11/4 Steger Computer School, WGHS, Strategic Planning

I spent the day at Steger/Computer school.

I read to 6th grade about simple machines.

Watched a lesson on types of motion.

Helped with Technology in Social Studies.

Watched a lesson on learning from 5th grade:

Sat at at Kindergarten station during their daily 5.

Worked with a Social Studies teacher.

Watched a Forces video with 3rd grade.

Ate lunch in the frozen tundra of the Staff lounge.

Played Edheads Simple Machines

Watched marshmallow catapults in AE

 After School headed over to WGHS to meet with designers at 3:30.

Strategic Planning meeting begins at 5:30.

3/27 Steger/Computer School, Avery, SS Vertical Team

Started the day at Steger Elementary

Started the day swinging pendulums in Kindergarten:

I then helped students with their East Asia Projects in World Studies:

I watched and helped students research South Africa:

Hung out with some 5th graders as they were working on their Science and Social studies through literacy.  This one team learned about stars so I showed them a cool app call Sky Map:

Also shared the TOP iOs apps for Astronomy: http://www.iphoneness.com/iphone-apps/top-astronomy-applications-for-iphone/

I then had lunch with the Computer school where we discussed tech tips, google resources and ways to use collaboration in the classroom.

I then went up to have lunch with some of the Steger teachers.

Finally I wrapped up the day in a 6th grade science class.  We looked at:

• Ways to organize student work
• ways to organize student assessments
• Ways to organize student notebooks
• Conversations to be had with parents about grades and Standards-based grading

Afterwords, went over to Avery to drop off transition materials for a teacher moving from Kindergarten to 3rd grade. Items included:
This form:

and

• List of facilitators for Science and Social studies
• Science GLEs
• Social Studies GLEs
• January Draft of the NGSS for 3rd grade
• How to read the NGSS

I then went over the the Board room to set up for the Vertical Team Meeting for Social Studies.

We completed a sheet like this for every grade level:

Notes from that meeting found here: https://docs.google.com/a/wgcloud.org/document/d/1mdOSL8xxQ1hel5nmjcQKRW59YNg65DOs92kUP401L_A/edit

2/4 Steger, ER, PDC

Spent the morning at Steger working with 6th grade world studies.

I helped students with the East Asia project and worked with the teacher on how to revise/improve the project.  Here's the scoring guide as it sits now:

We discussed:

• Letter to parents - too many words, scoring guide on the back, let that speak.
• Guidelines
• One thing as the checklist, calendar for you displayed in the room.  Cross off with them
• Scoring guide focused on the product and not the learning.
• Where’s the reflection?  Where’s the uncovered learning/thinking?
• Video of example of expectation and exemplar, let them score it.
• You make one.
• Phases – Earn cards to move form phase to phase
• IDEA:  Scoring guide paper with blank sections, earn the next phase scoring guide after first phase is done.
• Students read and submit journal entry on what they notice, see and questions they have.
• Checklist is AWESOME!
• Everything including research/journals spaces.
• Why not Wikipedia?  Use it to start, cross reference with others…
• While researching have word or docs open to copy/paste websites and book titles for use with bibme.org later.

Copied for 6th grade Science meeting:

• MS GLEs
• NGSS for Ecology
• Ecology GLEs
• Earth's Process Assessment
• Earth's Process goals

Handled a Edcamp Miscue

Worked on 1st quarter sign ups: http://wgsdq1.signupsheet.com/

- Made accounts for 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarter.

Went over to CO for PDC meeting.

• http://www.classdojo.com/
• January 4
• Edline
• TLC
• Opening Day

10/17 Errands, Steger, ETA, Challenger Learning Center, iPad Training

Started the day at Edgar Road picking up materials and handouts for the 2nd/3rd year teacher meeting tomorrow.

Dropped off 3rd grade "Force and Motion" kit that was missing back to Clark and Mary Ann.

Arrived at Steger.

Went to Mr. Tullman's learning goal: Explore the effects on societies when two cultures (Europe-new world) collide
Direct instruction on spanish words, letters, and sounds.
Saw letters written to Foreign exchange student who presented on culture and details of Austria.

Next I stopped by Mr. Mack's room.  Learning goal: Students will draw a conclusion about what happens when cultures collide.

Students were working on a concept map.  Each group had a set of questions and activities for a section of the world with the ending being that they will present their map to other students.  Here's a sample in progress:

Next checked out Mrs. Williams,
Kids were "rocking and rolling" talking about motion doing some predicting and having some VERY fun conversations about how you know if something is in motion.

Then on to Mrs. Mangrich.  Students were making flip books wrapping up their thoughts on motion:
here's a sample flip book:

While I was there I also downloaded an app that makes flipbooks on my ipad and made a video of one of the kids, I emailed that to Mrs. Magrich. Here it is if you want to watch it: https://docs.google.com/a/wgcloud.org/file/d/0B2myX1fkAsIBLWpEOHBQNXpWcDA/edit

At 12:30 arrived at the Challenger Learning Center for the ETA of STL meeting.

Inside students can be broken up to three groups:

Group one went to mission control room

Group two: Blasted off into space:

Once at the space station, each group had a job to do.  Once they get started on their job, something goes wrong and they have to work with Mission control to solve it:

Group Three had a challenge to do.  They were presented a challenge to design a rocket to win a contract from a business.

Students were given a budget and had to buy supplies: 

After building their rocket they shot it off, brought it back in redesigned and revised.  Shot it off again.  Winners of the contract were not only based on how far the rocket traveled but other features of 21st century learning like communication and teamwork:

After the tour we had a conversation and St. Louis STEM TQ program from a Sigma Aldrich representative.  We also were shared the vision of the Challenger learning center and shared some STEM resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qaFSAsRyFNN1tmyKYRVKlT8vgToM6HcWChbCEaeOAGY/edit?pli=1

I had to leave before the end of the meeting to get to Bristol in time.

Wrapped up the day with an iPad training at Bristol.  We discussed:

Settings - about (version) turn on speech

notes/keyboard

safari

article

app store

SAMR Model

*60in60 - 60 apps in 60 minutes