Monthly Archives: August 2012

Liben Presentation to WCSD Educators Now Available

David Liben, Meredith Liben, and Rachelle Etienne, of Student Achievement Partners, were in Reno on August 20th sharing strategies to effectively implement the Common Core. They focused on text complexity, text-dependent questions, syntax, academic vocabulary, writing to sources and the … Continue reading

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The WCSD Writing Philosphy

Washoe’s 7-12 ELA Program Coordinator, Kim Cuevas, was instrumental in crafting and sharing a “Writing Philosophy” within the district. The document has eight elements including the importance of teachers using a mentor text, graphic organizers, and conferencing with their students. … Continue reading

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Pinnacle Posts on the BAP

Pinnacle has posted a story on Washoe’s participation in the Basal Alignment Project. You can read the entire article by clicking here.

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Introducing the Common Core and the Shifts

Kevin Hodgson has put together a Prezi  (here) as an introduction to the Common Core State Standards and the “instructional shifts.” Keep in mind, if you choose to watch, that Nevada is part of SBAC and not PARCC.

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“Keep it or Junk it” an ESL Perspective

Dr. Pete Cobin, ELL Consultant with Washoe County School District, reviewed the lesson “Keep it or Junk it” and shared the following: There are two things in particular that I noticed. The emphasis on “What are you thinking? How do … Continue reading

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The Core Shift Blast is Back!

The Core Shift Blast is back! Authored by K-6 ELA Program Coordinator Torrey Palmer, the blast provides insights into the Common Core so educators have an acute sense of what it takes to align instruction to the CCSS. The first … Continue reading

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Sierra Vista & Westergard Train on the Basal Alignment Project

Sierra Vista and Westergard trained on the Basal Alignment Project today. Listed below are the resources used for the training as well as other materials referenced during the 90-minute session. Training Materials BAP Training PowerPoint Tomas and the Library Lady Questions Pictorial … Continue reading

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NASSP and their Suggestions for CCSS Implementation

The Alliance for Excellent Education recently taped a webinar describing what has to be done in order to implement the Common Core State Standards well. Dr. Mel Riddile, Associate Director for High School Services, National Association of Secondary School Principals … Continue reading

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“Keep it or Junk it”

Teaching Channel has posted a video that employs principles of the Close Reading Strategy. In the lesson, 5th grade teacher Jennifer Brouhard has her students identifying key concepts in the text with specific attention to vocabulary. You can access the … Continue reading

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Striving Readers Presentation Materials from August 21st

As part of the launch of Striving Readers, Student Achievement Partners members David Liben, Meredith Liben and Rachelle Etienne shared literacy resources matched to the Common Core. Their work focused on the “instructional shifts” and the Close Reading Strategy. Resources … Continue reading

Posted in Academic Vocabulary, Common Core State Standards, Complex Text, Instructional Shifts, Student Achievement Partners, Text-Dependent Questions, Writing to Sources | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment