New Years Resolutions

One week until winter break:)  Try to keep routines going in your classroom as that is helpful for student learning and appropriate behavior.  Don't forget to come to Perkins on Tuesday from 7:15-8:30 for breakfast and time to socialize with our HP staff.  Everyone is invited.  Check out the Tellegami invite On Friday we will have the sing along from 2:30-2:50 in the gym and immediately following we will do Santa or Snowman Bingo from 3-3:30.  Our all school celebration dance will be done right before Bingo starts.  

I want to wish all of you a wonderful winter break.  Take some time to enjoy family and friends and do something kind for yourself.  

It's hard to believe it's almost 2014.  Happy New Year!
That is a time to stop and reflect on our lives and how we can improve ourselves.  Most of us make resolutions to save money, build more time for family, and to lose weight.  We also need to think about our jobs.  Here is an article to help you think about resolutions for 2014.  We are always trying to do more, meet every individuals need, try all of the new technology ideas out there, etc.  We need to focus our efforts and celebrate our progress.  This article may inspire you in making a resolution for school.  New Years Resolutions for Teachers

You may want to make New Years Resolutions with your students when you come back on Jan. 2nd and 3rd.  This is a 

good follow up to our Hopes and Dreams we made in the Fall. Students can reflect on their hopes and dreams and either update them or make New Years Resolutions.  Here are some resources to support making New Years Resolutions with students:
PBS Article Making New Years resolutions with your child
Scholastic New Years Resolution Time Capsules
Positive-and-Healthy-New-Years-Resolutions-for-Kids  
Please comment and add other ideas or links you may have to share.


Think about making resolutions...  
At school
To be healthier
At home

HSD 2025 and Technology

HSD 2025 and Technology  

On our December 11th Late Start, we are going to revisit our enduring understanding

Preparing learners for a changing world requires responsive shifts in teaching and learning.

Our essential questions are:

What do learners need to prepare for our changing world?

What shifts can we make in our practices to prepare our students (and ourselves) for our changing world?

We will continue our journey to UPGRADE our lessons, assessments, and activities utilizing technology.

We are not using technology for technology itself, but to upgrade understanding and learning.  

Heidi Hayes- Jacobs continues to inspire us to upgrade our work.  I recently emailed her sharing 

the progress here in Hudson and she said it made her day.  Here is one example of our students work.    Tellagami Example    
Her goal is to inspire and challenge educators

to upgrade our work.  Don't forget to visit  Curriculum 21 Clearinghouse for great resources.  

I would like to thank you all of the volunteers who are taking a risk and sharing what they know about technology.  Thank you to Jodi, Mary Beth, and Maija for facilitating sessions.

We will be meeting at River crest with our laptops.  Each session is designed for a 15 minute mini lesson with
30 minutes to apply your learning for something to use in your class,
8-8:45- Choice Session 1
8:50-9:35- Choice Session 2
9:40-10- Technology Overview with Nancy Dressel

I would like to encourage you to think about how technology can be used to help our students in reaching our 
Graduate Learner Outcomes:

• Global Literacy
• Technology Literacy
• Entrepreneurial Learning
• Environmental Sustainability
• Thinking
• Life Skills

Websites to check out include

 "Integration Matrix".  

Technology Matrix

I hope you find the collection of videos on the site showing technology being used in education to be helpful.  The videos are grouped according to the level of technology integration as well as the characteristics of the learning environment as defined below: (Our goal is to move toward the green!)

Levels of Technology Integration into the Curriculum

• Entry-The teacher begins to use technology tools to deliver curriculum content to students.
• Adoption – The teacher directs students in the conventional and procedural use of technology tools.
• Transformation-The teacher encourages the innovative use of technology tools.  Technology tools are used to facilitate higher order learning activities that may not have been possible without the use of technology.

Characteristics of the Learning Environment:

• Active-Students are actively engaged in using technology as a tool rather than passively receiving information from technology.
• Collaboration-Students use technology tools to collaborate with others rather than working individually at all times.
• Constructive-Students use technology tools to connect new information to the prior knowledge rather than to passively receive information.
• Authentic-Students use technology tools to link learning activities to the world beyond the instructional setting rather than working on assignments that are not relevant.
• Goal Directed-Students use technology tools to set goals, plan activities, monitor progress, and evaluate results rather than simply completing assignments without reflection.

December Dilemma

December Dilemma 

December can be a stressful and challenging time for students and staff, personally and professionally. Every December public school teachers and administrators face the difficult task of acknowledging the various religious and secular holiday traditions celebrated during this time of year while balancing the need for sustained high quality teaching and learning.  In an effort to help create a school environment that celebrates diversity by respecting differing points of view concerning religions, the following suggestions are offered.

·      Public schools must never appear to endorse religion over non-religion or one particular religious faith over another.

·       Public schools must be careful not to cross the line between teaching about religious holidays (which is permitted) and celebrating religious holidays (which is not).

·       Religious music, literature, art or other religious activities should not dominate school activities.  School events, assemblies, concerts and programs must be designed to further a secular and objective program of education and must not focus on any one religion or religious observance.

·       Religious symbols are not appropriate seasonal decorations in public schools. At the same time, students should not be restricted from choosing to express their religious views in course assignments (e.g., artwork, personal narrative).

My goal is to provide an inclusive learning environment for all students.  Every student should feel welcome and represented at a public school and should be able to participate in every activity we have.

High quality standards-based instruction and student learning is the expectation in December as it is throughout the school year. Holiday activities, parties and showing of videos should be a minimal part of the school day.  Maintaining routines are important to increase student learning and minimize behavioral difficulties.

Great Reads on this topic!

Religious Holidays in Public Schools

How-handle-religious-holidays-public-schools

Video Use Policy #6181

“Video presentations are primary for instructional use. However limited use of video presentations for entertainment purposes (e.g. holiday, long bus trips, behavior rewards, movie theater visits, etc.) is permitted with principal approval .”

Please remember to discuss with me entertainment videos you are thinking about showing and the purpose. Videos shown for holiday purposes should be shown on the day before a holiday break. Students do best when their learning routines are intact, right up breaks like vacations. Again thank you for your work, you’ve done a wonderful job in past years focusing on learning during the holiday season.

Here is another interesting read. Keeping Kids Motivated During the Holidays

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Gratitude- Happy Thanksgiving

What are you thankful or grateful for?

This is the question people are reflecting on during the month of November. 

I once was told to spend each night before bed reflecting with gratitude with what I do have.  This is a practice I do every time I hear myself venting and frustrated and magically things turn positive in my life when you focus on gratitude.

I want you to know that I am thankful to work with such professionals as all of you. Your dedication to your students and doing whatever it takes to help them grow both social/emotionally and academically is inspiring.   You treat them with the love and care as if they are your own children.

Did you know gratitude is something students need to be taught.  Check out this article to tap in on how we can support the development of gratitude with your students. 
Tapping into the Power of Gratitude

Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have. 

I’ve seen better days, but I’ve also seen worse. 

I don’t have everything I want, but I do have all I need. I woke up with some aches and pains, but I woke up. 

My life may not be perfect, but I am blessed.

 If you want to find happiness, find gratitude. 

When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. When life is better, say thank you and grow. 

When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.

Gratitude is one of the sweet shortcuts to finding peace of mind and happiness inside. 

No matter what is going on outside of us, there’s always something we could be grateful for - 

See more at: http://www.lorensworld.com/life-work/be-thankful-6-quotes-to-express-gratitude/#sthash.UpviwDii.dpuf

Non-fiction reading and writing.

The ASCD published magazine Educational Leadership focused their November edition on "Tackling Informational Text". Editor in Chief, Marge Scherer describes the conversations that took place with the EL editors on their experiences with nonfiction text and how the authors discuss how the CCSS emphasize teaching students how to read informational text. 

Educators are reminded by Mary Ehrenworth (deputy director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University, New York),  "You are educating them not for the state test, not for that college class, but for the contributions they'll make to the world.....You are setting out to transform their ideas about what it means to read."

Here is a great article about starting out with informational texts:

Ed Leadership: Starting Out Practices

Check out this website for free downloads of great primary level non-fiction texts.
http://textproject.org/students/beginningreads/

Differentation in the CCSS

The Common Core has been a guiding force in classroom shifts in the past few years in Hudson.The Common Core State Standards outline rigorous content expectations with the intent to make all students college- and career-ready by the end of 12th grade. 
Questions that come up are how do we use the standards to meet the individual needs of my students.  This includes specific learning disabilities, speech disorders, ELL, EBD, Gifted and talented students and the range of students you see in your classroom.

The graphic above shows the student is always the center of learning.  We need to utilize formative assessments to determine student needs to reach the outcome or the CCSS.  Differnitated instruction is the route we take to support students to independently demonstrating the standards.

Click here to view the standards.

Directly From the Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts… 

"By emphasizing required achievements, the Standards leave room for teachers, curriculum developers, and states to determine how those goals should be reached and what additional topics should be addressed... Teachers are thus free to provide students with whatever tools and knowledge their professional judgment and experience identify as most helpful for meeting the goals set out in the Standards." 

"The Standards set grade-specific standards but do not define the intervention methods or materials necessary to support students who are well below or well above grade-level expectations. No set of grade-specific standards can fully reflect the great variety in abilities, needs, learning rates, and achievement levels of students in any given classroom. However, the Standards do provide clear signposts along the way to the goal of college and career readiness for all students." 

"All students must have the opportunity to learn and meet the same high standards if they are to access the knowledge and skills necessary in their post–high school lives." 

"Instruction should be differentiated: good readers will need much less practice with these concepts than struggling readers will. The point is to teach students what they need to learn and not what they already know—to discern when particular children or activities warrant more or less attention." 

---

Directly the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics…
“These Standards do not dictate curriculum or teaching methods. For example, just because topic A appears before topic B in the standards for a given grade, it does not necessarily mean that topic A must be taught before topic B. A teacher might prefer to teach topic B before topic A, or might choose to highlight connections by teaching topic A and topic B at the same time. Or, a teacher might prefer to teach a topic of his or her own choosing that leads, as a byproduct, to students reaching the standards for topics A and B.”

“What students can learn at any particular grade level depends upon what they have learned before. Ideally then, each standard in this document might have been phrased in the form, ‘Students who already know A should next come to learn B.’ …. Learning opportunities will continue to vary across schools and school systems, and educators should make every effort to meet the needs of individual students based on their current understanding.”

The keys to differentiation are to change:
1.  Content

• Use the standards from the grade below if students need more support or the higher grade levels to determine appropriate extensions 
• Different text levels or complexity in Guided Reading
• Choice interests for inquiry

2.  Process

• Gradual Release to scaffold learning- Think aloud, Think together, Guided Practice, Independent Practice
• Small group corrective teaching with more support
• Small group extension
• Use more visuals and vocabulary development

3. Product

• Use choices for students to share learning

Read more on differentiation:  Differentiation in the Common Core  Please comment to share more ideas how you differentiate in the CCSS.

Book Study

Here are the great books being read at Hudson Prairie during our book studies.

They will help us uncover our enduring understanding of:
Preparing learners for a changing world requires responsive shifts in teaching and learning.
and answer our essential questions of:
What do learners need to prepare for our changing world?
What shifts can we make in our practices to prepare our students for the changing world?




We want to collaborate with North Hudson about our reading on Twitter and share our learning with our colleagues here at Hudson Prairie.
Please get a Twitter account so you are ready to join in the learning.
How to set up a Twitter Account
Twitter for Beginners

#HudsonBookStudy is our hash tag!
Just put that in the message and we can search for all tweets that are related.

Let the learning begin!

Read chapter 1 by November 5th and be ready to tweet!

Decisions on Using Resources

On Tuesday, we will be discussing how we can make decisions about resources to use with our students.   Please bring a laptop or I pad so we can complete this form collaboratively.  Save this link for a Google form.

https://docs.google.com/a/hudson.k12.wi.us/forms/d/1gMBdEpVpQNYe67pcqxMTaVFQvS3W3ges4oXUbnG9o5Q/viewform

Hudson Professional Learning Google Site

Thank you to Nancy Dressel for supporting our use of technology.  We have started a Google Sire to organize our professional learning and to help us refer to learning opportunities we have had   

Check it out at:   https://sites.google.com/a/hudson.k12.wi.us/hes-professional-development/

There is a shortcut on the right tab entitled Hudson Professional Learning for your reference.
Please let me know if you would like anything added and if you have suggestions for improvement.

Common Core Standards

A  lot of questions have been circulating about the Common Core State Standards and some have come up during conferences. The Common Core Standards are being challenged around the state.   A  few state legislators have reopened the Common Core issue and are conducting hearings around the state.  As professionals, we need to educate people about the Common Core State Standards and dispel myths about the standards.  We are the professionals who work with the standards on a daily basis to guide our instruction and educate our kids.  I want you to be prepared to speak to parents, friends and family who ask about the CCSS standards that guide our work everyday.  

Here are some great resources from the WI DPI regarding the CCSS.  Your work with the standards and the impact for students are powerful in educating people about the standards.

 DPI CCSS Toolkit 

 Myths and Facts article

The next hearing close to Hudson is scheduled for:

Wednesday, October 23 (2:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.) Eau Claire –Chippewa Valley Technical College

I will be testifying on behalf of WASCD educating the state about the CCSS on Wednesday.  We will have representatives from Hudson testifying as well and I will share quotes from them. I believe Dan Koch and Sandi Kovatch will also be testifying. Here is my prepared statement:

My name is Susie Prather and I am the principal at Hudson Prairie Elementary school in Hudson, Wisconsin.  I am here as a representative of the Wisconsin Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.  

WASCD has been a state leader in curriculum and instruction for 65 years.  The organization is non-partisan with a focus on improving student achievement through quality curriculum and instruction. Members of the organization include superintendents, curriculum directors, principals, teachers, and other educational professionals.

As experts in curriculum and instruction, we are committed to supporting the use of the Common Core standards as the foundation for the instruction and assessments.

The state's previous Model Academic Standards were a patchwork of expectations only providing what students should know and be able to do at grades 4, 8, and 12.  The Common Core Standards provide a clearly articulated set of expectations across each grade level.

By having a consistent set of academic expectations through Common Core Standards, districts are able to collaborate and develop greater opportunities for equity and access to key skills and concepts that are aligned with college and career expectations.

The Common Core Standards serve as a guide for local districts. The standards are not curriculum. Districts still have local control related to specific outcomes, curriculum, resources and assessments that are used.  In Hudson, we have used the standards to guide our planning of instruction, use of resources, and in developing rigorous assessments for the past three years.

Long term, the question that needs to be asked is "Do the Common Core Standards in reading and math better position our Wisconsin students to be competitive nationwide and worldwide, in college and viable careers?"   

As an educator, I know the Common Core Standards will do just that and will prepare students to be successful contributors to our world.

Institutes of higher education support the Common Core Standards because it raises the bar for our students.  Businesses across the state support the Common Core because students better understand and can use critical skills in math, literacy, and problem solving to be more effective employees. 

WASCD, with its 700 members, goes on record as supporting the Common Core Standards as a significant component of systemic improvement in math and literacy across the state.

SLO

I want to thank all of you for your professionalism with the development of SLO's the past 2 days.  I am inspired by your professionalism and commitment to helping all students learn.  I want to thank you for the awesome demonstration of collaboration and teamwork we have at Hudson Prairie.






Don't forget to check out http://hudsonslo.wikispaces.com/home  for more resources and let me know if you have anything to add.  Here are new items added today!

1. On Step 1 tab I added Amanda McCarthy's step by step overview of her development of an SLO using the guiding questions from DPI.  

1. Here is a 5 minute video from DPI on an overview of SLO's.  It is located on the home page.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zbmU7s89PE&feature=youtu.be

Our next steps:

Thursday Oct. 24-  I will come to day 6 collaboration meetings to support your SLO development.    Some teams are ready to go through the approval criteria on the following form: Wi SLO selection Approval Rubric

Oct. 31 & Nov. 1- SLO Goal Approval Meetings.  Sign up on Susie's door.  We will reflect on the approval criteria here Wi SLO selection Approval Rubric

Nov. & Dec.- Collect Evidence

Jan. 15 - Midyear Conference/ Adjust Goal and strategies and support if needed

Feb.- April-  Collect Evidence

May 27 - Submit evidence of Goal Attainment and evaluation meeting

Introduction to a Blog

How do I navigate a blog?
http://www.screenr.com/1ZuH


How do I post a comment?
http://www.screenr.com/JDuH


These tutorials were made by screenr!  
http://www.screenr.com/

Please let me know if you have any additions or suggestions for improvement of this blog.

Connecting with Families at Conferences

Conferences are an important time to connect with families.  We are fortunate at Hudson Prairie with the great partnerships we have formed with our families.  I spent time celebrating with my friends this weekend and was listening to them sharing about their own children's conference.  My friend was so impressed at how well the teacher knew her daughter and how she was her biggest advocate.  That is the great responsibility we hold for each student.  We need to be their biggest advocate, cheerleader, and coach.  

Here are some tips:

1. Send a questionnaire home to get a focus for parent concerns.
2. Getting students involved is important so they are owning their learning.  See information on student led conferences.  ASCD Article  Step by step blog
3. Take the "sandwich" approach. I start with something positive, continue with the things that the child needs to work on, and I finish with something positive.
4. Plan the essential things you want to share.  Strength and an area to work on.  Essential data and work samples.
5. Listen to parents concerns and have a 2 way conversation.
6. Don't talk down to parents. Be honest and truthful. Try to speak in the positive, not always negative. Offer positive ways to help a struggling child.
7. Get support from Max and Susie as needed.

Remember to give a copy of your conference schedule to Linda and to block out 45 minutes for dinner.  Thank you to PTO who will be serving dinner from 3-6 pm.  

WASCD Learning from Appleton, WI

 

WASCD New Learning

Continually growing and changing is who we all NEED to be in education.  The point of the blog is to continue our Professional Learning Community at Hudson Prairie.  We need to continue to share our learning. 

You should be proud of your colleagues Jodi Magee, Amy Gallick, Amanda McCarthy, and Deb Brastad who shared their journey with SLO's at the conference.  They had around 60 educators from around the state learn with them.  I am impressed by the knowledge of the link between teaching and learning that was evident as we shared our story with SLO development.  The presentation is located  at our SLO wikispace.  Check out the introduction tab on the right and check out WASCD Presentation.

 

Rick Wormeli was the keynote speaker.  He spoke about Standards based grading and assessment in the CCSS! Wormeli Standards Based Grading Video

Here are some tips.

• Report behaviors separate from academic standards.
• Grades should only reflect evidence of the CCSS.
• Make feedback active for kids.  For example they could find 3 mistakes instead of us circling errors.  Let kids critique others work.  The thought is whoever does the editing is learning,
• Formative assessment is where the learning happens.  Ideas for formative assessment is to have students make metaphors or analogies to show their learning.  For example, share what an SLO is like.  Students can also write a 6 word memoirs to share your understanding of a topic such as immigration,
• More than right answer video to show flexibility: More than 1 right answer
• Practice makes permanent not perfect.
• Be clear: We mark and grade against standards/outcomes, not the routes students take or techniques teachers use to achieve those standards/outcomes.
• Focus on decisions made in the learning journey to link actions to learning,  I noticed.... The result was...
• On top of the test list the standards and you get a grade for each Standard to show direct connections,
• If you make homework meaningful, kids will do it.Wormeli Homework Video
• Pre-assessment should be used to plan instruction to correct misconceptions, to have students monitor growth, and prime the brain
• Redo's make students accountable.Wormeli Redo Video

 

 

Supporting Change  Wormeli Supporting Change Video

• Every teacher is an ambassador to the profession. Talk to each other to solve problems and keep us professional and responsible to our profession,
• Nobody cares what we teach. It’s what students carry forward that matters.  Focus on learning,
• Ted Talk to model instruction. http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxNYED-April-28-2012-Frank-No

 

 

Student Learning Objectives

SLOs are all about setting goals for growth.  Dave sent an email earlier about SLOs, in case you missed it, you can read it here:  Message from Dave
To help support you the PD resources below have been developed and your Professional Learning time around conferences will be dedicated to this process.  

 

This will be a self-directed learning experience. 

Please use this wikispace as a resource  http://hudsonslo.wikispaces.com/   

Click on Oct. 17-18 tab on the right

 

Thursday October 17-

8-12- Professional Learning

Step 1 Intro to SLO

1. Watch voice thread anytime on Thursday.   If you want to do it collaboratively as a team or in the media center at 8:15 am.  Bring popcorn and treats.
2. Use http://todaysmeet.com/hudsonslo to post questions and comments.           

12-8- Conferences

 

Friday October 18

8-12- Professional Learning

Steps 2-6 to write a draft of the SLO

Susie will be available in the media center for support.

 

Media meets at North

Art, P.E., Music meet at Houlton

ESL - home-building; consider joining grade-level team

Counselors - meet

Reading and SPED - home building (ideal: one of the grade-level teacher's tiers is a collaboration with SPED) reference IEP goals

GT- HP

 

October 24- SLO Roll Through to support and refine SLO

 

November 1- SLO Goal Approval with Susie

 

 

 

NWEA MAPS Testing

NWEA MAPS is starting this week!

Make sure you share the importance of doing your best work on the MAPS tests.
They are used...
1.  To help teachers meet students individual needs.
2.  To measure student's growth.
3.  To make student goals for improvement.

Make sure you share good test taking skills prior to the test.
1.  Read the question carefully.
2.  Eliminate answers.
3.  Check answers.
4.  Don't rush.

With the new web-based reports are available right away!  No waiting!
Click here to see the new reports that are available right away. 
Here are the MAP Norms.

Please comment what you think of the new web- based format which is similar to the SMARTER Balanced assessment we piloted last year. 
What are the wows and wonders?

Writing in the Common Core

Thank you to everyone for the great work with scoring your students writing collaboratively.  Don't forget to give Tammy any exemplars to scan for the T Drive.  Here is a compilation of our feedback from our protocols..
Reflections on Narrative Writing

Here are some more resources on writing:
Videos on Narrative Writing in the CCSS
Common Core Article
CCSS Writing Standards

Welcome to Provoking Thoughts from Prairie

The purpose of this blog is to continue our quest for professional learning at Hudson Prairie.  On August 27, 2013 we all were inspired by my hero, Heidi Hayes- Jacobs.    

Here is her Ted Talk. You may want to refresh your memory or just want some good entertainment.  Well, she has inspired us to prepare our students for TODAY's world, not the 21st Century!

Our 2013-14 enduring understanding is:

Preparing learners for a changing world requires responsive shifts in teaching and learning.

Our essential questions are:

What do learners need to prepare for our changing world?

What shifts can we make in our practices to prepare our students (and ourselves) for our changing world?

This is HSD 2025.  We want to transform education and it's exciting, yet scary too!  Well I took the pledge like each of you.  You have inspired me!  

Here is my list of changing my practices as a leader.

1.  I am going to use Twitter, Pinterest, and Electronic Media to feed my curiosity and learn. 

2.  I will model my risk-taking with my students and staff.   Blogs, Wikispaces, Today's Meet, Voice Threads, Google Docs, etc,

I am on my journey and I invite you to join with me on our LEARNING JOURNEY TOGETHER!

Please comment on YOUR pledge to prepare our 460 Hudson Prairie students for TODAY!