Sunday, February 23, 2014

Math Bulletin Board | Common Core Math Division

Math Bulletin Board | Common Core Math Division Vocabulary, Division Signs, and Model

Working on new Digital Math Bulletin Board ideas for Common Core Math standards | Free Printable Math Bulletin Board Ideas | Common Core Math Division | More to come!

Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.



Saturday, February 22, 2014

Weekly Calendars | Weekly Common Core Calendars Printable

Weekly Teacher Calendars/Lesson Plan Templates for Teachers | Science, Math, Social Studies, Writing, Reading and English Language Arts! Editable Common Core Curriculum MAPS!  Smart-board and White Board Calendar/Lesson Plan Slides

Sample Science Lesson Plans 
Reading Boot Camp Sample Lessons 










Friday, February 21, 2014

Close Reading Task Cards | Close Reading Inference

Close Reading Task Cards | Close Reading Task Cards Inference 

Close Reading Task Cards | Infer, Inference, Inferring and Drawing Conclusions help students practice the act or process of deriving logical conclusions (educated guesses) from premises known or assumed to be true. Close Reading with questions stems in mind helps student focus on the text deeper and more closely. 

Use the Close Reading Task cards below in reading centers or guided reading groups to start the conversation about Inferring and Drawing Conclusions.

More to Come! 









Thursday, February 20, 2014

Smart Board Slides | CCSS Reading

Smart Board and White Board Slides | Free editable White Board slides

Common Core Reading Intervention White Board Slides | Daily Lesson Ideas and Editable Whiteboard Slides!

I am working on NEW RBC Digital Design Ideas (White Board Slides)! Please give me a critique on the aesthetic, overall layout, theme, and appeal! This is all relatively new, advanced page layout, recreating fonts, creating transparencies, tabs, backgrounds, and hopefully a fun sense of whimsy for the kids!

The new RBC slides are used to set goals and keep the learning moving forwards.










Thursday, February 13, 2014

Nonsense Words and Reading Fluency | Research

Teaching nonsense words, testing nonsense words to measure reading fluency, and using nonsense words to determine a student's reading readiness is nonsense in my opinion. Finding qualitative or quantitative research on the efficacy and merits of using nonsense words to determine reading potential/ability/fluency, or to measure reading "preparedness" comprehension as some have stipulated is nigh impossible.

English is littered with a vast collection of irregularities that are kryptonite to anyone who struggles with reading. Why add more testing to an area that is saturated with grossly over touted and poorly researched pedagogical theories. We can invent so many useless ways to test students and make them feel stupid! Why?

Maybe when we are done parsing, testing, reinventing, manipulating, decomposing, reconstituting, reforming the reading process, students will start reading for enjoyment and stop preparing to take another DUMB reading assessment. Sean


A very short list of White Papers on the use of nonsense words and reading fluency! I excluded article by organizations promoting the Nonsense Word Fluency tests (AimsWeb/DIBELS)!
RUNNING HEAD: Nonsense Words and Reading Fluency 

Relationship Between Nonsense Word Fluency Benchmark Scores and Oral Reading Fluency 
Benchmark Scores 

Abstract 
 Teachers are spending ample time teaching and testing nonsense words in the 
classroom to teach students how to read, however many first graders are not meeting the fluency 
benchmark at the end of first grade. This action research project was conducted to see if there 
was a connection between nonsense word reading ability and oral reading fluency. Data was 
collected from Nonsense Word Fluency tests and Oral Reading Fluency tests from the AimsWeb 
assessment instrument. There were ten students who participated in this study. A survey was also 
administered to find out the beliefs and perceptions of teachers and parents about the teaching 
and testing of nonsense words to teach students how to read. The conclusion from this action 
research is that there is not enough data to come to a decision and that more research needs to be 
conducted. 


The Inception of nonsense words? 



Saturday, February 8, 2014

Music Brain Breaks

Music Brain Breaks | 80's Music Brain Breaks
  
Music Brain Breaks for my Odyssey of the Mind Team!  








Plus one For The O.M. Team last Year! 

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Journeys Common Core Reading Program Reviews

Journeys Common Core| Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Reading ELA Program Reviews | Selecting the Best Grade Level (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) Common Core English Language Arts Curriculum to Prepare Students for The New Common Core English Language Arts and Literacy Standards.

A few question that I ask when evaluating a Reading Program!

  1. Do they measure and meet the highest levels of Blooms Taxonomy and Webb's DOK?
  2. Is the curriculum spiral in design, meaning concepts are introduced and repeated to maximize learning and memory?
  3. Are lesson plans designed to maximize declarative knowledge and retention of key ELA concepts?
  4. Are the students provided with higher order thinking question stems to create a erudite dialogue during reading instruction.
  5. Are the goals explicit and easily known to students and teachers before the lesson?
  6. What is the quantity of tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary concepts in the curriculum.
  7. Are kids inspired and excited to read the literature provide in the readers.
  8. Can a "harried" teacher with an oversize class really use the materials and resources?
  9. Are lessons designed to be taught in a cooperative learning structure?
  10. Is the publisher delivering real Common Core materials or are they selling you a one size fist all repacked old program?
Please share your thoughts and reviews of  Journeys Common Core Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Common Core! 

PROS and CONS Of Many Modern Reading Programs 


PROS: A pre-set standardized curriculum makes lessons easier for teachers to plan and supervisors to
monitor.

CONS: Programs can marginalize teachers by not allowing them to make decisions about how to teach (Garan, 2004).

PROS: Programs ensure teaching consistency. Programs can “de-skill” teachers, placing them in the role of middle managers (Coles, 2001; Rice, 2006).

PROS: Program developers can provide teacher training (Garan, 2004)

CONS Teachers can become alienated from their reading instruction and begin treating the teaching of reading as the application of commercial materials (Shannon, 2005).

PROS: Many programs advertise their use of scientifically based reading research and alignment with Reading First guidelines (Duncan-Owens, 2007).

CONS Teachers will continue to follow a program in spite of a lack of results because of administrative insistence.

PROS: Designers of scripted instruction have noted that following a model derived from “scientifically based research” can be helpful for teachers and increase student achievement, especially that of students from low-income backgrounds.

CONS Some teachers decry scripted instruction for limiting their autonomy, professionalism, and ability to respond to students’ individual needs. Scripts “take the professionalism out of teaching” (Christiana, 2005). 

Teacher Evaluation of the Scripted Reading Street Program and the Level of Satisfaction among its
Sub-scale Components     Danielle Savino-Garzon danielle.savinogarzon@student.shu.edu

McGraw-Hill's Reading Wonders Reviews

McGraw-Hill's Reading Wonders Common Core ELA Reviews | Selecting the Best Grade Level (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) Common Core English Language Arts Curriculum to Prepare Students for The New Common Core English Language Arts and Literacy Standards.

McGraw-Hill's Reading Wonders Reviews: Anonymous "After trying to teach "Wonders" for three month, just let me say that the reading selections in the core curriculum are exceedingly boring! The selections are contrived to teach a specific skill, and therefore often lack depth and substance. How are children going to learn to read and interpret difficult texts with such poor examples? The TE's are wordy, unclear, and very teacher-unfriendly. There are frequent errors in pedagogy, and the assessments are over-the-top difficult. It is NOT just a matter of rigor. The program looks like it was tossed together much too quickly. In 40 years of teaching, it is the poorest I have ever seen."

McGraw-Hill's Reading Wonders Reviews: Anonymous  This program sucks! Tests don't come home, so you can't see what your child needs help in because it is done on the computer. In our school they say they go over the problem areas but numerous children are not succeeding on this program in part to no home involvement. No homework comes home for children to work on. It is boring material according to my child. Our district keeps sending letters home that the kids are not doing well as the material is too hard. This program in our district is promoting and encouraging teachers to work less by following the program not sending extra work home. This is a true dissappointment. I believe my child is suffering because of it. I went to the website to see if there are extra materials, there are at a rediculously high cost! As a parent i am seriously dissapointed!
A few question that I ask when evaluating a Reading Program!
  1. Do they measure and meet the highest levels of Blooms Taxonomy and Webb's DOK?
  2. Is the curriculum spiral in design, meaning concepts are introduced and repeated to maximize learning and memory?
  3. Are lesson plans designed to maximize declarative knowledge and retention of key ELA concepts?
  4. Are the students provided with higher order thinking question stems to create a erudite dialogue during reading instruction.
  5. Are the goals explicit and easily known to students and teachers before the lesson?
  6. What is the quantity of tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary concepts in the curriculum.
  7. Are kids inspired and excited to read the literature provide in the readers.
  8. Can a "harried" teacher with an oversize class really use the materials and resources?
  9. Are lessons designed to be taught in a cooperative learning structure?
  10. Is the publisher delivering real Common Core materials or are they selling you a one size fist all repacked old program?
Please share your thoughts and reviews of McGraw-Hill's Reading Wonders Common Core! 

  • PROS and CONS Of Many Modern Reading Programs 
  • PROS: A pre-set standardized curriculum makes lessons easier for teachers to plan and supervisors to monitor.
  • CONS: Programs can marginalize teachers by not allowing them to make decisions about how to teach (Garan, 2004).
  • PROS: Programs ensure teaching consistency. Programs can “de-skill” teachers, placing them in the role of middle managers (Coles, 2001; Rice, 2006).
  • PROS: Program developers can provide teacher training (Garan, 2004)
  • CONS Teachers can become alienated from their reading instruction and begin treating the teaching of reading as the application of commercial materials (Shannon, 2005).
  • PROS: Many programs advertise their use of scientifically based reading research and alignment with Reading First guidelines (Duncan-Owens, 2007).
  • CONS Teachers will continue to follow a program in spite of a lack of results because of administrative insistence.
  • PROS: Designers of scripted instruction have noted that following a model derived from “scientifically based research” can be helpful for teachers and increase student achievement, especially that of students from low-income backgrounds.
  • CONS Some teachers decry scripted instruction for limiting their autonomy, professionalism, and ability to respond to students’ individual needs. Scripts “take the professionalism out of teaching” (Christiana, 2005). 
Teacher Evaluation of the Scripted Reading Street Program and the Level of Satisfaction among its
Sub-scale Components     Danielle Savino-Garzon danielle.savinogarzon@student.shu.edu

Reading Street Common Core Reading Program Reviews Grade 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

Pearson Reading Street ELA K-5 Reading Program Reviews | Selecting the Best Grade Level (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) Common Core English Language Arts Curriculum to Prepare Students for The New Common Core English Language Arts and Literacy Standards.

A few question that I ask when evaluating a Reading Program!

  1. Do they measure and meet the highest levels of Blooms Taxonomy and Webb's DOK?
  2. Is the curriculum spiral in design, meaning concepts are introduced and repeated to maximize learning and memory?
  3. Are lesson plans designed to maximize declarative knowledge and retention of key ELA concepts?
  4. Are the students provided with higher order thinking question stems to create a erudite dialogue during reading instruction.
  5. Are the goals explicit and easily known to students and teachers before the lesson?
  6. What is the quantity of tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary concepts in the curriculum.
  7. Are kids inspired and excited to read the literature provide in the readers.
  8. Can a "harried" teacher with an oversize class really use the materials and resources?
  9. Are lessons designed to be taught in a cooperative learning structure?
  10. Is the publisher delivering real Common Core materials or are they selling you a one size fist all repacked old program?
Please share your thoughts and reviews of Pearson Reading Street ELA K-5 Common Core! 

PROS and CONS Of Many Modern Reading Programs 


PROS: A pre-set standardized curriculum makes lessons easier for teachers to plan and supervisors to
monitor.

CONS: Programs can marginalize teachers by not allowing them to make decisions about how to teach (Garan, 2004).

PROS: Programs ensure teaching consistency. Programs can “de-skill” teachers, placing them in the role of middle managers (Coles, 2001; Rice, 2006).

PROS: Program developers can provide teacher training (Garan, 2004)

CONS Teachers can become alienated from their reading instruction and begin treating the teaching of reading as the application of commercial materials (Shannon, 2005).

PROS: Many programs advertise their use of scientifically based reading research and alignment with Reading First guidelines (Duncan-Owens, 2007).

CONS Teachers will continue to follow a program in spite of a lack of results because of administrative insistence.

PROS: Designers of scripted instruction have noted that following a model derived from “scientifically based research” can be helpful for teachers and increase student achievement, especially that of students from low-income backgrounds.

CONS Some teachers decry scripted instruction for limiting their autonomy, professionalism, and ability to respond to students’ individual needs. Scripts “take the professionalism out of teaching” (Christiana, 2005). 

Teacher Evaluation of the Scripted Reading Street Program and the Level of Satisfaction among its
Sub-scale Components     Danielle Savino-Garzon danielle.savinogarzon@student.shu.edu