Curriculum Day

Thank you to all for the beautiful Curriculum Day! Below you will find links to presentations!

This session will provide an overview of the 23-24 Mission and Vision of SAISD Secondary Reading-Language Arts. Teachers will learn about updates to SAISD Curriculum Resources that include enhancements of support for Culturally-Responsive and Sustaining Teaching, Content-Based Learning Instruction, and implementation of the Strategic Plan. Teachers will explore resources to prioritize learning for this school year with campus colleagues.

In this introductory session for the year, in the context of Unit 1, R-LA teachers will experience the power of teaching reading and writing as integrated, reciprocal processes to support mutual development of reading and writing skills, an important component of our Secondary R-LA Instructional Framework. Teachers will delve into strategies that support students’ ability to analyze genre characteristics and author’s craft as input, and emulate those genre characteristics and author's craft in their own original genre writing as output. Teachers will experience these connections first-hand—and see the bridge to improved analysis skills.

In this introductory session for the year, in the context of Unit 1, RLA teachers will expand their skills in gradually releasing responsibility of learning to students through strategies that support structured conversation and independent practice. Teachers will practice modeling skills of thinking, reading, and writing, in direct instruction, thereby strengthening the high-effect factor of teacher clarity. Teachers will experience structured conversation and collaborative writing using Total Participation Techniques, 7-Steps, Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures, and AVID strategies. Teachers will then collaborate on strategies for fully releasing responsibility to students in independent practice—ensuring that every student is individually held to high expectations.

In this introductory session for the year, in the context of Unit 1, teachers will engage in professional learning specific to assessment for learning (formative) and assessment of learning (summative), starting with Learning Targets. Teachers will experience and practice creating both forms of assessments to serve distinct purposes of assessing unit-specific skills.

In this introductory session for the year, teachers will explore the Science of Teaching Reading as it applies to secondary RLA, implementing evidence-based Tier 1 supports for core instruction and Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports for accelerated learning for students who are not performing at grade level, and challenging enrichment supports for students who are in need of enrichment through structures such as: targeted, whole-group instruction, differentiated instruction, small group instruction, high-dosage tutoring, and extended learning. Using the work of Kylene Beer’s When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do, teachers will begin this study by delving into strategies used for fluency and phonics.

Jeff Anderson’s Patterns of Power has provided us with a dynamic model for teaching conventions. Here, young, emergent writers are invited to notice the conventions of the English language and build off them in an inquiry-based approach to instructional grammar. In this session, teachers will internalize the Patterns of Power instructional cycle, preparing for using Patterns of Power throughout the year.

Every reader deserves time to practice their literacy skills in a place with optimal voice and choice. Implementing Self-Selected Reading in your classroom affords this time, and will also pay dividends in increased fluency, comprehension, and confidence! Participants will learn fundamentals of implementation and new ideas to strengthen the efficacy of this instructional--fa a foundational component of our instructional framework.

This session is for SAISD educators who are new to NoRedInk Premium (or could use a refresher). We’ll explore NoRedInk’s three most popular activities, how they fit into SAISD’s instructional cycle, and review teacher-tested best practices. You can expect to leave this session with the tools and skills you need to meaningfully incorporate writing into your instruction.

Explore NoRedInk resources and best practices for engaging students in text-based writing. In this session, we’ll investigate how to use NoRedInk to scaffold the writing process and help students develop their text analysis skills. You can expect to leave this session with a wealth of resources and ideas for how to get students writing more frequently!

Explore approaches for scaffolding unknown words and fostering student vocabulary practice in context as students read authentic, engaging real-world Newsela texts.

Connect to the Newsela content most relevant to your subject and students, and learn to leverage Newsela features to support meaningful learning.

Learn strategies to leverage Newsela’s auto-differentiation tools to support learners as they access diverse content, engage with information, and express knowledge.

Explore Newsela content that reflects and provides insights into diverse experiences and identities, and curate content that connects cultures and represents diverse voices.

High School teachers will review the TSI Assessment—test blueprints and skills assessed. Teachers will collaborate on strategies for TSI-readiness, for test preparation and through daily instructional practice.

There are many different annotation strategies roaming the wilds of education. While this session will present the six strategies of AVID, we’ll spend most of our time presenting and discussing some out of the common activities and strategies to strengthen this critical, complex skill.

Teachers will be refreshed on AP resources, best practices, and goals for the course.

Daily or weekly practice of evidence-based analysis for short poems and works of fiction can strengthen the skills needed for longer works, and thus prepare students for evidence-based writing for the End of Course exams. This session provides a structure for daily or weekly 5–10-minute warm-ups that practice annotation and analysis skills. Through this regular year-long practice of reading, thinking, and writing students will be skilled and confident with their ability to tackle any text. Materials, packets, and slides will be provided to get you started for the new year.

Determining how to facilitate student growth can take many forms. Data tables, identity maps, artifacts, exit tickets, playlists - from the summative to the creative - Knowledge of Students (Domain 1, Dimension 1.3) is one of the few shape shifters that manifest itself organically and strategically. This session will discuss the importance of acquiring a foundational understanding of your students at the beginning of the year, model with specific activities and lessons, and demonstrate how those diagnostics can direct lesson planning, differentiation, and growth.

Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Teaching (CRST) is a reciprocal and asset-based approach to teaching that recognizes, embraces, and amplifies students’ cultural and linguistic repertoires and practices as valuable and contributing to our community of learners. This session will provide an overview of the framework with specific examples to encourage daily implementation.

In this session, teachers will experience the excitement of an ELA infused digital escape room. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to explore the mechanics behind what makes an escape room successful. Teachers will walk away with the knowledge and ability to create and implement their own escape rooms.

This session will explore how Lumio can be used to revamp STAAR preparation by incorporating games and stations for enhanced learning. Participants will learn strategies for making test preparation more engaging and effective through the use of Lumio's interactive platform. We will discuss how to design activities that align with STAAR redesign and how to integrate Lumio's features into existing lesson plans. By the end of the session, participants will have a better understanding of how to use Lumio to create a dynamic and effective STAAR preparation program that engages students and enhances learning outcomes.

In this session, we will explore how Canvas, Kami, and New Quizzes can elevate the learning experience for both students and teachers. Kami, a digital tool for annotation and collaboration, can enhance the engagement and interactivity of course materials. New Quizzes, Canvas' updated quiz tool, offers more flexibility and security in creating and grading assessments. Together, these tools can provide a dynamic and personalized approach to learning, making it more accessible and enjoyable for all involved. Join us to learn how to optimize your use of Canvas with Kami and New Quizzes.

This session aims to show educators how students can use Canva to create comics that can reinforce content while providing students the opportunity to integrate visual and verbal thinking skills.

TCB teachers will be refreshed on the TCB program, review best practices for getting students started, and collaborate on ways to maintain writing practice in the course.

This session will provide an overview and walkthrough of strategies and resources unique to new teachers, whether you’re new to teaching or new to SAISD.

Are you looking for ways to quickly give immediate feedback? We know that feedback needs to happen throughout the teaching and learning process so students can make improvements while learning is still happening. Teachers will be guided through best practices when providing meaningful feedback to students. This will include feedback for writing as well as feedback based on the student’s individual tools utilization. Slidedeck coming soon.

In this session we will model how to use Actively Learn for direct instruction and gradual release of responsibility before releasing students to practice independently. Participants will also have the opportunity to plan a lesson aligned to an upcoming unit. Slidedeck

Slidedeck for Both Middle and High

In this session, teachers will consider the instructional implications of analytical writing and the new STAAR items of short and extended constructed response. Teachers will experience a set of strategies meant to support students in building close reading and analytical writing skills. Teachers will also see the progression of our updated curriculum in supporting these skills.

Middle School

High School

Teachers will use the Gap Analysis Protocol to identify mastery levels of achievement and identify knowledge and skills gaps for a new STAAR item type, short constructed response. Teachers will dig in to the short constructed response task to better support students in this shift in writing focus. We will create exemplars and use these exemplars to identify success criteria, predict gaps in learning, and develop scaffolds for successful learning.

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Teachers will review the R-LA Planning Protocol, using all curriculum documents for their grade level's Unit 1. Teachers should attend with their grade-level colleagues to have dedicated time for planning their first week's of instruction.

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In this session, teachers will experience updates to literacy strategies that will translate to success in college and career literacy and the STAAR Redesign for all content areas. Come sharpen your literacy saws at this session!

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Every reader deserves time to practice their literacy skills in a place with optimal voice and choice. Implementing Self-Selected Reading and Writer's Notebooks in your classroom affords this time, and will also pay dividends in increased fluency, comprehension, and confidence! Participants will learn fundamentals of implementation and new ideas to strengthen the efficacy of these routines--foundational components of our instructional framework.

Link

TCB teachers will be refreshed on the TCB program, review best practices for getting students started, and collaborate on ways to maintain writing practice in the course.

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Teachers will be refreshed on AP resources, best practices, and goals for the course.

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Students will master the skill of engaging with text through guided and independent practice of annotation using the TEKS as their guide. Teachers, and eventually students, will create open-ended questions, modeling the structure of the new design for the English End of Course Exams, using the TEKS as the foundations for these questions. Use of anchor charts signifying the TEKS serve as strategies for scaffolding knowledge and skills.

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Teachers will experience the district's focus strategies for STAAR Redesign through Lumio, learning about Lumio's capabilities in supporting students' processing and thinking. Teachers will experience the strategies as learners and receive support in implementing in their classrooms.

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Additional Lumio resources.

Teachers will apply the SRSD instructional strategy to effectively teach students with IEPs writing strategies such as mnemonics and graphic organizers.

Link coming soon.

General Education Teachers and Special Education Co-Teachers will understand how to collaborate, plan, and select co-teach models to promote the success of all learners. Participants are encouraged to attend with their co-teach partners.

Link coming soon.

Session participants will learn about district resources and the instructional partner you have in your campus Digital Teacher Librarian. Increase assessment scores, literacy, and interest in your content areas simply by walking through the doors of your library and using the resources we have.

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Join us in this hands-on session to explore how Actively Learn will support your students as they read for depth by activating, supporting, and revealing student thinking. Engage in a lesson using the instructional and digital supports for our Emergent Bilingual students and explore how to modify supports for different needs and support students as they prepare for the STAAR 2.0.

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If you have experience with Actively Learn, join us in this hands on session where we will dive deeper into the writing supports that support the STAAR 2.0. Explore the various feedback tools embedded into Actively Learn focused on strengthening writing responses with text evidence. We will also engage in searching, importing, and editing texts to meet all of our students needs.

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In this session for 9-12th grade teachers new to NoRedInk, you will learn how NoRedInk can help your students become more effective writers while also saving you valuable grading and planning time. We will explore the site to make sure that you feel comfortable integrating NoRedInk into your classroom, and that you know how to find the SAT, TSI, and AP alignments. You will also have time to create your first NoRedInk activity!

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For teachers who already have NoRedInk experience, level up with this Enhancing Writing session. In Enhancing Writing, you will learn to create a unit that helps students become more proficient writers. You will also have time to create your own NoRedInk writing activity, as well as explore the NoRedInk Guided Drafts included in your curriculum documents.

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During this session we will learn about the cognitive processes that support vocabulary learning for secondary students. This session will focus on how we can leverage student's current linguistic repertoire to build vocabulary skills that span all content areas. In addition to understanding how we can support vocabulary acquisition in the classroom, this session will focus on concrete activities and strategies that student learning.

Link coming soon.

Participants will deepen their understanding of the unique needs Emergent Bilingual/Multilingual students This session focuses on instructional strategies that provide access to content attainment and the development of academic language in Reading-Language Arts course work.

Link coming soon.

This session engages participants in supporting Emergent Bilingual student engagement in academic conversations. Second Language oral language development correlates importantly with second language literacy development, particularly in the area of comprehension. Oral discussions provide meaningful opportunities for Emergent Bilingual students to hear and practice discipline-specific language and vocabulary.

Link coming soon.

Email jhester1@saisd.net!