April 1

April Fool's Day is always a fun day in my family. My older sister loves to play the same joke every year and tends to start text messaging at 7:00am! This year she switched it up, but we were all on to her!! Never a dull moment in my family :)

The last two years we have really focused on writing. We have implemented school wide prompts and have really gained valuable feedback that have led to crucial conversations on how we can support our students and each other. The video below is very well done and touches upon the feedback that Mrs. Merodio has given us on writing. She does a great job working with our 1st-8th graders and across all grade levels she is noticing a pattern. They need help with organizing their thoughts. This video gives a great example on a very visual process for students to organize their writing. Please watch this video!! Check out this video . 

Writing aligned to the Common Core and the needs of English Learners

As we continue to focus on the needs of our English learners, it is important to continue to examine how instruction is differentiated.  This article from Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski provides an overarching view of writing.  The article discusses the three types of writing in the Common Core: Argument/Opinion, Information/Explanation, and Narrative.  The author's highlight the integration of reading with writing, especially for Argument and Information writing.

The article provides some specific implications for English learners and writing.

• Create meaningful opportunities to communicate ideas rather than focus on grammar and conventions
• Provide support for citations
• Provide modeling and guidance
• Provide many sentence starters and graphic organizers
• Use collaborative writing projects
• Support students in self-assessment and goal setting 

The article is part of a series.  Part 2 provides more specific strategies including 12 guiding questions to help students when writing.

HERE IS FUN VIDEO TO WATCH THAT TWO TEACHERS CREATED  ABOUT SBAC. 

FUN VIDEO

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you Kristin, Mrs. Merodio, and Mr. Wright for getting our campus for our Gold Ribbon visit for next week.

Play: SBAC is coming up. Anyone interested in creating a fun song for the SBAC????

Choose your attitude: 

To actually choose how you respond to life, not just react, you must be intentional. Ask yourself throughout the day, "What is my attitude right now? Is it helping the people who depend on me? Is it helping me to be most effective?" NO EXCUSES!!

Make Their Day:  Fill out a good news referral and make a student’s day.