“Golden” Apple News…

          by Diana Knudson

The Montana Educators Institute in Helena in June was a focus on formative assessment.  Dan Mulligan, the GTCC presenter for the up-coming  August 23^rd workshop, was one of the speakers.  He makes the idea of formative assessment so pertinent.  Formative assessment is what we do along the way to know if changes need to be made in instructional strategies en route to mastering a more remote, targeted curricular aim.

·        Planned and intentional, formative assessment is a well thought- out process. That was the point that really drove it home to me that I was not always doing formative assessment in the classroom although I thought I was. 

·        We identify building blocks along the way to our target and then decide how we will know that students are mastering those building blocks. 

·        The “how we will know” are the assessments we plan to give after each of those building blocks have been taught  so students will be ready to take the final summative assessment at the end.

·         The teacher is the key in determining the purpose of assessing since assessments profoundly influence what students will study.  If students believe factual recall will be emphasized, students will learn facts.  If assessment requires students to apply principles and theories, to analyze, synthesize and make judgments, they will learn to use higher-level thinking skills (Mulligan, Montana Educators’ Institute, June 2009).

My favorite quote concerning assessment says “For as long as assessment is viewed as something we do “after” teaching and learning are over, we will fail to greatly improve student performance, regardless of how well or how poorly students are currently taught or motivated.”  Grant Wiggins, 1998

Thank you to all of you who read the “Golden Apple” and responded to our contest.  The winner of the $100 gift certificate to Barnes and Nobles is MOLLEE GEMAR from Valier!  We put all the names in a hat and Matt Genger drew the winner.  My goal as director is to make teachers aware of the Golden Triangle website and to have them sign up for E-News.  We will run this contest again in September so stay tuned and tell all your school friends to watch for it.  Have a great July.  I hope to see many of you at our workshops.

Bringing Lessons to Life

Challenge students to write a law

"There ought to be a law." It's a common thought. But students in Diane DiNicola's first-grade class at Park Avenue School, Westbury, NY, did something about it. They worked with a county legislator to write their own law.

The legislation grew out of a unit on tobacco. Students noticed that their friends were buying candy cigarettes designed to look like tobacco products.

So they worked with a local legislator to try to make it harder for children to buy these candy cigarettes. As a result of their efforts, candy cigarettes may now only be displayed behind the counter.

During the process of getting the bill passed, students learned more than just the legislative process. "They also learned patience and persistence," DiNicola says. "Students these days do a lot," she notes. "They even make laws."

Legislators at the local and state level may be willing to work with the students in your class to address an issue of importance. Here's how you can make such a partnership a great learning experience for your class:

• Choose a real issue. As they do the research, students will not only learn about the legislative process--they will also learn about the issue. That way, the effort will be a success whether the bill passes or not.
• Avoid "state emblem" bills. Most states already have plenty of state fruits, insects and rocks.
• Do your research. DiNicola's class located a study on the impact of candy cigarettes on smokers. The sponsor of the bill cited the research study frequently as he advanced the legislation.

Reprinted with permission from the June 2010 issue of Better Teaching® (Elementary Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2010 The Teacher Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Contact: Diane DiNicola, Park Avenue School, 100 Park Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590-3956; (516) 876-5109.

Technology

Ask students to illustrate a headline

It can be a real challenge for struggling readers to understand newspaper headlines. Often, they're written in half-sentences. They may use phrases that violate basic rules of syntax. Yet the headline is often an indicator of the main point of the news story.

Cut out a series of cryptic headlines to stories with accompanying photographs. Separate the headlines and the photos. Have students work to match the appropriate headline with the correct photo. Have students write a sentence or two ex-plaining why they matched the two.

Then use technology to enrich this assignment. Have students take one or two of the headlines that they have matched with a photo. Using the Internet, have students research a different photograph that could accompany the story.

For example, suppose the story is about a rise in unemployment. The accompanying photograph shows people lined up at a job fair. Students could look for a different way to illustrate the same story. They could find a picture of a manufacturing plant that was closed down.

Once students have their picture, they can write a paragraph to explain why it also illustrates the main point of the news headline.

Reprinted with permission from the June 2010 issue of Better Teaching® (Secondary Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2010 The Teacher Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Joan F. Groeber, More Than 100 Tools for Developing Literacy, ISBN: 9781-4129-6437-1 (Corwin Press, www.corwinpress.com).

Resources

Okay, so you know you can use manila folders to hold things. But did you ever think of using folders as table tents to hold directions for a group activity? Or as a personal dictionary? Teacher blog "It's Not All Flowers and Sausages" includes a list of ways teachers can use these handy items in unusual ways. Be sure to read the teacher comments as well. (http://itsnotallflowersandsausages.blogspot.com/2010/02/oh-manilla-foldershow-do-i-love-thee.html)

You want to use Facebook to keep in touch with your friends. But you're concerned about how to maintain your professional image. "A Teacher's Guide to Using Facebook" was written by Bernadette Rego and is designed as a helpful resource for teachers. (http://spaceforeducation.blogspot.com/2009/06/teachers-guide-to-using-facebook.html)

Technology offers many great ways to enhance student learning. A new free download, "A Resource for New Media in the Classroom," is filled with ideas you can use. Developed by the George Lucas Foundation, this booklet will give you specific websites and lesson ideas to use with your students. (www.edutopia.org:8080/files/existing/pdfs/Edutopia-10-top-tips-for-teaching-with-new-media.pdf)
Reprinted with permission from the June 2010 issue of Better Teaching® (Secondary Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2010 The Teacher Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc.

If all you had to do was teach, your job would be a lot less exhausting. But there's all that other work--before and after class--that can drain your energy and sap your time. Stephen J. Valentine offers tips on managing the work you do outside class. Everything But Teaching: Planning, Paperwork, and Processing will help you save your energy for the most important part of your job--teaching. (ISBN: 9781-4129-6707-5, Corwin Books, www.corwinpress.com.)

Wallwisher (http://wallwisher.com) is an online message board. Ask students to respond to a question. Their responses will appear on virtual "sticky notes" in much the same way as you could post notes in your classroom. It can also be a tool for team planning or professional development. It's free, and, as its creator, you have the opportunity to view any post before it appears.

The Smithsonian Institution, known as "America's Attic" because of its astounding array of treasures, actually consists of 19 museums, nine research centers and 140 affiliate museums around the world. If possible, get to one of them. If not, they can all come to you. Smithsonian Education online (www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/index.html) offers more than 1,500 resources in art, design, science, history, technology, culture and language arts--aligned with state standards.
Reprinted with permission from the June 2010 issue of Better Teaching® (Elementary Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2010 The Teacher Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc.

IT'S SUMMER, GET OUTSIDE AND PLAY!
Check out these fitness websites packed with great ideas to keep you and your kids healthy.

Fitness

• The Fitness Files
  This site addresses fitness in a concise, fun, interactive format that's great for learning the most effective ways to become and remain physically fit.
  http://tms.ecol.net/fitness/
• Fitness Fun Times Five
  Features lessons that combine fitness fun with other subjects, including sponge relay, baseball Frisbee, bowling math, and more!
  http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson266.shtml
• PEC: Health and Physical Education Lesson Plans
  This database contains more than 1500 health and physical education lesson and assessment ideas.
  http://www.pecentral.com/lessonideas/pelessonplans.html
• President's Challenge
  Contains a series of programs designed to help improve anyone's activity level.
  http://www.presidentschallenge.org/
• BAM! Body and Mind: Teacher's Corner
  Serves as an aid to teachers, providing them with interactive, educational, and fun activities linked to the national education.
  http://www.bam.gov/teachers/index.htm
• Balance First
  Provides everything you need to teach students about energy balance -- balancing the foods we choose with regular physical activity.
  http://www.smartspot.com/professionals/balance_first/