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  Professional Development News

AcaDemiC Conversations Share Out

12/16/2016

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We want to get our students truly thinking and talking about our content rather than just listening to us, but what's the best way to foster that shift?  

​This Wednesday's faculty meeting at Piedmont featured PLC reps sharing methods to foster academic conversations within their disciplines.

Here are the ideas shared by fellow faculty from the 6th Math, 7th Grade Humanities, 8th Grade Science and Language and Literature Departments:
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Mr. Chandler shared how to have an Academic ConverStation! He got the ides from the teaching channel website, which he highly recommends. This system allows students to chunk their readings (a close reading strategy) by pausing to discuss and then share out. At the end of each ConverStation question, only ONE person moves to the next station for question 2. Mr. Chandler points out that this is a great system because it allows students to populate the ideas from each group throughout the class, and gives students something to say that no one else in their circle has heard since many issues reappear from question to question.
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Both the Science and Math departments talked about using Envelope Pull Questions as a conversation starter for their topics. Mr. Kollar pointed out that many students in his class had NEVER had to explain math to another person before that exercise. He recommends the method because students tire of listening to a teacher and enjoy hearing from each other and listen more closely that way. He recommends the structure employed by Ms. Adornato and Beckham for their science lesson you see on the green sheets in these photos) Ms. Beckham and Adornato say that questions that involve some gray area are essential - ones that can be debated. They note that students who thought they could use common sense to "fake" a response without having read were held accountable by classmates who corrected them by referring back to counterintuitive facts listed in the text.
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Until I heard Ms. Thornburg, I always thought alpha boxes were very low level and just a step away from busywork. But Ms. Thornburg shared with us how it enhances her lessons in several ways: She begins a unit by having students fill an alphabox. The words they generate function like a pretest, giving her an idea of what they know. Then they watch a video or read a reading from a DBQ set, pausing after each to fill in even more blanks in the alpha box. Through this strategy, students pay closer attention as they listen and look for words they "need." Then they have a class discussion and explain to each other what they chose. As a bonus, the alphabetical constraint forces creative divergent thought (Ms. Thornburg mentioned students comming up with "eXcommunication for the X in the alphabox and with "New Ideas" for the I. Who would have thought that you should give students boxes to get them out of the box?! Great job, Humanities folks (and this works with any content area) After the conversation, students used their alphabox full of vocabulary as notes with ready made ideas for writing.
Related Posts

http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/lesson-ideas/host-an-academic-conversation

Teaching Channel 

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-ells-to-participate-in-discussions-ousd

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How to use FakeBook

4/15/2015

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If you like Fakebook, consider using emoji, memes and social media for class as explained here. 
http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/lesson-ideas/use-memes-fakebook-and-emoji
 Below is a short video walthrough of how to get started making a Fakebook page for class.  If you give your fakebook famous friends, their image will automatically populate, otherwise you can find and use images from google image search (select - "search tools- usage rights- labelled for noncommerical reuse"  below the search bar!) 
To view a Fakebook example, check out  Rasputin as created by Ms. Thornburg.  
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How To Start a Makerspace

2/10/2015

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The presentation below demonstrates why and how to integrate maker movement into your classroom or school, via both creating a dedicated "Makerspace" as well as content integration of the "maker" ethos:

  • Scroll down for 5 easy steps for starting a Makerspace in your school's media center or other locale. 
  • To integrate maker movement into content classes, please see http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/lesson-ideas/maker-movement-how-to-introduce-a-project-to-students for specific steps and view the presentation for inpsirational photos of integration in math, science, social studies, language arts, and the arts.

Unexpected benefit of being a connected educator: @artlaflamme just sent @PiedmontIB a @Raspberry_Pi ! #boxofawesome pic.twitter.com/v94FjG44rp

— Lisa Gurthie (@LisGurthie) March 30, 2015

Click here for Interactive session note sheet from the February CMS Tech Meeting
Click here for  printable QR coded handout 

5 Steps to Starting a Makerspace on a Shoestring Budget:

  1. Gather any educational science toys, and creation supplies you now have (cardboard, tape, glue, stop motion video character toys, even an old sewing machine. See here and here for some of what we have at Piedmont) 
  2. Include things to both take apart (like an old watch or computer CPU as well as put together (legos)
  3. Cull some DIY tutorials and print QR code posters like these for items you have gathered or DIY ideas.
  4. Place items on work tables in the media center,in boxes for checkout to classrooms, or on a coffee table with floor pillows in the lobby.  Have computers nearby for tutorials (if no computers are available, you can place QR codes near items if students have phones or BYOT devices.
  5. Advertise your new offerings or just wait for curiosity to strike naturally.

Maker-friendly Sites for Students:


  • Make -click projects for electronics, workshop, craft, science, food, home and garden crafts and many more.
  • DIY.org -for all kinds of great maker projects
  • More Maker Sites for Students 

Free Coding for Students: 
  • Scratch - play with code
  • Code.org -free and fun way to learn coding
  • Tynker - link goes to the free hour of code tutorials and games
  • More Coding Sites for Students - includes video game making and app making

Free CAD (computer assisted design) for Students:
  • TinkerCad drag and drop then export the STL file for your 3D printer 
  • Apps also support 3D printing. There's a new one called Draw in 3D that looks amazing!  Or try any from AutoDesk like 123Design 
(Thingiverse great for ready made designs and inspiration. Browse then download the ready-made file with one click to export the STL file. Use Makerware or 3D printer software to open the file)

Robotics, Electronics, Computer Science, Design and Engineering 
Products to consider as you acquire funds:
  • Sphero - The apps are free but the codable robotic toys are about $100
  • littleBits
  • Makey Makey
  • Mindflex Duel or other brain wave controller game
  • Snap Circuits 
  • K'nex and Legos
  • Squishy Circuits
  • 3D printer (we have the Makerbot Replicator 2)
  • Laser Cutter
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Arduino
  • R/C Toys and Drones

Shop for Techy Maker Supplies
  • Makershed.com
  • Adafruit.com  
  • LED Wearables
  • for artsy maker supplies, ask your music and art teachers for resources and extras

Inspiring videos, lessons, and ideas:
A few to get you started. Most sites and tools listed above have project lists as well.
  • Caine's Arcade -includes info about the "Cardboard Challenge"
  • Easy PBL Starter idea
  • Scratch+ MakeyMakey= Language Game 

Further Reading for Educators:
  • What is a Makerspace?
  • New Milford High School Maker Blog
  • and just for fun...a 3D printed cup of coffee 
  • Related Posts:
    http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/lesson-ideas/makerspace-resources4pbl
    http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/celebrating-piedmont/whirligigs-an-example-of-maker-movement-in-education
    http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/celebrating-piedmont/love-of-learning-at-piedmont
    http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/piedmont-pd/gamification
  • http://piedmontpd.weebly.com/lesson-ideas/maker-movement-how-to-introduce-a-project-to-students


Twitter Hashtags to Explore:
Also, use these as Google search terms (search your content area keyword/s  plus...)

#makermovement
#geniushour
#dtk12chat
#makered
#3dprinting
#STEAM
#STEM
#engineering
#cardboardchallenge
#PBL
and don't forget...
#artsed #musiced #slowchatpe

Some #makeymakey ideas @pamelaaobrien #Bett2015 #edchatie pic.twitter.com/rTiNR6IbfI

— Bianca Ní Ghrógáin (@bnighrogain) January 23, 2015
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Gamification 

1/30/2015

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Mr. Egnot stocks his gamified supply store for his seventh grade factory owners. Click the photo to learn more about Piedmont Social Studies teachers' gamified units.
Gamification is the idea that you can turn some of the your class curriculum and social goals into a game.

Some teachers are skeptical of anything with the word game in it because they fear it will belittle the value of the content, water down the content or be slow and inefficient. It is actually the opposite.

 I can describe it best by showing you, so head over to this link to see  how it works in seventh and eighth grade social studies classrooms (and my daughter's third grade class) and see me if you'd like to know more or want help gamifying a unit, lesson, or goal.

Here is a good intro video to the concept
Here are some links:
  • A good intro to gamifying by Teched up Teacher Chris Aviles- to make class more rewarding like a video game (Mr. Fatz might want to work with you on this: http://www.techedupteacher.com/gamify-your-class-level-i-xp-grading-system-2/
  • http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/how-to-gamify-your-classroom/
  • http://gamifyingmyclass.com/
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Balanced Literacy March Faculty Meeting PD

3/12/2014

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In this PD presentation (Slides can be found at  http://bit.ly/supportedread ) we discuss and practice the 4 components of balanced literacy. Read on to see how.
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Part of close reading is simply writing as you read and being aware when and why to do so. This 9th grader's teacher taught him to be metacognitive and he now keeps this list as he reads.
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Our March faculty meeting demo'd the 4 pieces of Balanced literacy according to CMS. Balanced Literacy includes these 4 areas:

  1. Word Study- BL says word study makes vocab fun. We used Word Ball to practice and refresh our memory of  RTI terms. (led by Ms. G and Ms. D)
  2. Independent Reading -we practiced Independent reading with common core reading standards with Padlet response (led by Ms. Barone)
  3. Writing - We clarified our ideas by writing them on the puzzle pieces during our centers walk (on display in admin hallway)
  4. Supported reading - we practiced close reading with a socratic seminar on this selection The Wejr Family Awards : using and the student note and worksheet photos in this post (led by Ms. Gurthie)
More and further Reading Choices:

More on Balanced Literacy
  • CMS BL  Powerpoint - web cache do a google search to download the one with graphics)
  • http://www.k12reader.com/category/balanced-literacy/

More on Close Reading-

  • Wendy Adornato recommends this site-very easy to find useful core friendly close reading and other by subject.  http://achievethecore.org/
  • Close Reading PDF -including sample chart of a close read of Page 1 of Percy Jackson Lightning Thief
  • Close Reading PD Student Explanations Video Snippets

More on Common Core Reading and writing in general-


  • There are a lot of misconceptions about Common Core. I like the way this site breaks down how to teach reading and writing via Common Core.
  • Non-Freaked Out Common Core blog (note I think he is too into debate - I prefer shared inquiry, but either way he's a great blogger for laying out common core)
  • Recent News after 2 years of implementing common core-what was learned

  • Rationale (why Common Core and balanced literacy are useful) Besides the value to one's life of being able to ask questions and think critically, here are 12 Skills Employers want that Common Core teaches




Below is an embed of the article we read for the close reading demo. we annotated electronically using diigo or on paper .
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This chart (shared on Facebook) can be useful when close reading in the content area or any nonfiction.
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    Author

    This blog is a compendium of District and Piedmont -specific PD opportunities, trainings, and notes. 
    Authored by  Lisa Gurthie 
    who specializes in creative lesson ideas especially critical, holistic, and divergent thinking, tech- and arts integration, respect- and curiosity-driven education, and unschooling school to make it more real and relevant. One day she will modernize her "about" page.

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