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| This will be my personal focus next year. |
There is great satisfaction in teaching well. To work with a team of colleagues, students, families, and administrators to prepare and implement good work to elevate students learning, self-concept, happiness, and capacity is a terrific way to use your energy and focus your time.
As I think of prioritizing and targeting efforts for the 2018-2019 school year, I'm thinking about the work I will do to support students' learning paths, paths that lead to success with learning-to-learn strategies, social emotional learning, collaboration, communication, and academic standards.
What efforts and evidence will foster this work in the days ahead?
Social-Emotional Learning and Team Building
- The Language and Behavior of Learning Early year portfolio efforts will introduce and review the language of learning and learning-to-learn behaviors and attitudes with students. Together we will examine what it means to be a successful learner and community member.
- Community Building We'll begin the year with a focus on what makes a great community. We'll focus on the attributes of good teamwork and the school handbook which includes the policies and protocols of being a good school and community citizen. We'll also use the new social studies standards as one way to build community with a focus on a class constitution as compared to the process/content of the U. S. Constitution and we'll focus on the phrase, "All men are created equal" with regard to its historical context and how that phrase is interpreted today. Further I'll use Boaler's suggestions in her book Mindset Mathematics for grade 5 to set up norms for the math classroom.
- Relationship Building Students will engage in a good number of relationship building activities at the start of the year so everyone gets to know one another in comfortable ways. A start-of-the-year timeline activity will help students to tell their story while also learning about the social studies standards concept that our past affects our future. Marshmallow-spaghetti tower building and note card tower building activities will provide enjoyable ways for students to work in teams, understand teamwork, and get to know each other too.
- Reread SEL book and embed the specific lessons and language into next year's teaching/learning program with lessons, guiding posters, and other efforts.
- Review last year's portfolio and orientation/start-of-school materials and update appropriately with particular attention to embedding the new social studies curriculum.
Math
- Math Mini Prove-It Projects These projects will be standards-based, collaborative activities that pull students into the heart of each standard and foster student problem solving and application of standard skill, concept, and knowledge. Students will need to use and practice the Math Practices to complete the Prove-Its, and I will be available to edit students' prove-its in ways that helps them revise, perfect, and redo in ways that deepen students' understanding, application, and explanation/presentation of the standard information.
- Math Reflection Journals Students will practice composing explanations, questions, and models that use math vocabulary, concept, knowledge, and skill. I will respond to students' reflections on a regular basis as one way to assess and support their math thinking/learning development.
- Read Boaler's grade five mathematics book and apply to next year's math program.
Science
- Science Lab Reports Students will use lab reports to lead and respond to their science learning. I will collect and respond to these lab reports as one way to assess and support students' science learning and study.
- Review Science Study documents: Reread the physical science curriculum and update the website and lessons.
- Environmental Education: The team will meets with Drumlin Farm education coordinator and grade-level team to plan next year's environmental science efforts in August and September.
- Look for ways to embed SEL into the science program particularly with regard to collaboration skills.
General Research
- Study the reading list and apply that information to next year's teaching and learning.
Advocacy
- Study advocacy at MTA Summer Conference.
And I think to future paths, I am thinking about how to infuse creativity and writing more into this menu.
School Year Prep and Planning Chart
Spring/Summer School Prep for 2018-2019
Write/Print move-up letter/supply list, place on TeamFive 2018-2019 Website - done
Plan a student orientation - work with leadership to make sure this happens without the bus problems we experienced in past. - planned for team meeting
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Meet with team to plan year ahead
- Re-look at scheduling with the team to even better our already good weekly schedule.
- Think carefully with colleagues about administrative expectations and build those expectations into the daily routine for students.
Review curriculum map
create weekly teaching pattern (embed reading specialist ideas),
attend to other items listed on this page and our team planning page.
create homework patterns including student number, computation, problem solving, explanation - completed, published on homework page
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- Review and plan well for Family-Student-Teacher Conferences - see dates on systemwide inservice calendar
Plan Timeline and "My Word" exemplar for 2018-2019 - complete by start of school
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- Discuss "One Word" project with colleagues - decide what our start-of-year project will be with students. Will we include an intro video too as in years past?
- Attempt to get all field trip phone calls, schedules, and paperwork completed during the summer since it's difficult to organize these trips during the school year.
Keep a supply list throughout the year and Order supplies - ongoing. Make the time to order more supplies in the spring so there's no need to buy supplies over the summer and into the fall. Keep a running list of supplies during the school year.
- Determine classroom needs, complete order forms, shop for supplies, and keep receipts. The PTO gives us a few hundred dollars for supplies, but we have to turn in receipts to get that. . Match with system-wide initiatives
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Teacher Prep Days at end of August:
- Create five extra supply collections for potential new students or students who don't have their supplies. Review supplies with new students and others who attend orientation.
- Focus on the parent handbook and needed signatures at Curriculum Night
- Focus on the student handbooks and signatures during the first days of school
- Ask about required school forms during set-up days to plan accordingly
Careful attention to scheduling so that all scheduling best meet individual/collective student needs
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Ordering: Check orders, put away all supplies.
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Team Meeting Summer Date(s) : August 16th
Review, revise, and set up Class Data Chart - keep in mind fall/spring conference data reports
Assess/analyze MCAS scores prior to school year. (when scores arrive)
Set up file for important anecdotal notes, reminders w/regard to each student
- Set up sub notebook
- Work on protocols and policies for classroom during first days of the year
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First Six Weeks of School Year
- Focus on Character, school handbook, portfolio set-up, selfie or one-word project, and other community building projects. Attend to list of how you'll embed SEL into the curriculum and positive learning attitude/behavior: Learning-to-Learn Website
- Do a better job checking that students have the supplies necessary at the start of the year, and contacting families of students who don't have the supplies to figure out next steps with regard to supplies such as headphones, portfolios, Sharpies, and more. First day review of supplies with lists as well as organizing those supplies.
Have students set up showcase portfolios and complete Happiness Surveys at start of year. Review this with colleagues -- front page cover ideas and back cover potentially "one word posters."
- Complete Mandated Online Trainings: This takes about a half day. Make sure that the trainings are up to date at time of completion. Summer/Fall 2017
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Complete The Selfie or One Word project and Video with Students
Establish Math Routines, Teach Tools:
Teach Symphony Math during RTI blocks in each homeroom - explicitly teach how to use this.
What's Your Number activity - math vocabulary
How to make, label, share math models - area models w/fact arrays
Early year assessments
How to use math tools: rulers, calculators, tiles. . . .
Math reflection/metacognition - the math journal
Math Mindset - Boaler's video and related activity, Brain introductions
Begin First Unit
- Emphasize growth mindset
- Discuss history of people and the reality that we can all learn math
- Use Jo Boaler TED Talk and follow-up activity for inspiration
- Math Workshop
PLC Start: Establish overall focus, norms, roles, protocols. . . .
- Send out forms, notices right away--and have extras at parents' night for parents to fill out there if needed.
Curriculum Night: Establishing the Learning Community, Extended time: one hour in gymnasium with a presentation/sound
Parent surveys: Paper survey worked better than online survey last year. Refine this with colleagues
Send out weekly newsletters
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Create Classroom Culture with students:
Set norms with students
Practice following norms
Discuss classroom community.
Work to empower student voice, respect, and contribution from start of the year.
Create guiding signage with students Be explicit. Ongoing
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School Year Focus: Big Events
September: Routines, Protocols, Community, Relationship Building, Assessment
October: Beginning, Practicing, and Deepening Learning Routines - early year field studies: Boston Museum of Science, Sturbridge Village, Greenways
November: Space Study - McAuliffe Center
December: Focus on Matter
January:
February: RagTime
March:
April: MCAS
May: MCAS
June: Global Changemakers, Boston Walking Tour, Celebrations, Environmental Studies w/focus on rivers and wetlands
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Professional Learning for School Year 2018-2019
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This poster will continue to lead my work in the year ahead.
