Edmodo Access

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aaron Grossman

Many of the Edmodo groups we are using have been “locked.” This does not mean people cannot join them but it does mean that the codes listed on the blog are no longer useable. Please use the links below to access the following areas:

6th Grade Basal Alignment Project:  Washoe’s effort to extend the Council of Great City Schools’ BAP process into the 6th grade. http://www.edmodo.com/home#/join/8c80eb7cc366a27ebc36457fb0743d64

Leading the Core: ELA CCSS–inservice class for district administrators leading sites into the Core. http://www.edmodo.com/home#/join/26f005bb0dba0dac7026d66d7f71887d

CRT Instructional Materials: testing preperation matched to the old item specifications. (Note, none of the materials are aligned to the CCSS.) http://www.edmodo.com/home#/join/9cdb622d7c258038d85615caacecae52

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Close Reading and Poetry Inservice Course

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Aaron Grossman

University of Nevada Reno professor Dr. Steven Gerhke will be leading an inservice course on close reading and poetry this fall. Kindergarten through sixth grade teachers can take part in the class and learn more about performing close readings of poetry and other literature.  The class will provide a clear roadmap for close textual analysis. Specifically, participants will look at the way analyzing specific components in literature can help to reveal the themes in a work. This method will aid in creating intelligent and lively discussions in the classroom.

You can sign up for the course by clicking here.

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A Parents Guide to the Instructional Shifts

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Aaron Grossman

In a piece for his blog View out the windshield, Geoff Belleau outlines the “instructional shifts” and the implications for parents. He notes that there is a lot of advice for teachers but not enough for caregivers. Consequently, he takes the time to explain to parents how they can help there children be successful by using more non-fiction at home, requiring greater use of evidence, considering text complexity, and emphasizing the value of academic vocabulary. You can read the entire poste here.

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CTP Reflection Video, Edited

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Aaron Grossman

The Core Task Project Reflection video has been edited and reposted here.

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New Close Reading Exemplar Added

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Aaron Grossman

We completed a close reading exemplar for the poem, “The Story of Fidgety Philip” by Heinrich Hoffman. We have it fitted for the 3rd grade level. Some see the poem, written in 1845, as one of the first documentations of ADHD. You can read more about this here and download the exemplar here.

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Rubric for Interim Assessments

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Aaron Grossman

The Council of Chief State School Officers and the Council of Great City Schools released a rubric for interim benchmark assessments for English language arts/literacy. The rubric, written by Student Achievement Partners, is for district and state leaders to review the assessment they are giving to check for alignment with the CCSS. If you download the document you will notice that the rubric works backwards from the “instructional shifts” and identifies non-negotiables for practitioners. You can access the rubric here.

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Supplements for the Close Reading Exemplar: President’s Message

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Aaron Grossman

Cheralyn Faber, a 3rd grade teacher in the Moraga School District, created several supplements to go with the close reading exemplar, The President’s Message. Cheralyn has generously shared the materials and you can find them in the links below.

Graphic organizer for students to write responses

Student copy of the President’s Message

Flipchart to accompany the President’s Message

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Nevada CRT Practice on Edmodo

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Aaron Grossman

If you have been looking for the Standard of the Week resource, you can find it on Edmodo using code krdoxd. (New Edmodo users can access it using these directions.) Please note, the resource is matched to parts of the Nevada CRT and is not Common Core aligned.

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Thinking Common Core Scoop.it! Page

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Aaron Grossman

If you haven’t found the Scoop.it! page “Thinking Common Core,” you may want to take a few minutes to visit. Recent links include video on improving discourse in the classroom, updates on the 2014-2015 CCSS assessments, and strategies for successfully implementing the Common Core.

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CTP Inservice Course Offered

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Aaron Grossman

If you are interested in participating in the Core Task Project, you can earn one half-credit by taking advantage of a spring version of the course. The inservice CTP takes place over 2 four-hour sessions on May 9th and May 23rd. As the course description notes, “The Core Task Project considers how to align classroom practices to the CCSS, the SBAC assessment, and the Publisher´s Criteria. Through an exploration of the close reading strategy, participants will consider implications for all areas of literacy instruction. Participants will be expected to try a close reading exemplar lesson with their students so that they are able to reflect and debrief in the follow-up session.”

If you are a K-6 educator, you can sign up for the course here.

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