CORE Communities of Practice
2014-2015 PDSA Plan
School Teams:
Bret Harte: Jeremy Hilinski, Kelli Riggs, Kristen Caputo
El Dorado: Silvia Cordero, Anna Varnay, Jude Noyes, Jen Comeans
Malcolm X: Imani Cooley, Chris Moore, Elena Rosen
Common Problem of Practice (PoP):
What specific social emotional learning skills and academic conversation skills/experiences will promote successful independent writing by focal students?
Collaborative Work:
School teams will come together to engage in 3 PDSA cycles during TCPT from 1:30-3:30 at GRD on the following dates:
 1/8/15; 3/19/15; 5/7/15
Cycle 1, “Plan & Do”: Developed Oct. 29, 2014
School/ Focal s’s
Bret Harte




DeMaya
Robert
Jada
Bemon
El Dorado

Makyla

Jania

Terrill
(All AA, 50%
male/female,
50% with IEPs)
Malcolm X



PoP or EQ
Writing about your thinking/understanding
Erin Jen
Clevon
Viante
How can academic conversations with a peer
model deepen the focal student’s understanding
of a text as demonstrated by their written
response?
Will Academic Conversation improve students’
ability and comfort in writing about their learning?
Intervention Strategies
Academic:

Explicit teaching of academic conversation,
in and out of science

Use of concept map/graphic organizers for
pre-writing

Possible frames for writing
SEL:

Link to 2nd Step lessons, specifically
empathy, recognizing other people’s
perspectives, listening
Academic:

Teachers will use peer collaboration and
academic structures/routines to deepen focal
student’s comprehension.

Teachers will explicitly teach focal student’s
to paraphrase what they hear others say.
SEL:

Academic:

Analyzing mentor conversations

Explicitly teaching students the 5-6 core
skills, starting with low affect topics

Builidng on core skills and applying it to
shared reading



Evidence
Recording of student conversations
Scripted teacher talk curing conversations
Science journal entries

Videos of student academic conversations
that include paraphrasing, elaborating and
clarifying

Explicit modeling with mentor pieces of
Academic Conversation (fish bowls)
Number and types of moves (videos and
analysis of Academic Conversation)

SEL:

Explicitly teach core skill of “building on and
challenging” in order to build student
academic confidence (SEL – growth
mindset, self efficacy)
Updated 3.19.15
Cycle 2, “Act”: Developed Jan. 8, 2015
School/ Focal
s’s
Bret Harte




Writing about your
thinking/understanding
DeMaya
Robert
Jada
Bemon
El Dorado

Makyla

Jania

Terrill
(All AA, 50%
male/female,
50% with
IEPs)
Malcolm X



PoP or EQ
Erin Jen
Clevon
Viante
How can academic
conversations with a
peer model deepen
the focal student’s
understanding of a
text as demonstrated
by their written
response?
Will Academic
Conversation improve
students’ ability and
comfort in writing
about their learning?
Intervention Strategies
Academic:

Expand academic conversation to
Interactive Read Alouds
o Develop partnerships
o Create and introduce a
structure for preparing to
talk, talking, preparing to
write, and writing

Continue to use academic
conversations during Science
SEL:

Continued focus on empathy

Recognizing and respect
perspectives (ideas, not the person)
 Listening (explicitly teach listening)
Academic:

Terrill and Jania: Continue to practice
paraphrasing and elaboration during
Read Aloud. Introduce paraphrasing,
elaborating, and clarifying to raise
their level of thinking during writing.

Makyla: Practice paraphrasing,
elaborating, and clarifying when the
“Talk It Out” in the Wellness Center
and with mentors.
SEL:

Academic:

Schoolwide begin Implementation of
the Core Skills of academic
conversation in Opinion Spiral 3

4th graders will improve in their
writing about shared reading within
fictional text beyond theme to all story
elements.

(Cycle 3 next steps--- speed up the
process to include on demand writing
for SBAC)
Evidence



Two types of writings (planning to talk
and what they are writing)
Transcripts of talking (during
partnerships)
Taping/transcript of one whole class
science conversation
Next Steps






Bring back videos and student writing
samples.





Reading responses based on shared
reading within fictional text beyond
theme to all story elements.


JH order Academic Conversations
books
JH record student conversations
KC check in with Kelli to make sure
work is happening during IRA
KR devise and teach structure for talk
and write during IRA starting Feb
KC show Kelli Opening Minds to
Equity
Jude is moving from math inquiry
team to join Anna’s inquiry team
Jude will communicate the use of the
sentence frames with the Wellness
team
Jennifer will get Jude a copy of
Academic Conversations. Anna has
a copy.
Jude and Ana will continue to coteach use of paraphrasing,
elaborating, and clarifying during
writing.
Chris will introduce other story
elements into shared text
conversations in Feb
Rachel and Chris will present whole
staff PD in Jan explicitly teaching the
core skills and how to launch
Academic convos across K-5
classrooms
SEL:

Students will grow in asset mindset
Updated 3.19.15
Cycle 3, “Act”: Developed Mar. 19, 2015
School/ Focal
s’s
Bret Harte




PoP or EQ
Intervention Strategies
Writing about your
thinking/understanding
Academic:

Incorporate use of graphic organizers
to plan academic conversations (refer
to El Do example; KC will provide EL
Achieve card examples)

Use GO for recording thoughts/ideas
after conversation to support writing
(boxes and bullets as example)
DeMaya
Robert
Jada
Bemon
Evidence
Next Steps


Focal students’ graphic organizers
Writing samples


Bring back videos and student writing
samples.


KC will provide EL Achieve card
examples
Kelli will apply GOs to opinion theme
SEL:

El Dorado

Makyla

Jania

Terrill
(All AA, 50%
male/female,
50% with
IEPs)
Malcolm X



Erin Jen
Clevon
Viante
How can academic
conversations with a
peer model deepen
the focal student’s
understanding of a
text as demonstrated
by their written
response?
Will Academic
Conversation improve
students’ ability and
comfort in writing
about their learning?
Academic:

Terrill & Jania – add conversation
skill so students can build on each
others ideas and then use mentor
response to lit to have their writing
reflect their thinking

Makyla – during read aloud at her
instructional level (relevant
theme/personal connections), have a
conversation with a peer, use boxes
and bullets, write a paragraph (voice
input, revise/edit)
SEL:

Terrill & Jania – creating academic
identity; growth mindset

Makyla – perseverance during writing
Academic:

Students will engage in extended
student discourse and response to
literature on story elements in small
groups as a part of their book club
routine. Simultaneously, as a part of
test preparation, students will
independently engage in on demand
writing tasks after having had a group
conversation with a shared short text.
SEL:

Setting and working towards personal
and academic goals (Self- Efficacy
and Self-Management)

Academic:

Response to literature and
conversational observations
occurring in book clubs. On demand
writing samples as well. Looking for
students to introduce ideas, support
them with evidence, and elaborate.
SEL:
 Consistently shows effort, respects
self and others, listens attentively,
and meaningfully participates in
classroom activities and discussions.


Jude will provide read aloud at
instructional level for Makyla and
conversation with peer with notes and
reflection 2x/week
Anna will make build-on cards; create
mentor response to response to
literature writing
By 4/24 Mr. Moore and students will
use academic discourse on story
elements as part of book club
routines
By 5/7/15 Lit Coach and IRF will have
supported all teachers to introduce
core AC skills designated for their
grades through ILT Critical Friends
support
Updated 3.19.15