th grade students meet with

the 5th grades; – teachers from the high school come to ETR to speak to 8th graders about specific classes

and activities (science academy, competition band etc.); – Evening meetings for 5th and 8th parents; and the high school assistant principal comes to

ETR to speak to the students about course selection. – 5th graders and 8th graders respectively participate in “Bump Up Days” at ETR and the high

school. – The middle school band performs at each elementary school.

• Summer: 6th grade Orientation Day, when students meet are introduced to their teachers and tour the building again.

• September, the 5th grade teachers visit the 6th grade teachers during Team • The 9th grade teachers meet with 8th grade teachers during the school year to discuss

their expectations of incoming students

…the school staff holds itself accountable for student success

• Refined our approach to data analysis:– State and district assessments / areas of strength and

need; – data binders for PSSA remediation, placement in

workshop/support classes, or flexible groups in the classroom

• Core teachers meet with administrators in data teams to analyze the data, determine a course of action, and reflect on the results in a shared approach to data analysis

…it is their business to produce increased achievement and enhanced development of all students

• District-wide committees enhance the quality of education for all students, including the District Assessment Team (DAT), the Cultural Connections Committee, and the Professional Development Committee

• Collaborative effort in identifying areas of strength and need and developing a plan to work together to increase achievement for all students

…the school and district recruit, prepare, and mentor novice and experienced teachers

• Mentoring program for new teachers and teachers newly assigned to their positions.

• Administrators take particular care to match new teachers with mentors who have a strong middle school approach

• Student teachers and practicum students are welcomed and are expected to meet high standards of excellence

• Administration meets with student teachers and practicum students to discuss teaching as a profession in general and the middle school experience in particular.

…families and community members set and support the school’s trajectory toward high performance

• Our message for high performance, “We Believe,” is displayed prominently. Similar statements are posted through the building: We Perform. We Belong. We Achieve: our mission is “to provide a safe, academically challenging, and diverse learning environment.”

• Our new school motto is Honoring Adolescence, and our community supports this goal

– Home and School Association is active and funds various academic endeavors

– Our students’ achievements are publicized regularly in the local press• Multiple forms of communication: school website, the

ETReminder newsletter, Global Connect phone calls, and newspaper articles inform our community of our goals for student success

• We are unapologetic about our goal of being the best middle school in the universe.

What does an “Advisory” look like?●The format for the advisory program

in place in a school’s goal is providing a sense of community and to create an adult advocate for every student.

●ETR follows a six day cycle○CPR/Blue-Gold Challenge Days○SSR/Remediation○Current Events/PSSA Prep

CPR● Circle of Power

and Respect○ Greeting○ Share○ Activity

● Activities Include○ Count to Ten○ Arm Hockey

Blue Gold Challenges● Once every two

weeks● Games are played in

CPR prior so students know how to play

● Winners of competition get a point towards their team color

● Types of challenges:○ Hula Hoop Challenge○ Curtain Call○ Over-Under

Challenge

SSR/Remediation● Students spend 2 days of a six day cycle

doing SSR● During this time students are pulled from

SSR for remediation● Students are remediated in

Math/Language Arts● Teachers can choose to pull select

students or tell an entire class they may attend at their discretion

Current Events● One advisory in the 6 day cycle is

dedicated to Current Events● CNN Student News is an online news

program that is filmed Monday through Friday.

● All broadcasts are archived.● Each broadcast has discussion questions

that can be used by the teacher.

PSSA ● We use Study Island as a PSSA practice

tool.● On Current Events days, short

assessments are given to small groups of students.

● Students are assessed to see how they are progressing on anchors and standards they showed weaknesses in the previous year.

● The assessments are quick and easy to create, and it helps the teachers guide instruction.

Advisory Experience● The advisory program starts the very first day

students visit the middle school.● Students are familiar with it because of their

experience with Responsive Classroom at the elementary level.

● It helps create a school community from the beginning.

● We start the year with greetings, shares and games that are low risk to help the students adjust to their classroom communities.

● By the end of the year, the students are planning their own advisories.

What you need to build an Advisory program…

● Teacher-Student-Parent Buy In● Training/Materials● Advisory Committee● Classroom Visits● Student Participation● Consistency is the most critical

Implications for Practice

● Middle schools who intend to implement an advisory program should ensure that the staff has a solid grounding in the tenets of NMSA presented in This We Believe.

● Schools intending to implement an advisory program need to recognize the time commitment that is required, both in scheduling adequate time for the program itself within the student day, and allowing adequate time for advisors to plan and prepare for the advisory period.

● Training, both initial and ongoing, must be considered by middle schools proposing to add an advisory program.

● Finally, clearly articulating the purpose of the program, as defined by the needs of the community, is another significant consideration for schools intending to implement an advisory program.

Questions?● Time● Planning● Buy In● Materials

Google Chrome in Education & Teaching Literacy through Social

Studies

∗The cloud is an external database that can be accessed anywhere through the internet.

∗Simply, this is a place where you can store documents on the internet. You use a log in to access them.

What is the Cloud?

Image source: www.gcflearnfree.org

∗Students can access their Google Drive on any web browser through their student account.

∗Students can collaborate simultaneously on documents and projects.

∗No more forgetting flash drives, papers, emails, etc.

∗Timestamps allow teachers to determine whether an assignment was completed on time.

How Does it Work?

•Students are assigned specific Chromebooks within the classroom.

•Every student has a log on through our server

•e.x., wearymad@ssdstudent.org

How Students Sign In

Image source: www.chromestory.com

• As long as a student has internet access they can reach their Drive and all of their work.

• Access through google.com

Signing Into the Google Account at Home

Image source: www.itcs.umich.edu

∗Students can easily navigate through their apps on the taskbar.

∗Apps include gmail, drive, calendar, groups, etc.

Navigating Google

•Docs is a word processor (Microsoft Word)•Sheets is a spreadsheet app (Excel)•Slides is a presentation editor (Power Point)

Creating Documents

Image source: www.edudemic.com

∗The documents students create will be stored in their Drive, under the “My Drive” tab.

∗Documents that have been shared with students will be located in their “Shared with Me” folder of their Drive.

Where Are Their Documents?

∗Students and teachers can quickly locate documents by typing the name or creator of the document into the Search Bar at the top of the Drive screen.

Using the Search Bar

∗Students can “Share” their documents with partners, group members, or with their teacher.

∗Serves as a way to “turn in” assignments.

∗Automatically updates when changes are made.

Sharing a Doc

∗There are multiple ways to “share” documents.∗Students can share as “can edit” so they can work

on a document together.∗They can share as “can comment” for editing or

feedback purposes.∗They can share as “can view” for viewing purposes

only.⬜This works well when sharing a worksheet that

students will eventually work on as their own.

Sharing a Doc

∗Sometimes a teacher will share a worksheet for students to complete. In order to have their own copy of the worksheet to type on, students will need to make a copy of the sheet for themselves.

∗Students can rename the copy using the format given by the teacher.

∗This saves paper, reduces the amount of “lost worksheets”, and will automatically save student progress.

Copying Documents

Teachers are able to highlight and comment on student work, providing meaningful feedback for students.

The Comment Feature & Feedback

Image source: blogs.montclair.edu

∗Creating folders helps to organize the Drive.

∗Allows students to organize their documents by class and chapter/topic.

Creating & Organizing Folders

Image source: www.tech2blog.com

Image source: blog.ditoweb.com

● Easy access to the internet○ Online textbook - Cicero Worldview A○ Google Maps○ Virtual Tours - Lascaux Cave Paintings in France

● Easy sharing of worksheets and documents○ Working towards paperless classroom with live access to student

work○ Students do not “lose” their work; Submit timestamped work

through sharing● Group projects and collaboration

○ WebQuests, Prezi presentations, Weebly webpages○ Discussion forums

● Data Analysis○ Google Forms for assessment○ Quick and effective feedback for students

How Do We Use This in Historical Literacy?

● Focus is placed on literacy strategies, using content as a vehicle to practice 21st century skills

● Students learn to read and comprehend nonfiction text.● These skills are transferable and applicable to

any situation involving nonfiction text (high school, college, careers, etc.)

● Challenges students to utilize historical content to support relevant modern-day issues

● “Lessen the gap” between middle school and high school skill sets and expectations

Why Teach “Historical Literacy”?

● Actively engage learners● Build student resilience● Content as a method to teach a skill

○ How many of you remember the meaning behind each color of the American flag?

● Students should apply skills and history to current issues○ Eliminates the “so what”

● Historical Literacy is not about memorizing facts. It is about utilizing skills to go and find information for a purpose

Educational Philosophy For Historical Literacy

● Total participation activities: ○ Discussion Boards (Modeling “Powerful

responses”)○ Wallwisher ○ Utilizing modes of technology○ Integration of Chromebooks allows for

immediate student responses and high accountability

● Forces students to think about how they are thinking.

● With the integration of technology, it allows us, as educators, to provide current and relevant information at the click of a button. It allows us to provide instant feedback that students crave in the learning process.

Actively Engaging Students

● Mistakes and failures are acceptable, if reflection for improvement occurs ○ Method: Spiral teaching and student

reflection on how they illustrated a skill○ We use a portfolio based presentation of

skill acquisition■ Students must provide a

minimum of three attempts at each skill.● It allows students to have

teacher feedback in between each attempt to learn how to improve

● It is better to learn later than not at all.

Building Student Resilience

Content as a Vehicle for Skills

• Political cartoons• Map analysis• Picture analysis• Chart/graph analysis• Interview analysis• Annotating• Vocabulary

development• QAR• Effective Questioning

• Primary Source Analysis

• Secondary Source Analysis

• Bias• RACE writing• RAFT Writing• Prezi/PowerPoint• Timelines• Inferencing

Student Response

Three of the complaints that Gandhi had against the british for invading India were that they drained India of their natural resources, they forced them to use their english speaking courts and schools, and were selfish leaders. India having their natural resources drained was such an issue for Gandhi and his people because They invaded their country, and took their resources, and gave them nothing in return. They took all of the wealth and profits to britain and made the Indians do all of the labor. When invading their land they took over the once ancient schools and courts, and turned them into their own english speaking ones. Breaking their own proverb by not learning the Indian language of Hindi. This was extremely unfair for the people because they were unable to defend themselves in court or learn in schools. They also were selfish leaders. Not only did they take Indian resources but they were not protecting the people of India and enforcing bias their laws. They also didn't listen to the public opinion people. They did what they wanted not caring about how the people of India felt.

● Presenting essential questions that are relevant to student issues. ○ Ex: Find you own social movement and

explore what it is, why people join, conflict & state breakdown, movements, & organizations, tactics, motivation, counter movements, outcome/legacy.

○ Content: Social Movements Gandhi vs. the Mau Mau (Non-violent vs violent social movements)

Application to Current Issues

● The best questions I get around March is “Where did you get this information from?” or “What is the background of the writer?”

● substantiating (backing up) your thought process with factual data (information)

● Citing authorities gives credibility (believability) to your own argument.

● credentials. The author or source of the information should show some evidence of being knowledgeable, reliable, and truthful.

● The accuracy test is to ensure that the information is actually correct: up-to-date, factual, detailed, exact, and comprehensive.

● Reasonableness involves examining the information for fairness, objectivity, moderateness, and consistency.

● Support: Listed sources, contact information, available corroboration, claims supported, documentation supplied.

Selective Consumers of Knowledge

● To provide support for the strides Language Arts is making with our students in a meaningful way.

● To engage the students in content and attempt to instill a passion for learning.

● To close the gap between the students skills and the expected skills at the high school

● To build resilience in our students. Change their mindsets from “I can’t do it,” to “I will have to learn how”

Why We Started Historical Literacy

Google Chrome in the Science Classroom

Integration of Science and Technology

How is Google Chrome integrated into the science curriculum?

● All students have an account with Google and belong a group according to science class

● Use Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Chrome, Prezi, etc.

● We use Google Chrome in science to: ○ Differentiate ○ Create○ Incorporate Literacy○ Collaborate○ Communicate ○ Connect to the world○ Integrate science and technology

Interactive Learning and Virtual “Field Trips”

● Allows for an inquiry-based approach○ Students pose scientific questions and explore to find

answers○ Self-discovery○ Students are able to create his/her own learning○ Example: Volcano Virtual Field Trip

■ Students were able to manipulate characteristics of magma and create and observe (see and hear) the resulting eruption

■ More likely to remember the characteristics of each eruption if the students created it for him/herself

■ Allows for students to “travel” to places and make observations which would otherwise be impossible

Current Events

● What’s going on right now in science?● We are surrounded by science and it is always

changing ● Important that students:

○ are exposed to new discoveries○ make connections between science content

in the classroom and real world ● Students given opportunity to choose current

events that interest him/her (differentiation)● Incorporates literacy (reading nonfiction text)● Real world connections make learning

meaningful● Gives students the tools to access information at

any time

Scientific Collaboration

● Share Google Docs/Sheets with partner or group members

● At the same time, students can work together to gather information, share data, and synthesize findings into collaborative, scientific conclusions

● Lab reports, projects, presentations● Home and School