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Observations/Coaching

I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed our school visits this fall and there are a few more coming:  Indiana and Michigan.  Whenever I am in a classroom, I am reminded of the power teachers have to shape and influence student lives.

Hopefully, you are finding the observations and coaching useful as you continue to develop your best practice.  Please know that we can also teach each other. Here are a few highlights, with resources and lesson ideas, I saw on the road (forgive the clunkiness of the layout – the technology would not do what I wanted).  I have included teacher emails so that you can reach out to each other for more information.  That is what a network is for!

http://english.conceptschools.org/portfolio/3450/

Literacy Events

Spelling Bee – November 11th at UIC in Chicago.  Registration must be completed by November 1st.  A final information sheet will be sent out on Wednesday the 1st.

Concept Reading Challenge (#LeaveYourMark)

This was announced in September.  Has anyone tried it – how do the bookmarks look? If you need the Challenge Response form please email us at aflaherty@conceptschools.org. 

Students create bookmarks and post them around your classroom.  When a classmate accepts the challenge and responds to the claim (Response Form) of the bookmark makes, she/he (the bookmark maker) is entered into a raffle for prizes.

You can easily adapt you work with reading tools like STAR or DEAR time to fit our Reading Challenge format.  Let us know if we can help. Has anyone tried it? I have not had any requests for the Challenge Review form.

ReadingChallengeBookMark template.  It is best if you create your own bookmark from my model to motivate your students.

Writing Competition – It’s a Matter of Words.  Please share this information with all teachers as we are opening up our writing to allow us to thematically connect to our network focus on STEM.  I am more than happy to make myself available to any teacher who needs more help or information on the prompts.

http://english.conceptschools.org/writing-competition/

Concept English Curriculum 

Most of us are in Unit 2 so I am going to hold off on creating connections to the PBA for this monthly update.  If you are ahead, please reach out for suggestions.

However, here are three strategies that might be helpful based on our observations.

SummarizingExplained

SummaryWritingTemplate

Summary Notes

MagnetSummaries

Paraphrases

ColorMarkStrat04

MarkingText

Data and Re-Teaching Ideas

Some of you have reached out and scheduled Webinar time (SIS) to discuss data.  Here are a few resources that might help you think about using the NWEA data and meeting the needs of all student ability levels.

Data_with_Guided_Rdng

Meeting_the_Needs_of_Every_Student_How_will_my_child_be_challenged

You may also want to review information from the October updates for ideas as well:

October Updates