For me, I know I need to be more direct with my intention of the lesson, and state it before teaching the lesson.

I enjoyed having time to be with my team and talk through a lot of different issues.

I feel much better about the Critical Content after our time together.

The time to work on what was needed was so appreciated.

This afternoon, I was able to have powerful conversations with other staff members regarding standards, critical information, as well as ways to help meet the needs of the students. I also found the article regarding math questions to be interesting.

I viewed numerous science webinars and became more familiar with the Next Generation Science Standards. I learned how science education is moving away from memorizing facts and formulas and to an emphasis on conceptual frameworks. The NGSS has seven crosscutting concepts that apply to ALL grade levels:

1. patterns

2. cause & effect

3. scale, proportion & quantity

4. systems & models

5. energy & matter

6. structure & function

7. stability & change.

   
   

I watched a webinar called Making Room for Reflection with a Picture-Thinking Routine. It demonstrated how to more effectively use nonfiction text with students. First, examine the images and ask, "What do you notice about the image?" Focus on the object, action and property. For example: "I see swings. I notice kids swinging. I can tell the swings are strong because they are holding the weight of the children." This routine encourages students to take risks as they infer meaning, so I like the connection to the IB trait of risk-taking!

I also learned about text annotation and how students can easily annotate text by using the following annotation symbols:

! = Wow or Wonders

? = Confused

+ = Connection

* = Important

Again, there was a connection to IB, with the use of wonder and connection!

I read the article from Edutopia: The Power of One Good Math Question. It gave an actual example of how a teacher and math coach/mentor used a bin of mixed-up dominoes to show how there is a lot of power in a single question. Guidelines for Choosing Questions:

• Make it real

• Keep it simple

• Stay out of their way

• Let them struggle

• Celebrate solutions (even if it's discovered there is NO solution)

  
  

Finally, like many other people already stated, I feel like I have a better understanding of critical content. I appreciate how Jenny presented this in a way that was not just talking at us, but instead, there was variety (videos, discussion, individual reading & making a collaborative poster).

I also enjoyed the flexible day with my team, we were very productive!

Getting together to dig deeper into our next math unit and find the essentials standards is really helpful to make sure we are focusing our teaching on the right material and since we are missing a teacher we get bogged down on keeping our grade level together on the same page!

The MLK conversation really brought us back to our "why." We want our kids to know that they can stand up for each other, and be on the same team even when you disagree. Also-the importance of empathy in the classroom and how that carries out into our everyday worlds.

We read the article on student engagement and talked about how to get our students love for learning back.

Our team dedicated the afternoon to reviewing and refining key aspects of our classroom operations, including schedules, our point system, and overall classroom management strategies. We engaged in meaningful discussions to ensure consistency and effectiveness in our approach.

Following this, we spent time collaborating on our individual standards, sharing insights, and aligning our instructional goals. We explored best practices, exchanged ideas, and mapped out detailed plans for the upcoming month to create a structured and engaging learning experience for our students. This collaborative effort helped us refine our teaching strategies and ensure that our lessons are both effective and aligned with our educational objectives.