Workout Wednesdays the Favorite Day of the Week at PP

P.E. at Paine Primary is an active, engaging, fun place to be! It is obvious that the students love Workout Wednesday. Who wouldn't? The activities were many and varied. Students could choose where to begin and who they would like to play with. The coaches calmly and thoroughly explained the activities to the students. A small group of students got to play in the fitness arcade.

Fourth Graders Share Their Learning about Electricity

TCS fourth graders study electricity each year as a part of their science curriculum.  Students learn to build circuits, and they light up creatively designed houses and buildings with light bulbs that are powered through the circuits they create.  They share their new learning through presentations to parents and other students throughout PP and PI.

Field Trip Opportunities at Birmingham Botanical Gardens

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens will offer FREE Discovery Field Trips this January and February.  Garden Gates gives students hands-on opportunities to dissect a flower and plant seeds as they become junior horticulturists.  Each student takes their own plantings back to school to grow.  They can also visit the Tropical Rain Forest to discover that some of their favorite foods come from plants.

To schedule, contact Education Program Coordinator Ellen Hardy @ 205.414.3953 or @ ehardy@bbgardens.org.  For more information, visit www.bbgardens.org/fieldtrips.

Helping Parents Understand How Students Are Learning Math

Math instruction today is different from what most of today's parents experienced in the past.  In order to provide parents with information on current instructional approaches and strategies, Paine Intermediate has begun offering Math Academy for Parents once a month. Parents have two sessions to choose from:  a morning session from 9:00-10:00 a.m. and an evening session from 5:00-6:00 p.m.  Sessions will focus on what students are currently learning in their classrooms.  The first half-hour of the session will include overall information, and they will break into groups by grade level for the second half-hour.

The first Parent Math Academy was held on December 11.  The general group session focused on the importance of the area model in developing conceptual understanding.  The breakout segments were:
·        3rd grade - Multiplication Fact Fluency
·        4th Grade - Long Division
·        5th Grade - Multiplying Fractions.

The school has also created a Math Blog for Parents.  paineintmath.blogspot.com.  It includes instructional videos by grade level.  Throughout the year, math teachers will be creating and adding short video segments on various strategies being taught in the classroom.  These videos can be utilized by both parents and students.

The goal of  Parent Math Blog and Parent Math Academy is to provide parents with important information and a better understanding of the concepts and strategies being taught in the math classroom today.  Questions may be emailed to Lisa.Lothspeich@trussvillecityschools.com, Math Instructional Coach.

Hour of Code at Paine Intermediate

Software and technology are everywhere - in our computers, in our pockets, in our cars, and used in banking, communications, entertainment, transportation, and science. But very few kids are learning how to actually create technology - games, apps and programs. Even fewer US schools teach computer science. Women are underrepresented in this field, and so are African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Computer science is foundational for every student, whether they want to pursue a career in software, or to be a more well rounded citizen in the 21st century. Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path. 

Fifth Graders Problem Solve in the Coding Club at PI

Beginning December 4th, each student at Paine Intermediate will begin learning more about computer science, and the world of computer coding by participating in the Hour of Code, the largest learning campaign in history. In one hour, students (and teachers) can learn that computer science is fun, easy, and accessible at all ages. The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. This global movement is reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. The grassroots campaign goal is for tens of millions of students to try an Hour of Code during December 8-14, 2014, in celebration of Computer Science Education Week. By the end of the eight day computer specials rotation in Lauren Long’s class, every student at PI will have started to complete a basic coding course. To learn more about computer coding, visit code.org.

Reading, Thinking, Listening, Talking, and Writing

Students in Mrs. Higginbotham's fourth grade class were 100% engaged in challenging and interesting non-fiction text today.  Students first silently read articles on Minecraft and Lego Bricks. Their purpose for reading was to compare and contrast the histories of these two toys. Students then partnered up and took turns reading both articles aloud a second time. They then were asked to locate text evidence to answer questions that the partners asked each other. Together, the partners completed a compare and contrast chart. To culminate, the students wrote a response in their journals, citing ways that the two toys are similar and different. They were expected to write two well-organized paragraphs, using evidence from each article.

Mrs. Higginbotham is a master at creating lessons that provide opportunities for reading, thinking, discussing, and writing. The lesson provided for independent work, as well as collaboration.  

Students reread the articles aloud after reading them independently.

Students use oral language to ask and answer questions about the text.

Mrs. Higginbotham encourages students as they read challenging non-fiction.

Creative Lesson from HTMS

Take a look at the creative activity from Morgan Cruit's 7th grade Language Arts class.  

Three Words Video – in a group, come up with a three word statement that explains what you believe the theme is for the book, Wonder. Display it for the camera in a creative way.  This was the culminating activity for the students' study of Wonder.  

Here is the final product. Enjoy! J https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C81gf0H8Yf0&feature=youtu.be

Depictions of Future-Focused Leaders

Gary Marx, author of Twenty-One Trends for the 21st Century, exhorts school leaders to take the offensive rather than holding on to the status quo.  Marx surveyed people from several parts of the world, asking them, "What words would you use to describe a future-focused leader?"

These are among the phrases they provided: creative, imaginative, a clarifier, future-oriented, a generalist, interdependent, interested, conceptual and brainy, teacher, mobilizer, implementer, earned respect, exhibited endurance, a mentor, thoughtful, a problem-solver, a coordinator of talent and energy, genuinely interested in all people.  Also, genuine, not pretentious, nurturer, collegial, a sense of humor, empathetic, not arrogant, and enjoys complexity and constant change.  

TCS Participates in Learning Forward Fall Conference

Thirteen TCS staff members attended the 24th Annual Alabama Learning Forward Fall Conference at the Wynfrey Hotel November 20-21.  The keynote speaker was Ron Nash, author of The Active Classroom.  Paine Intermediate counselor Lauren Blake led a concurrent session, "Student Clubs/Collaborative Planning Time for Teachers - A Win-Win for Everyone."  Lauren shared the story of how Paine Intermediate School carved out time for teachers to collaborate and learn together while providing student clubs that engage, enrich, and extend learning.  

Learning about Colonial Times

Second graders in Jennifer Bruno's and Sabrina Johnson's classrooms presented delightful and informative Thanksgiving plays for an audience of parents, grandparents, and kindergarten students this morning.  The students were able to contrast and compare life today and in colonial days.  

iCan Girls in Engineering

Alabama Power has partnered with Trussville City Schools for the past six years, offering iCan, an engineering program for a selected group of approximately 30 eighth grade girls.  The program involves 5 events throughout the year.  At each event, a group of female engineers leads the girls in hands-on engineering activities or they facilitate a field trip centered around engineering.

The program, which is sponsored by Joy Young at HTHS and Sandy Hoffman at HTMS, has been very successful.  Many of the participants continue through the high school engineering academy.
Last year four senior girls who had started in the iCan Program as 8th graders all received engineering scholarships to major universities.

This morning I was invited to visit the HTHS Engineering Lab where these students were greeted by Alabama Power engineers who facilitated the Fancy Feet Activity.  Students learned about load distribution concepts as they worked as a team to design, build, and test a shoe.  Our students are fortunate to have opportunities such as this.  Many thanks to Joy, Sandy, and Alabama Power and to all of their teachers who have inspired creativity and helped grow these bright minds.

Changing the Way Fractions Are Taught

For many elementary teachers, fractions have traditionally sprung to mind lessons involving pizzas, pies, and chocolate bars, among other varieties of "wholes" that can be shared. But in what many experts are calling one of the biggest shifts associated with the Common Core State Standards for mathematics, more teachers are now being asked to emphasize fractions as points on a number line, rather than just parts of a whole, to underscore their relationships to integers.  Read more about this big math shift by clicking Fractions!  and accessing the Education Week article.

Congratulations to the TOYs!

Trussville City Schools' Elementary Teacher of the Year, Chris Byars, and Secondary Teacher of the Year, Suzanne Glasgow, were recognized and honored by Dr. Neill and TCS Board members at a board meeting this evening.  Congratulations to two of Trussville's finest!

Common Core Math a Mystery to Some Parents

Most U.S. public school students are learning math very differently than their parents did, due to Common Core State Standards, national K-12 math and reading benchmarks that have been adopted by 43 states and the District of Columbia.

The changes have confused many parents — particularly at the elementary level — leaving them flustered by a basic parental duty: Helping with homework.

To read more about how schools are  helping parents understand Common Core Math Standards, click on the link below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/common-core-math-can-be-a-mystery-and-parents-are-going-to-school-to-understand-it/2014/11/01/af57efa0-604f-11e4-9f3a-7e28799e0549_story.html 

101 Books for College Bound Kids

From GreatSchools Staff

Take a respite from the rush and chatter of modern life and spend time with a masterpiece. Even better: entice your teen to join you. Choose a book together and take turns reading it aloud, or track down the audio version and listen to it during your next road trip. This book list, compiled by the CollegeBoard, includes classics your student should read before (or during) college. But don't use the "s" word! Instead, let your child know that these aren't just classics, they are tales of romance, war, adventure, and courage, and that — while they won't love every story — a few are sure to become beloved lifelong companions. As author Italo Calvino wrote: “A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.”

To see full lists of suggested books, click here.

Study Finds Teachers a Key Source of Common Core Curricula

A report released Thursday by the Center on Education Policy provides one of the first early glimpses of how districts are solving one of the most difficult problems of putting the Common Core State Standards into practice. Overwhelmingly, they're creating their curricula locally.

More than two-thirds of districts reported that their teachers are designing common-core curricula, and half said that the district is creating it.

Elena Balint, the manager of the American Federation of Teachers' ShareMyLesson, an online storehouse of instructional resources created and uploaded by teachers, said she wasn't surprised to see teachers heavily involved in creating common-core curriculum in their districts. 

"Teachers are really engaged. They do this of their own volition, because they believe in sharing their expertise and because they want to be better teachers," she said. "Teachers trust teachers. It's their area of expertise to create materials and lesson plans that work for their classrooms."

To read the full article, click below.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/10/teachers_a_key_source_of_common_core_curricula.html 

Alabama National Board Certified Teacher Network Conference

The Alabama National Board Certified Teacher Network Conference will be held on Saturday, January 24, at Spain Park High School. This conference is open to all educators, per-service teachers, and administrators.  It is for new, mid-career and veteran teachers.  It is for teachers who are NBCT’s and for teachers who will never aspire to be NBCT’s.  The conference program will be finalized this weekend,  and more information, including a list of all the breakout sessions, is forthcoming.

This year’s conference will feature Mark Hoog, author of the Growing Field series,  as the keynote speaker, and Dr. Bice will be the lunch speaker. (Lunch and snacks are provided with registration.)

Registration information can be found at: alnbctnetwork.blogspot.com.
Twitter: @alnbcnetwork
Facebook: Alabama NBCT Network

Flex Day Clarification

Trussville City Schools understands the need to differentiate professional development for teachers.  After developing a plan that has been approved by their principal, teachers may complete that professional learning any day of their choice or any time of their choice outside of school hours.  (Many teachers completed their professional learning this past summer when school was not in session or through an online class in the evenings.)  That’s why they are called “Flex” or Flexible days.  These are two days when teachers are paid to study, learn, and grow as a professional.  To earn credit for the two flex days, teachers must complete 12 hours of professional development outside of the school day.  

Please adhere to the following process:

1. Write a proposal explaining your intended learning.
2. Submit the proposal to your principal for approval.  
3. If approved, the principal sends the signed proposal form to Theresa Ray in C&I.  
4. The  proposed professional development is given an STIPD course number.  The teacher is informed of this STIPD course number. (Some PD may already have an STIPD course number.  Teachers should include this STIPD course number on their proposal form.)
5. The teacher signs up in STIPD for the course.
6. After completion of the professional development, the teacher completes a summary form and returns the form to Theresa Ray.  (If the professional learning was an online course or an outside workshop, a certificate of completion with hours completed should be included with the summary form.)
7. Theresa Ray will approve the professional development in STIPD.

For accounting purposes, the following dates have been deemed as flex days for the 2014-2015 school year:

• February 16, 2015
• May 22, 2015

Teachers who have completed the above process for at least 6 hours of professional development should request February 16 as a professional day.  Those teachers will not be expected to attend school on February 16 because they have spent time on a previous date outside of school hours on their professional development.  

Teachers who have NOT completed the above process should NOT request professional leave for February 16.  They will need to attend school that day and work on professional learning provided by the principal OR they will need to request personal leave for February 16.  

Teachers will be prompted at a later date to request professional leave for May 22.  No one should request professional leave for May 22 at this time.  

Click here for proposal form and summary form.  

For questions, contact Beth Bruno.

Genius Hour

Could you use this in your classroom?  I bet you could.  Take 2 minutes to watch this video about Genius Hour.  Share your thoughts with your colleagues.  Students will thank you.

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol9/919-video.aspx

Teacher spends two days as a student and is shocked at what she learns!

Jamye Waites sent a link to an interesting article that we should all read.  

Do teachers really know what students go through? To find out, one teacher followed two students for two days  and was amazed at what she found.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/10/24/teacher-spends-two-days-as-a-student-and-is-shocked-at-what-she-learned/

Administrator Professional Learning Team

TCS administrators met today to collaborate, share and learn together.  Team members shared each school's professional development plans, as well as information from recent Powerful Conversations Network meetings  Additionally, the group discussed classroom walkthroughs.  The collaboration of our district administrators will facilitate improved learning and student achievement as we establish common goals and focus our collective efforts on achieving those goals.

Chromebooks in the Classroom

Students in Mrs. Romano's English class are enjoying their Google Chromebooks!  They are currently researching background information related to the Great Depression and their study of To Kill a Mockingbird.

What students had to say about their Chromebooks:

"They are easy to use."
"They are good for group work."
"They help us find information faster."
" I can look up images that help me to understand what it looked like during the Great Depression."

NEWSELA

Paine Intermediate Reading Coach Kelly McGough recommends the resource NEWSELA. This is a great resource for complex text.  Teachers can adjust the reading level, and it works great with Chromebooks.  Best of all,  it is free!

https://newsela.com/ 

"Poor Kids Are Starving for Words"

According to a 2012 report by the Brookings Institution, less than half of poor children show up to school prepared with the early math and reading skills, emotional and behavioral control, and physical well-being needed to be ready to learn, and that disadvantage persists into adulthood. The report continues, “children with higher levels of school readiness at age five are generally more successful in grade school, less likely to drop out of high school, and earn more as adults, even after adjusting for differences in family background.”

Much of this disadvantage has been attributed to what researchers call the “word gap.” Higher-income parents spend nearly a half hour more per day engaged in direct, face-to-face, Goodnight Moon time with their children than low-income parents do, and by the time these children are 5 years old, the poor ones will have heard 30 million fewer words than their wealthy peers. Nearly all of my more affluent students read in their leisure time, but approximately two out of every 10 of my poor students tell me, “I don’t read” when I offer to help them pick out an independent reading book.

Click on the article to read about the discrepancies in vocabularies between middle class and poor students.
Poor Kids Are Starving for Words

Science News

I attended a CASEE (Central Alabama Science Education Exchange) meeting today with other curriculum directors in our area.  CASEE is lead by ALAHASP at UAB CORD facilitators, Beverly Radford and Joan Dawson.  Information we received:

• New Science Standards most likely will not be forthcoming until 16-17.
• Area schools are beginning to study and understand the Next Generation Science Standards and the National Research Council's Framework.  (These are NOT standards adopted by the ALSDE, but can serve as a guide to what the upcoming standards may look like.)
• The shift is to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).  Next summer, UAB will offer science workshops for teachers led by Ann Dominic, one of the area's most well-known MATH teachers!  
• The Birmingham Botanical Gardens have Discovery Field Trips for grades K-5 that focus on botany.  Middle school field trips have an emphasis on plant systems, sustainability, technology, and conservation.  They have open dates for winter and spring. 
• Cahaba Environmental Center near Montevallo will open in March 2015.  This facility includes 440 acres along the Cahaba River in Bibb and Shelby Counties with residential facilities including cabins, dining halls, and indoor classrooms,  for visiting groups.  The Cahaba River and its watershed are the thematic core of the educational program.  The initial program is being developed to meet the educational needs of 4th-6th grade students.  The program is being designed to encompass a 3 day/2 night experience.  Longer and shorter programs will also be available.  
  

The National Research Council's (NRC) Framework describes a vision of what it means to be proficient in science; it rests on a view of science as both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model and theory building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. It presents three dimensions that will be combined to form each standard:

Dimension 1: Practices

The practices describe behaviors that scientists engage in as they investigate and build models and theories about the natural world and the key set of engineering practices that engineers use as they design and build models and systems. The NRC uses the term practices instead of a term like “skills” to emphasize that engaging in scientific investigation requires not only skill but also knowledge that is specific to each practice. Part of the NRC’s intent is to better explain and extend what is meant by “inquiry” in science and the range of cognitive, social, and physical practices that it requires.

Although engineering design is similar to scientific inquiry, there are significant differences. For example, scientific inquiry involves the formulation of a question that can be answered through investigation, while engineering design involves the formulation of a problem that can be solved through design. Strengthening the engineering aspects of the Next Generation Science Standards will clarify for students the relevance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (the four STEM fields) to everyday life.

Dimension 2: Crosscutting Concepts

Crosscutting concepts have application across all domains of science. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science. They include: Patterns, similarity, and diversity; Cause and effect; Scale, proportion and quantity; Systems and system models; Energy and matter; Structure and function; Stability and change. The Framework emphasizes that these concepts need to be made explicit for students because they provide an organizational schema for interrelating knowledge from various science fields into a coherent and scientifically-based view of the world.

Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas

Disciplinary core ideas have the power to focus K–12 science curriculum, instruction and assessments on the most important aspects of science. To be considered core, the ideas should meet at least two of the following criteria and ideally all four:

• Have broad importance across multiple  sciences or engineering disciplines or be a key organizing concept of a single discipline; 
• Provide a key tool for understanding or investigating more complex ideas and solving problems;
• Relate to the interests and life experiences of students or be connected to societal or personal concerns that require scientific or technological knowledge;
• Be teachable and learnable over multiple grades at increasing levels of depth and sophistication.

Disciplinary ideas are grouped in four domains: the physical sciences; the life sciences; the earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology and applications of science.

Helpful Anchor Charts

While visiting HTMS today, I saw examples of helpful anchor charts hanging in classrooms throughout the school.

Strategic Teaching at HTMS

HTMS teachers use the strategic teaching strategy of providing engaging activities from start to finish.  They share their plan of action with students by writing the plan on the board each day.