Chalk
Talk
Idealists, foolish enough to
throw caution to the winds,
have advanced mankind and
have enriched the world.
-Emma Goldman
Vol. 1, Issue 5
We Educate for Excellence……….
Empowering all students to achieve their educational goals, to direct their lives and to contribute to society.
Let’s Cut to the Core….
Breaking it Down….One Ah-ha Moment At A Time: The Fifth of a Series….
Literacy in all content areas isn’t just a responsibility, it’s a gift: (Wessling, 2010).
Teachers have said at one time or another that, ”If the students can’t read, they can’t be successful on the state tests,” or “The math test is really a reading
test.” Who better then to teach the vocabulary of specific content areas then content area teachers? Teaching reading in the content areas is not about phonics instruction. It is about vocabulary and deriving meaning from informational text. It is about finding the main idea of a scientific article, or the rich instruction
of historical documents and how these documents can divide small groups and even a nation. Further, students discover misconceptions and develop an understanding of the power of words to move a nation toward good...or evil. Reading in the content area asks learners to justify answers and discover the application to real world problems and puzzles. It is the collective responsibility of EVERY teacher-scientist, mathematician, historian, and teachers of letters and
language to maneuver through non-fiction text to develop an appreciation and understanding of content areas measured not by multiple choice questions, but
thoughtful short answer, extended response, and essay questions that probe for deep learning...for application and synthesis. When students can apply, argue, and opine about a question or problem….they know the subject matter deeply. In Susan Wessling’s words, “The beautiful thing about the Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, is that they are, as David Coleman says, restoring all teachers as purveyors of the world.”
The Extended Standards
The Ohio Academic Content Standards-Extended (OACS-E) are commonly referred to as the “extended standards.” The extended standards can be accessed here. A committee of general educators, special educators, and parents worked collaboratively to create these
standards. They are designed to be used with those students who will take the Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities. The standard design ensures that these students are provided access to the general curriculum with multiple ways to
learn and demonstrate knowledge. In addition, the extended standards maintain the rigor and high expectations of the Common Core
and Ohio Academic Content Standards. In fact, the standards document includes the Academic Content Standards alongside the extended standards. The extensions were developed and written in a continuum and are ordered in complexity, most to least.
The assessment design has changed, and will no longer be in binder form. Instead, teachers will receive a set of task cards and
manipulatives. There will be a test in each content area and tests are organized in grade bands (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12). Tests will be administered 1:1 and take approximately one hour per content area to complete. The test administrator will score the assessment and
input scores into an online scoring module. Materials will be shipped to districts in February, and the test window will be March 1March 31, 2013. ODE is planning an extensive training for test administrators using the “train the trainer” model. Keep your eyes and
ears open for training dates in our region. Click on this link to access sample assessment items.
Intervention of the Week:!
GREAT resource from MAX teaching. Check out the anticipation guides for all content areas. Click on a content area.
When you get into the main file there is a folder. Click on
that. You will get LOTS of unit subjects. Click on one for an
anticipation guide! They are written in WORD and can be
changed. Check out the video for how to use anticipation
guides. This is a FABULOUS resource for all grade levels.
Heads Up: Dates to Remember...Academic Services is
Coming to a School Near YOU!
Fundations 2 Training—9/25—all day
Just Words Training—9/26—all day
District Gr. 3 Team—9//24– 2:30 PM BOE
District Gr. 4 Team 9/25—2:30 PM BOE
WHS Social Studies Department 9/26/12-1:25 PM
LBMS Science—9/27/12-7:55 AM Rm. 121
Gifted Study Committee—8:30-11:30 AM—Porter Library