The SI Shout Out!

Volume 1, Issue 6, March 31, 2017

March Madness!

This has been a crazy month for everybody with TELPAS testing and rating, STAAR tutorials, the first round of STAAR testing, and Spring Break thrown in the mix, as well. We have come to the last days of March and are rushing head first into April.

Below are some pictures of great interactive lessons happening on AISD secondary campuses. As I visited with students working on these projects and interactive lessons, I saw some great Aha! moments. The first teacher from each campus to email Lauren or Ashley with your favorite student Aha! moment will receive a free large Sonic drink. (Our contact info is below.)

Be on the look out for our SI Shout Out Special Edition: Summer Professional Development which will be coming to a screen near you very soon!

Strategies in Action

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IPC Energy Unit

At AHS, the IPC classes have been learning about Kinetic, potential, and mechanical energy. Students worked with a partner to create a poster with illustrations about an assigned form of energy. This poster was created by two of Craig Lillywhite's ELL students.

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Interactive Energy Notes

Along with adding notes about energy to their notebooks, students added a story board and had to explain the types of energy represented in their story boards.

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Energy Roller Coaster Project

Mr. Lillywhite's students also created roller coasters using paper and marbles. Each group had to take their final product to an AHS staff member and explain their roller coasters using the academic vocabulary they learned in the energy unit.

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Egyptian Culture Projects

In Melissa Watkins' 6th grade social studies class at Harby JH, students were charged with creating something that represents Egyptian culture. This student created a pyramid that lifted up to reveal a sarcophagus and mummy inside.

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The Sphinx

Along with their creation, students wrote a paragraph about what they chose to create and how they made it. They also wrote their names and school in hieroglyphics.

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A Tomb

Students chose which project to complete and were provided with a rubric for each project choice as well as examples to give them inspiration and a clear expectation for their final products.

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Density Lab

In Michael Reynolds' science class at Harby JH, students worked in groups to complete a density lab. Each student created a chart in their notebooks to record the data for each object they were given.

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Gathering Data about Nylon

In these pictures students used a scale to determine the mass and a ruler to measure and calculate the volume of a cube of nylon. They then used a formula to determine the density of each object using the mass and volume.

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STAAR Prompt Anchor Chart

Emily Grieneeks at Manvel HS enlarged a STAAR prompt and made it into an anchor chart and annotated it. Having anchor charts and labeling them helps students know what is truly important in a prompt or question. Displaying anchor charts while students are practicing various types of writing (or any other content) helps to sear those images into their brains so that they remember them on test day even when the anchor charts are no longer there.

Frequently Asked Question

How do I use scaffolding? or, What is scaffolding?

Rebecca Alber's Edutopia article, "6 Scaffolding Strategies to use with Your Students," she explains the difference between scaffolding and differentiation. "Let's start by agreeing that scaffolding a lesson and differentiating instruction are two different things. Scaffolding is breaking up the learning into chunks and then providing a tool, or structure, with each chunk." Read the article to learn about 6 strategies for scaffolding that you can try in your classroom.

To learn more about scaffolding, visit The Iris Center website and work through the module, "Providing Instructional Supports: Facilitating Mastery of New Skills." This module will take you through a video about a challenge a teacher faces and then provide initial thoughts, perspectives, and resources.

The Iris Center is, "Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)...[It] is headquartered at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. Our primary objective is to create resources about evidence-based practices for use in preservice preparation and professional development programs."

Upcoming Trainings

Event Information

Language Objectives in ELA (Grades 6-12)

ELA teachers always ask, “Why are we writing language objectives when our content IS language?” We will talk about the power of objectives and how you can use them to maximize language learning.

Sign up in Eduphoria for ELA, 6-12, Language Objectives in ELA, or click here to sign up.

When?

Thursday, Apr 6, 2017, 04:30 PM

Where?

Manvel Junior High School, McCoy Road, Manvel, TX, United States

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What's Happening on Your Campus?

Share some Strategies in Action or Tales of Success with Lauren or Ashley so that we can include it in our next newsletter and encourage other SI teachers. We would love to take some pictures or video (if you're willing)!