Area 4 ALT Program

2008-2009 Tip of the Week #13 (second semester)

Hey everyone!  The focus this week continues to be on reading comprehension.  Take a look at the different templates and see if you can adapt to make it work for a reading this week.  Just a little something different!  :)  The templates are in the attachment - be sure to scroll down to see all the possibilities.

Hang in there!  Have a great week!

Sheree

Download Semester 2 Tip of the Week #13

News and Notes from Debby 3/20/09

There is tenseness in the halls and a feeling of frentic activity in the classrooms - it must be nearing CRCT time!  It is similar feeling  a swimmer or runner has as he or she approaches the starting blocks for a race. You (the teacher) have trained (the kids) hard - hours and hours have been spent practicing.  There has been a lot of fun along the way but now things are getting serious -- here comes a big race - and you hope all your training will pay off.  

It is important to remember that motivation is an important strategy for increasing student achiement according to research.  Marzano lists it third in his top 9 strategies - THIRD most important - right behind the teaching strategies or Identifying similarities and differences and summarizing.  A student who is not motivated will not perform well.  

Sometimes, in our effort to get a child to show what he knows we might say "AH come ON!  You KNOW this!!  Why would you miss something like this!!??  We worked on this for WEEKS!"  Not exactly motivating!  Marzano might suggest you spend these last couple of weeks before testing building confidence and self-esteem instead of handing out test prep worksheets.  Kids know a lot of things they never show on a test - maybe because they think they don't know enough to make an effort.  

The news today is a reminder of how to provide recognition and give praise for what a child does know - I checked out the praise suggestions and I plan to move to the positive column as I work with students this week.  Cheer on your students!  

Debby

Download News and Notes 3-20 -09

 

2008-2009 Tip of the Week #12 (second semester)

Hey everyone! Check out ReQuest - A great strategy that combines and models reading comprehension and analyzing text.  I also included 2 examples at the bottom!

Download Semester 2 Tip of the Week #12

2008-2009 Tip of the Week #11 (second semester)

Hey everyone!  The focus this week is a favortie of many English teachers!  If you want to see this in action, I bet you can find someone down the hall using this strategy!!!  Hilary Williams, another area 4 ALT, uses this in her Reading Comprehension Strategies training, too.

Check out the list of reading skills below that happen during Literature Circles.  I included several links that you might consider checking out for more information.

I do think you can pull some of the structure/roles/etc to make it work for your purpose/reading selection. Don't hesitate to contact us with your questions or concerns about making this work in your classroom.

Hilary Williams and Sheree Altmann

Download Semester 2 Tip of the Week #11 Lit Circles

News and Notes from Debby 3/9/09

As Spring approaches teachers get a antsy feeling - not spring fever, but TEST fever. We all begin to get a little nervous and worry if we have adequately prepared out students for standardized tests. My own philosophy of a developmental approach to education faced questioning and I wore myself out trying to walk a fine line between teaching the way I was comfortable with and making sure my students were READY for the big test.

But think about it. As you guided your students through the curriculum since August you have been doing "test preparation" all along! That is what using formative assessments to guide instruction is all about! Check out this information from a recent article on test preparation.

AND have a great week enjoying the spring weather!

Debby

Download News and Notes 3-9 -09

 

2008-2009 Tip of the Week # 10 (second semester)

Hey everyone! This week the focus includes some ideas to open and close your lessons. These 3 strategies can be used for either! There are several other strategies on the website so don't hesitate to check them out.

http://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/act/strategies/Activating.htm

A special bonus this week!!! I know that many teachers are focusing on reviewing for the GHSGT. I also included a Jeopardy Power Pt just in case you needed something quick!

Download Semester 2 Tip of the Week #10 - Activating and Summarizing Activities

Download Jeopardy

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