Coach's Corner

Stories have the power to change our lives. Besides providing entertainment and escape, they inspire empathy and teach us how to be better humans. Many of us have had the experience of being swept up in a great novel. But not all of us know how to create that experience for others, let alone how to guide students toward creating their own powerful narratives.

How I can help

With 14 years experience in professional storytelling, including writing multiple novels, working with a literary agent, and studying over 100 books on writing craft, I bring passion and purpose to teaching creative writing. Too often we tell students what to write, but a love of writing comes from creating their own stories based on the things they care about most. Ideas always come before text. With our pre-writing brainstorming, students and teachers can avoid the stress of staring down a blank page.

Who can participate

All MJUSD schools, students in grades 3-12. Alternatively, I’d be happy to meet with your PLC team

(all grade levels) to provide tips and resources for teaching narrative writing to your own students.

From his classroom located at Dobbins Elementary School, Independent Studies teacher Neils Wright works with students in Grades 7 - 12 who live in remote locations in the foothills. Mr. Wright is using the "KIM" strategy to help his students develop skills needed to solve problems effectively. Students use the KIM strategy when working on their CAASPP Questions of the Week.

KIM is an acronym for:

K = Key Idea or Term/Vocabulary Word/Part of Speech/Synonyms

I = Information that goes along with the word

M = Memory Clue: Anything to help you remember the word, like

illustration, sentence, symbol.

EXAMPLE Warm Up Question:

Alfonso went to Famous Sam's Appliance Store and purchased a refrigerator and a stove. The sale price of the refrigerator was 40% off the original price and the sale price of the stove was 20% off the original price.

Which statement must be true to conclude that Alfonso received a 30% overall discount on the refrigerator and the stove together?

Possible KIM Answers:

K- What is the Key Idea or Term/Vocabulary Word/Part of Speech/Synonyms?

% off

I- What is the Information that goes along with the word?

The percent sign % shows parts "per 100" as a fraction.

1% means 1 per 100 = 1/100

Off means minus (taken away from)

M- What Memory Clue (like illustration, sentence, symbol) will help you remember the word?

100% = 100/100

Instructional Coaches Rita Moore and Hardeep Sahota visited the Redlands Unified School District in San Bernadino County on February 29 and March 1 to learn more about their C-STEM program. Visit https://www.cstem.org/ to learn more!

• Talk to your principal
• Email us directly (contact info below)
• Fill out the Google Form below:

Rita Moore (K-12 Science emphasis, all sites): rmoore@mjusd.k12.ca.us

Shanna Walsh (4-12 Literacy, all sites): swalsh@mjusd.k12.ca.us

Hardeep Sahota (Math emphasis, Cedar Lane, Ella, Linda, Johnson Park, Kynoch, Yuba Feather): hsahota@mjusd.k12.ca.us

Zack Schulz (Browns Valley, Cordua, Dobbins, Foothill, Loma Rica, Yuba Feather): zschulz@mjusd.k12.ca.us