2. What can you learn from Ms. Francisco about teaching multiple strategies?

What I can learn from Ms. Francisco about teaching multiples strategies is that you can give the kids different resources and allow them to choose which one works best for them. This allows them to take control of their learning and causes them to think critically about the story.

3. How does Ms. Francisco encourage students to use their personal reactions?

Ms. Francisco encourages the students to use their personal reactions because she asks them to look for things that leads to a reaction inside them. They then use that reaction and turn it into a question using the resources they were given. It takes the power away rom the teacher and gives it to the kids.

Ms. Francisco encourages student to use their observations or notice of how they they think, feel, and respond about a text. She encourages them to turn those thoughts and feelings into a question. When she does this, it allows the students become the teacher for their own learning/reading of the novel. This way, their learning has more impact/and is meaningful to to the student.

Ms. Francisco helps her students by creating life long learners. They are learning how to think critically. Her students are also being pushed to the highest level. Finally, they are learning how to struggle with complex text and to handle stress. This will prepare them for when they are older.

2. What do students learn from both writing and discussing questions?

The students learn from both writing and discussing the questions by taking ownership of their learning. It lets them know that their work and opinions matter. I like how it gives them a chance to share what they have learned in a different way.

3. How do students test the validity of their questions?

The students test the validity of their questions asking the questions they create to other students. They apply their learning to others and it gives a different perspective.

4. Why is this step important?

This step is important because they are able to articulate their own ideas and show that their ideas matter. It is important so the students can test themselves and take ownership in the learning. They might understand another student better than the teacher. This is the great way of this strategy, kids teaching other kids. 

The students were also able to use verb starters such as contrast, analyze, and predict, list, and judge. She also explained the Frayer model and how this can be very useful. 

From watching the video, I have learned the different ways to engage students in conversation about asking higher order questions. I have learned that there is more than one way to get the students to think.

Ms. Francisco encourage the students to use their reactions to the text and turned those into questions.  She motivated the students by giving them a sense of empowerment and pointed out that good readers have questions.

THOUGHT STARTERS 

 

Ms. Francisco uses Bloom’s Taxonomy during her book study of the book IQBAL. She provides the students with multiple strategies to help the students develop higher order thinking questions. I really liked the idea of a verb starter envelope students can utilize to produce those higher order thinking questions. One part of the video that really stuck out to me was when Ms. Francisco says “good readers have questions they don’t know the answers to”. This statements helps students understand the importance of questions and how it helps you dive deeper into a text to better comprehend. It truly is a critical brainstorming tool.  

 

 

I learned a lot and really liked how she provided the PDF resources to use in our own classrooms. I am excited to implement them in the upcoming weeks. I have used Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Frayer Model. Partner work and accountability is also very important. She has partners answer for each other as a type of check-in. The students are also given the opportunity to be the leaders. The power is transferred from the teacher to the students. The teacher is giving them the knowledge and models them empowering them with the power of choice.  

 

Students learn best in my opinion when they are in charge of their learning and have the power of choice. The teacher tells them while they are reading look for parts and quotes that stand out to them. Then from that reaction from a question. 

     2. If so, what did you do to reach your goal? If not, what can you do over the next 2 months to reach your goal?

In order to reach my goal, I have been planning lessons to meet the needs and interests of my high achieving/gifted students. The lessons included more research for students to do. The output of their research has been geared more towards their creative side than anything else. Which, helps, because it gets their interest and holds onto it. They don't become bored with a too easy project.

In the class, I have been differentiating projects so the students are responsible for choosing the project that best fits their abilities. I have used differentiated instruction as evidence in my lessons plans. I have also set high expectations when it comes to online assignments. The students who are meeting or exceeding their goals get shouted out and rewarded. 

We have also been using high expectations when its come to Leader in Me. The students are learning how to be proactive in their own learning. We have been teaching how to take responsibility for our own actions and putting first things first. The students are showing evidence of this through their schedule making.

I am very glad you have asked us to do this, as it has brought to my attention the items I need to make sure I document over the next 2 months to make sure even if items are not seen, I can show proof that they are being done in the classroom.

My last submitted walk through was December 18th. As of that date I had an overall score of 2, which I am trying to increase to a 3.  According to the submitted TFETs, I have not met my goal. 

2. If so, what did you do to reach your goal? If not, what can you do over the next 2 months to reach your goal?

Over the next two months I am concentrating on further preparing my students for the FSA.  Within the classroom I have incorporated student created anchor charts that review concepts of writing an essay, and I plan to also create anchor charts regarding each reading standard. I especially intend to provide feedback on their assignments at a quicker pace, and provide my students- especially my highs- with more opportunities to go beyond what the standard is asking them to do.  I am also going to encourage more feedback from my students concerning their assignments, in order to ensure that their tasks are challenging enough to ensure gains.  The goal is to create assessment questions that are overall more difficult than the FSA, however not so challenging that developmentally appropriate scores are unattainable.  I will also continue to find opportunities and teachable moments where students are able to employ critical thinking skills off the cuff. 

2. Thankfully, I was assigned some pretty helpful and inspiring videos on ASCD that really helped me better understand ways I can improve on creating an active learning environment.  I plan to use the remainder of this school year to deepen my practice of this goal as much as possible.  However, I am really looking to be sharper in this area next school year.

Environment #13 that strategies are used to ensure coursework, discussions, and/or tasks are

rigorous. My current score for indicator number 13 is a 1/beginning and by my final evaluation I

would like to be at a 2/developing or higher.

My action steps include using Webb’s Depth of Knowledge to generate questions into my

lesson plans. Incorporate more higher order thinking projects that include rubrics that allow

students to be more in charge of their own learning. Ensure my gifted certification is updated on

my teaching certificate. Below I listed some resources that I have used this school year.

Resources

1.

PD IN FOCUS Project-Based Learning and the 21st Century Channel Teaching to the

Rigor of the Common Core State Standards (1 hour) Introduction to High Schools at

Work: Community Connected Learning Practices (2 min) Interactive Lecture (6 min)

2.

Gifted Certification - in process of state approval on certification the courses are

complete.

3.

Book for resources- When Gifted Kids Don't Have all the Answers.

4.

Pinterest - Gifted Board for resources.

5.

Clever Apps- Newsela

Over the school year, I personally believe I have made gains in this DPP indicator

13. I have not reached or exceeded my goal and would like to see more growth in myself

during the fourth quarter. Recently, I have been working with Ms. DeMouy and Ms. St

Lot on Tuesday’s for our lesson plan meeting to create and add more high order thinking

vocabulary and activities into our lesson plans.

Today, I was personally happy with my lesson plan and incorporated high expectations. I

planned a lesson with Pi day using a 530L (third grade text) Pi Day article from Newsela. I had a

printed copy and had the students use the iPads. We highlighted, talked about the “power

words”, quiz and a small writing portion. It was an awesome week to incorporate the Newsela

article because in language arts we are currently learning about author’s purpose and we always

use the acronym PIE (persuade, inform and entertain). At the end, I had the students write about

what part of the “pie” was this article and we talked about how it was both the I and the E part of

the PIE! They had so much fun learning and growing while using HOT skills!

On my Performix, one feedback comment from Ms. St Lot stated “Thank you for having

me in your class. My focus today you maintain a high expectation environment in your

classroom. This is done by providing students opportunities to think critically, to apply content to

real-world scenarios, to give students time to practice content. This was evident in your class

today as students were working in groups completing various math problems. The student

interaction and talk were appropriate and you occupied the room to check it.” I really appreciate

this positive feedback. My scores have mainly been 1’s, 2’s or N/A by the end of the year I

would like to see a 3 or higher. I have been observed twice on this indicator and each time I

grow. In the last couple months of school I plan on self reflecting, observing other teachers

classrooms especially during centers (currently setting one up) and creating lesson plans that

include more higher expectations.

In order to achieve my goal of scoring a 3 I need to give students time to process new information and make connections and have the students turn and talk more.