Shifting to Academic Writing

Team:

Selah Bryan, our Literacy CSS, came to support our school yesterday in the area of academic writing. You received a hard copy of the presentation yesterday. Below please click the image below to download a PDF of the DRAFT of the document for your review.

https://sites.google.com/site/belairecoachscorner/academic%20writing%20ppt%20pdf.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

It is important that we understand this shift in order to tailor our instruction to prepare our students for the demands of the FSA.

As always, please see Ms. Chapman if you need assistance in implementing academic writing in your classroom.

iReady PPT and Webinar for Viewing

As you are all aware, the district has purchased iReady for both Reading and Math. It is being highly recommended that you view the training webinar in order to ensure proper implementation of the diagnostic assessment as well as the program itself. The district has made available to PPT presentation and webinar for you to view.

Click the link below to download. You will need to be on the dadeschools network:

DOWNLOAD

Anchor Chart Presentation

Literacy Team:

Our CSS, Selah Bryan, created and shared with our school a PPT presentation on anchor charts.

To download the document, click here. Enjoy!

Promethean Resource Pack Download

Teachers and staff:


I hope you have enjoyed the Promethean training that you have been participating in over the past two days. Please download the Resource Pack that was provided to us by Ms. Nogales. The resource pack is FILLED with documents for Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, and more.


Please see Ms. Jomarron or Ms. Chapman if you need further assistance.


CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD


We hope that you find this useful!! Enjoy!

Availability of SuccessMaker Training Webinars

Teachers:

You are being strongly recommended to take advantage of some SuccessMaker training that is being offered electronically in the upcoming days. Please see below for additional information. This information was also sent to you via e-mail. Please see Ms. Jomarron if you have any questions or need assistance.

Getting Started with SuccessMaker 7

Title: Getting Started with SuccessMaker 7 Date: Friday, August 15, 2014 Time: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM EDT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/187648001 Title: Getting Started with SuccessMaker 7 Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2014 Time: 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM EDT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/875920168 Title: Getting Started with SuccessMaker 7 Date: Thursday, August 28, 2014 Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EDT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/230456528 System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server Mac®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. Mobile attendees Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet

Promethean Boards: Just The Basics

Now that the Promethean boards are installed throughout our school, it is recommended that you attend one of the District provided PD sessions on how to use them. However, this is not the only way to learn more about these Interactive White Boards. YouTube has TONS of tutorials on how to use the boards. Below you will be able to watch the basics of this technology. The possibilities for use of this technology in the classroom are endless, but hopefully, this will get you started. Leave a comment if you found this to be helpful.

Stay in the Know: READ YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFINGS

Please see the weekly briefing below regarding the FSA (Florida Standards Assessments).

Briefing ID #: 15862 ALL SCHOOL PRINCIPALS: ITS - Information regarding the Online Portal and Resources for the Florida Standards Assessments Category: For Your Information

Audience:	All Principals/APs
Post Date:	Jul 03, 2014
Due Date:	n/a
Meeting Date:	n/a
Master Calendar:	n/a
Attachment(s):	15862_-_ATTACHMENT_-_CBT_Transition_Chart.pdf

To notify principals and assistant principals with information regarding the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) online portal as well as the release of some FSA resources.

• The Florida Department of Education has released information on the new FSA online portal available at  http://www.fsassessments.org/.   Districts, schools, students, parents, and the general public can access this site for information on the new assessments. 
• In addition, this portal will serve as the primary location for schools and district administrators to access resources for test administration and to conduct activities related to computer-based testing (CBT), test management and reporting.
  • TIDE is American Institutes for Research (AIR’s) online test management system and Online Reporting System (ORS) is AIR’s test results delivery system.  Both sites will require a username and password.  More information regarding these systems will be provided in early fall. 
• The memorandum by the Commissioner of Education may be found at this LINK outlining the following resources now available on the portal:
  • Training Tests are intended to provide students, parents, and educators with an opportunity to become familiar with the item types and functionality of the new CBT platform produced by AIR.
    • Sample items for different grade levels and subject areas are available for the following: 
      • Grades 4-11 FSA English Language Arts (ELA) Writing Component  
      • Grades 3-11 FSA ELA (Reading, Language, and Listening)
      • Grades 3-8 FSA Mathematics
      • FSA End-of-Course (EOC) Mathematics
    • Please note the following important information regarding the training tests:
      • The new platform allows users to select new features such as color contrast/print size, zoom, and audio that were previously only available as an accommodation for students with disabilities on the FCAT and EOC assessments.
      • CBT accommodations, such as text to speech for students with disabilities, are not available on these training tests at this time. Information on the CBT accommodations will be provided when it becomes available.
      • Assessments for students in Grades 3 and 4 will be paper-based in 2014, 2015, however sample tests are provided for these grades as well which illustrate the types of items that will be available once each assessment moves to online delivery (please refer to the attached CBT transition chart). 
      • The ratio/percentage of items of each item type in the training tests is NOT representative of the ratio/percentage of items of each that will appear in the operational tests.
  • DRAFT Test Design Summary/Blueprints provide more detailed information about the assessments, including the percentage of items in each content category, cognitive complexity and appropriate number of test items.
  • DRAFT Test Item Specifications guide the development of statewide assessment items and define the content and format of the test items for each grade level and subject.

Transitioning to FAIR-FS

Florida is transitioning to an updated version of the FAIR to be known as the FAIR-FS. The assessment will reflect the new Language Arts Florida Standards and will provide a Probability of Literacy Success (PLS).

The state of Florida will be providing training to select personnel throughout the summer, however, you can get a head start on learning what the new changes to the assessment are and what this means for your instruction.

Download the Webinar Training PPT

Download the FAIR-FS Fact Sheet

Stay tuned for additional information as it becomes available!

DOK Question Stems

DOK Question Stems

 

 

Download the DOK question stems by clicking here. Ask yourself: Are your students given the opportunity to move beyond DOK1? We will be taking a closer look at HOT questioning and the DOK Question stems during upcoming grade level planning sessions.

Textbook Adoption 2013-2014

IMPORTANT!!

Teachers,

Miami Dade County has selected McGraw-Hill Reading Wonders as our core series. You can log in to a demo account to begin checking out all of the resources that this series has to offer. You will be given your own access code for this site in the future. There are a myriad of resources available online so it is worth taking a look at including a Professional Development tab that offers videos that provide a comprehensive overview of the program.

To log in:

http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/connected/

Username: flwonders
Password: wonders2014

Please note that you will be given assistance in implementing this series. This information is meant to give you a heads up and chance to take a "sneak peek" of our new core program.

Common Core Tools Courtesy of North Carolina



North Carolina has unpacked the Common Core Standards for ELA and Math!

Please visit the tools that they have to offer to add to your "Common Core Toolbox"  including: crosswalks, unpacked standards, exemplar documents, and graphic organizers. There are documents available for both ELA and Math.

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core-tools/

Thoughts? Questions? Leave a comment below.

Assessment with Exit Tickets

Check out this fantastic video from the Teaching Channel on assessment with exit tickets.

More PD Pics!

Here are some more pictures of our teachers hard at work during the Journaling and Corrective Feedback PD Session! Enjoy!

Corrective Feedback and Interactive Journaling PD

Teachers and Interns at Bel-Aire came together for a Professional Development session on Corrective Feedback and Interactive Journaling. We created our own "model" journals  to practice the left side/right side strategy and used student assessment and DI folders to practice implementing corrective feedback to our students. Check out the participants hard at work below! Thank you to all of the participants who came and to Ms. Thompson and Ms. Lawson for leading the session!

     

**Download the Feedback Starter Stems handed out at the session here.

Teaching the Core: Close Reading

Teachers:

This is just a reminder that on Thursday, February 28, 2013 Ms. Thompson will be holding a professional development from the Teaching the Core series.

Teaching the Core: Close Reading will be held immediately following intermediate dismissal. Location is to be announced.

Don't forget -- registration closes two hours before the start of the session so please register ASAP if you are interested in this professional development opportunity.

Exploring the Gradual Release Model

Source: The Teaching Channel

Upcoming Professional Development

Bel-Aire Elementary will host two workshops on the Common Core Standards (English/Reading) and Close Reading. The PD's are posted on the portal for master plan points. The easiest way to find the session is by searching by location --> Bel-Aire Elementary.

Unpacking the Common Core Standards: November 20th at 3:20

Close Reading: November 29th at 3:20 

Please notify Ms. Thompson if you have any questions or concerns about the content of the sessions or Ms. Chapman if you need assistance registering! We hope to see you there!

PLC Session 2 Agenda and Materials

The Summer PLC agenda and materials are now available to download for your convenience if you were unable to attend.

PLC Agenda
Power Point - CIS Model
Reading Task Card
Writing Task Card
Discussion Task Card
Vocabulary Task Card
CIS Lesson Timeline
Promethus Handouts
Prometheus

Donor's Choose

A special congratulations to all of the participants of our May PD on Grant Writing! All of the projects submitted as follow-ups for this session were recently funded. That is well over $3,500 worth of materials coming to our school this fall!

If you haven't created a project yet, now is a great time to start. This is a great way to get those much needed resources for your classroom. Go to http://www.donorschoose.org for more information.

The following teachers were recently funded:

Ms. Kohn
Ms. Rivera
Ms. Mangan
Ms. Seaman
Ms. Lazier
Ms. Franklyn
Ms. Carerro
Ms. Perry
Ms. Chapman
Ms. Goldberg
Ms. Willis
Ms. Chambers
Ms. Smith
Ms. Lawson

Way to go!

Summer PLC Documents

Summer Common Core PLC Participants:

Attached please find the downloads from our first PLC session. Click the link to download the attachment.

• Session 1 PowerPoint: Common Core
• Session 1 Agenda
• QAR Chart
• The Fisherman and His Wife Close Reading Exemplar (Grade 3)
• Depth of Knowledge
• Common Core Suggested Reading List
• Text Complexity Rubric
• Comprehension Stems (Informational)
• Comprehension Stems (Narrative)
• Text Complexity Scale
• Because of Winn Dixie

Remember that our next session will be held on July, 25, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. Please make sure to complete your follow-up activity prior to the session. See you there!