Hope you had a marvelous Halloween!

Agenda – November 3rd

1. Upcoming Assignments2. Inquiry Unit Tips (for Inquiry-Based Unit Plans)3. Gamification/Gamed-Based Classrooms – More Info4. Reading Measurements, AR, STAR, ZPD, and RTI

NOVEMBER• 11/03 – No In-Class Meeting – Independent Work

Day– RR7 due via email by midnight (see syllabus)– LPP7 due via email by midnight

• 11/10 – NEXT WEEK– RR8: questions 1-6 page 96 due in-class– Perform LPP8 with group of 5 in-class– We will discuss in detail final assignments.

Lesson Plan Practice #7You will create a reading or writing

lesson plan draft with Before, During, and After strategies.

It must be tied to a literacy standard and include a measurable objective.

Choose a short text or writing assignment.

Email the lesson by midnight November 3rd.

Lesson Plan Practice #8You will perform in-class a reading or writing

lesson with Before, During, and After strategies.

Tied to a literacy or writing standard and a measurable objective

Groups of 5 – You will sign up your group tonight!

Choose a short text or writing assignment.

15-30 minutes each

November 10th

November (cont.)• 11/17

– CEP and Unit Plan Assignment In-Class Q&A + Workshop. Bring your tech! (see website for outline of both assignments)

– RR9 – To be completed in-class– LPP9 – This will be a draft of a lesson in your Unit Plan– BDA Resource Folder due in-class (see website)

• 11/24 – No In-Class Meeting – Work on Unit Plans, CEP, etc.

• 11/30 – Not a Class Meeting – Last Day to Turn in CEP Assignments. All parts of the CEP must be uploaded as ONE FILE to LiveText.

December• 12/01– RR10 due via email by midnight (see syllabus)– LPP10 – You will share a lesson from your Unit Plan.– Reflective Journals due (10 minimum/paragraph

each minimum.)

• 12/06 – Not a Class Meeting – Last Day to Turn in Unit Plan

CEP, BDA Resource Folder, and Unit Plan Info LinksCEP

◦ https://pgelmorecrd412.wordpress.com/clinical-experiences-project/

BDA Resource Folder◦ https://pgelmorecrd412.wordpress.com/bda-reso

urce-folder/

Unit Plan◦ https://pgelmorecrd412.wordpress.com/unit-plan/

Syllabus Change: You may now complete the Unit Plan alone or in a group of 4 or less.

Keys to Not Being a Stressed Out Teacher

(other than being organized and planning ahead)

Have down time.Eat.Sleep.Have fun.Are you doing these things!?

Inquiry Unit TipsIn inquiry-based learning, instructors create an

environment in which students are free to ask questions, learn concepts, and explore possible solutions within a real-world, project-based context.

Inquiry-based units are structured around an open-ended, intriguing question that is used to direct students towards the objectives of the unit and invites students to be a part of the solution to the unit’s dilemma.

Typical Projects Focus Around

1. Solving a Problem (How can we stop cyber-bullying in our school?)

2. Investigating a Phenomenon (Why do you stay on your skateboard? How do people become racist?)

3. Making a Decision (How would a new community center benefit our neighborhood, and how should we fund it?)

4. Designing a Model (Create a model of a new playground structure. Design a new auditorium for the school’s performance arts classes to practice and perform in.)

Examples of Inquiry Based Learning QuestionsWhat makes a person a person? (See website for example of an

inquiry unit plan based around this question)How do you know if a law is just?What foreign languages should be offered at our school and why

are these languages worth including into the curriculum in our community?

How is math used in the justice system and how, for example, are punishments given a mathematical value, and is this system just?

How is a hero different from a celebrity?How does sound affect mood and how could these be used to

benefit humanity?Which leader of the previous century relied most on propaganda

and appeals to fear?

A Good Inquiry Unit Question

Has more than one answerHas a very deep meaningGives you lots of informationDoesn’t have a yes or no answerIs hard to answer Contains exciting words that make you want to

look for an answerIs about something you can researchMakes you think, know, and wonder

More Tips on Formulating IBL QuestionsThe question should be relevant to the learner.Open-ended and higher-order (no right or wrong

answer)Answers are not already knownMultiple possible answersNot too personalCannot be answered without careful and lengthy

research—answers have to be more than simple factsAble to be researched given the available resources—

must be answerableMake learners question their basic assumptionsPromotes further inquiry

More on Gamified Learning

Amp up single-player games by creating teams.

For example, using the typing speeds of students, create teams with the same average typing speed.

These evenly-matched teams play their favorite typing game, Baron von Typefast.

Add up all the scores, and the winning team receives Experience Points, medals, school supplies etc. You can even play Olympic music to heighten the drama of wining.

If a new high score is reached, or a combined new high score, the whole class can received bonus XP.

Items You can create virtual or physical items for

students to win by meeting certain conditions. You can use images to make these items look really cool.

Examples: Pottery Shard: A note card for your test. Collect

all 6 shards to keep your whole card. Yes—I will rip it!

Staff of Wisdom: Reduce a multiple choice item by 2 on the test!

Potion: +5 points on your quiz/test. Siren’s Call: Can use headphones during

computer lab time.

More Item Examples Calendar: 1 Extra day allowed for any

assignment. Sands of Time: For being on time and

in your seat every day this week, your team (or you can call them “guilds”) earns 100XP.

Skip Spear: Can be used to skip one quiz item.

Points XP: Experience Points – These points

are earned by completing missions, quests, side-quests, mini-games, battles, (aka assignments).

BP: Battle Points – These points are earned and lost in review games.

AP: Achievement Points: Points towards unlocking achievement badges that may correlate to prizes like items

Keep Points High Examples: 1,000 Possible – Side-quests 10,000 – Main quests 1,000 – Mini-games

Links to More Info http://www.educatoral.com/wordpress/2

012/07/16/gamifying-my-classes/

http://www.mrmatera.com/category/blog/gamification/

https://sites.google.com/site/sagacitylearning/

http://www.gamification.co/ http://blog.tophat.com/4-ways-to-gamify

-learning-in-your-classroom/

Other Thoughts I’ll keep looking for more and better examples of

gamified classrooms (most of them have been removed from the public Internet unfortunately it seems).

If you want to try this, start with one lesson, or one unit, and build from there. Keep it simple in the beginning. You’ll learn what works/doesn’t through trial and error.

There is no RIGHT way; just the way that works for YOU and YOUR students.

READING MEASUREMENTS

Accelerated ReaderSTAR Tests

Response to InterventionZone of Proximal Development

ACCELERATED READER1. Accelerated Reader (AR) is software for primary and secondary schools used for monitoring the practice of reading.

2. It was created by Renaissance Learning, Inc. There are two versions: a desktop version and a web-based version in Renaissance Place, the company's online portal.

How does it work?1. Children read books in their ZPD. After the parent or teacher signs off on the AR log, the child logs on to the classroom computer and takes the AR Reading Practice quiz for the book they just completed.

2. They earn points based on their success on each quiz. The questions are designed to show how well the student understands the material. It’s one thing to read a book – it’s another thing to comprehend it in a meaningful way.

3. The school provides incentives by way of the AR Store to encourage successful reading. It's a fun, exciting way to encourage a love of reading in children.

How are reading levels determined?

• 1. At the beginning of the school year, students will take a Star Reading test that determines their appropriate reading level.

• 2. This test can be given three times per year. Based on performance on this diagnostic tool, students are assigned a zone of proximal development, or ZPD.

• 3. The number roughly correlates to the expected performance in a specific grade at a certain month of school. For instance, a level of 3.4 indicates third grade, fourth month.

What is ZPD?1. This stands for Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky).

2. The ZPD is a number range that correlates to levels assigned to AR books. The ZPD is designed to encourage students to read at their fluency level (the level at which they can read easily and with good comprehension).

AR Scores• Ex: 2.4 = reading on the same

level as a 2nd grader during the 4th month of school (on average)

• Therefore, the student’s reading level is a 2.0-3.0.

• A realistic goal would be to try and help the student achieve a consistent 4.0-5.0 by the end of the school year.

AR Point Goals

AR Log1. You can also assign AR point goals to students.

2. If you are responsible for AR in any capacity, create a folder to help you keep the materials organized. (Many schools do it by homeroom regardless of content area).

What is a STAR test?1. STAR Reading, STAR Early Literacy and STAR Math are standardized, computer-adaptive assessments created by Renaissance Learning, Inc., for use in K-12 education. It is often used for assigning ZPD.

http://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R0052941871CA398.pdf#page=3

Green: Above Grade LevelBlue: At GLYellow: Below GLRed: Immediate Intervention

Required (You want this at zero if possible).

STAR Screening Report

1. Response to Intervention (RTI) is a framework for systematically determining how well instruction is working and making adjustments to accelerate learning for all.

2. RTI is a “tiered” model, often illustrated as a triangle with several levels. Each level represents a grouping of students whose differing needs are met with more intensive instructional approaches.

Response to Intervention (RTI)Kids Needing Immediate Intervention are Tier 3

1. The tiers within RTI represent actions, not classifications, and students may move between the tiers throughout the year, in both directions, as indicated by assessment data. The point of RTI is not to identify where students are in a standard normal distribution curve. Instead, the point of RTI is to move the curve and accelerate learning for all students.

2. You may be asked to keep a RTI folder of student progress/scores.

3. You will be told what to do for these students by the school.

The Goal of RTI

If you have questions or would like clarification about any information that was presented in this PowerPoint, be sure to let me know at our next class meeting. We will begin class with an opportunity to briefly (if needed) discuss this PPT.