November 09 TOSA Newsletter

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All differentiation begins with student assessment.Think of the variety as-sessments you have in play to deter-mine your students‟ readiness skills.

A highly differentiatedclassroom includes:

Student Learning Profiles

Curriculum Compacting—Preassess. If a student KNOWS thecurriculum, create opportunities todeepen their understanding orexpand their content knowledge.

Tiered Activities

Learning Contracts

Independent Study

Flexible Grouping Anchor ActivitiesProblem-Based LearningProject-Based Learning

Consider theselearning formulas:

Traditional ClassroomTargeted Instruction + Time = LearningConstant +Constant = Variable

Differentiated ClassroomTargeted Instruction + Time = Learning

Variable + Variable = Constant

Is learning the constant or the variable in your classroom? Differentiation can occurin a whole-class setting if you‟re proactive in planning and create opportunities forflexible grouping. Movement, music, tech-nology, cooperative learning, self-

assessment checklists and rubrics can differ-entiate. It‟s important to follow up lessons

with individualized accountability. Show-down is a simple way to quickly assess

which students “get it.” The question a dif-ferentiated teacher then asks is, “Now, whatcan I do for the ones that don‟t?”

Do You Differentiate?

Volume 4, Issue 2

TOSA Tribune

November 2009

Nixa Public Schools

Differentiated Instruc-

tion

1

Boost Achievement

with Brain-Friendly

Learning

2

Pre-Exposure and

Review Ideas

2

M.A.P. GLEs and Vo-

cabulary Updates

3

M.A.P. Data 3

M.A.P. Rigor 3

Help! My Entire Class

Has ADD!

4

Inside this issue:

Intermediate

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

~Benjamin Franklin



TOSA Tribune Intermediate

Do you have attentional issues?

You may be talking too much.

*Guidelines for Direct Instruction

of NEW Content

*Jensen, E. (2005) Teaching with the Brain in

Mind. ASCD

After direct instruction, allow students

time to process. This is a good time to

use the Think/Write/Pair/Share Coop-

erative Learning Structure.

Drill and Thrill,

Don’t Drill and Kill

Repetition is crucial to learning, but it‟s

important to use several approaches.

*Jensen, E. (2005) Teaching with the Brain in

Mind. ASCD

Pre-Exposure, Priming and

Previewing Ideas

Vocabulary words (rivet, guess the

covered word, vocab in motion)Show a video clip in advance of a

topic

Display key concepts in a wall

poster in advance of teaching a con-

cept

Anticipation guides

Model a math problem students willlearn „later.‟ You will be amazed

what three minutes a day, ten daysin advance of teaching a concept,

will do for learning.

Revising andReviewing Ideas

Stump the Class:Teams write review questions and an-

swers on index cards. Collect the cards

and toss a ball randomly to ask a ques-

tion. The person who catches the ballmay answer the question, confer with

the team or toss the ball to someone

else. Once the question has been an-

swered correctly, the person who has

the ball tosses it to someone else and the

process continues. Then, students sum-

marize/pair/share.

Where success

is a tradition ...

Boost Achievement with Brain-Friendly Learning

Grade Level Appropriate

Amount of Di-

rect Instruction

K-2nd 5-8 minutes

3rd-5th 8-12 minutes

6th-8th 12-15 minutes

9th-12th 12-15 minutes

Adult Learners 15-18 minutes

*Activity When To Do

It

Pre-exposure Days, weeks,

months, years

ahead

Previewing Minutes, hours

ahead

Priming Seconds, min-

utes

Reviewing Minutes after

learning

Revision Hours, days,

weeks later

Relay Race /Four Corners:

List key M.A.P. concepts on chart pa-

per and post in the four corners of the

room. Divide the class into four

teams. Each team lines up single-file,

and the first person is given a marker

to fill in [depends on the chart]. Stu-dents do not need to complete the

chart in order ... allowing for differ-

entiation. They may want to huddle

to devise a plan and discuss some

answers before they begin. As soon as

the first person is finished, he/she

must quickly walk back and hand over

the marker to the next person in line.

Then he/she goes to the end of the

line. If a person is stumped, he/she

can just pass on the marker and go to

the back of the line. Repeat until chart

is finished. This is a fun way to ener-

gize an afternoon session as it gets

everyone up moving and thinking.

Upon completion of the „game‟, stu-

dents summarize/pair/share content

from the game.



Volume 4, Issue 2

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The blue CommunicationArts Curriculum Cards

printed and given to you inAugust have had a few minorevisions. These have been

updated and posted on ourtaff resource page. Check he revision date on yours

against the one on-line. Youmay need to print a new one.

If you haven‟t printed grade-

appropriate vocabulary from DESE‟s

website, you might want to consider it

before it‟s too late. Math is broken

down by grade-level, so students need

to be familiar with vocabulary from the

current year and all previous years.

Communication Arts is NOT broken

down, so you‟ll need to know your

GLEs to know which words are appro-

priate for your grade level.

Print Your

Vocabulary Here:

http://www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/

curriculum/glossary/index.html

A national report recently released

(Oct. 29, 2009) by the National

Center for Education Statistics

confirms that Missouri‟s academic

performance standards in reading

and mathematics are among the

most rigorous in the nation. Spe-

cifically, Missouri standards rate

second-highest of all states in

three out of four areas measured.

Based on this study, Missouri‟sproficiency standards are:

Second in rigor only to Mas-sachusetts in grade 4 readingand grade 4 math.

Second only to South Caro-lina in grade 8 reading. Fourth in the nation in grade8 mathematics (behindSouth Carolina, Massachu-setts and Hawaii).

How Rigorous are Missouri’s Tests Compared to the Nation?

M.A.P. GLES and Vocabulary Updates

instruction in which you

see a need for improve-

ment?

Have you devised a writ-

ten, strategic plan to im-

prove in these areas?

How are you monitoring

that what you’re doing is

working?

First and foremost: Cele-

brate Your Successes!

Remember that next year’s

tests will be different than

last year’s test.

Look for trends. Is there a

particular focus area for

M.A.P. Data—It’s Here ... Now What?

“What will I do to establish and communicate learning

goals, track student progress and celebrate success?” ~Robert Marzano

http://www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/glossary/index.html



http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/studies/statemapping.asp

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/studies/statemapping.asp





Help! My Entire Class Has ADD!you may want to surprise your class.

Consider quietly telling students with

ADD before you surprise the entire

class.)

Increase feedback

Acknowledge part-way process

We know that only doctors can di-

agnose ADD, but as educators, we

must accommodate and manage

classrooms.

Consider these accommodations:

Break tasks into smaller chunks

(Remember to give directions

ONE at a time.)

Create high predictability

Establish routines and stick to

them the best you can

Don‟t surprise—give ample

warning for change (Sometimes

Aim the student to a less di

tracting view

Make a to-do list

Make a schedule to do the t

do listSet up a signal system

Give sensory tools for usingenergy (squeeze balls)

Set fair limits and stick tothem

Celebrate when a performagoal is reached

205 North StreetNixa, MO 65714

November 1, 2009

Dear Colleagues,

Happy Fall! It‟s hard to believe that we are already one-quarter finished with

this school year. I know you‟re diligently teaching and assessing the written curricu

lum which should ensure success on the M.A.P. test. It‟s important to press on towar

the goal of increased achievement without stressing out students. You want to con-stantly prepare but limit the amount of time you actually say the actual words

“M.A.P. Test” in your classroom. When you do say it, make it exciting. Say things lik

“When you GET to take the test .... M.A.P. IS the SuperBowl of Academics ... etc.”

Your students often reflect your attitude. If you‟re teaching and assessing the written

curriculum, you‟re on the right track. Don‟t hesitate to contact our office if you need

anything.

Working Together,

Cheryl Dick

[email protected]

[email protected]@nixaschools.net [email protected]

Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD) is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral

disorder in students. The condition is characterized by impulsiveness and time

disorientation. ~Eric Jensen

November 09 TOSA Newsletter

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