WORKSHOPS | NEWS | RESOURCES
April 4 - Redesigned Curriculum Pro D April 5 - Languages LSA DELF session HGEC 3:30 April 6 - Second Languages for All book club HGEC 4:00 April 8 - Deadline to register grades 4-12 students for the Young Authors' Conference April 11 - 15 DELF exams HGEC April 18 - KTTA Pro D Day April 19 FDMT Session for French Immersion/Core French Teachers HGEC 4-5pm April 20-Digital literacy teacher-librarian cohort April 22-24 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Championships at the TCC April 29 - Young Authors' Conference at TRU May 16 - BreakoutEDU Game Building Extravaganza. Register at: https://goo.gl/Sesyn1 (currently waitlisted) May 16 at HGEC - Miriam Trehearne: The Essence of Effective and Engaging Literacy Learning K-3: What We Really Know May 16 at Sagebrush Theatre - Shelley Moore
Upcoming Opportunities
Coordinate
SD73 Professional Learning site: http://t.sd73.bc.ca/12
Think about how your practice might shift if you embraced a "spirit of inquiry that is moving from the edges of the known to the unknown in ways that broadens and opens minds, ignites real curiosity and expansive questions, and inspires fresh images of possibility" (Cooperrider and Shrivasta 2014). Check out the Physical and Health Education workshops that promote an inquiry into a life long journey of wellness strategies. These K to 12 workshops will focus on a combination of curricular competencies in Physical Literacy, Health and Active Living, Social and Community, and Mental Well-Being. Sign-up for these workshops coming out soon.
Find out more and register at http://t.sd73.bc.ca/12
April 2016 EDITION
Scan this QR Code to read the April issue of Coordinate on your mobile device or tablet, or visit http://pub.lucidpress.com/coordinate-04-2016/
APRIL 18 - ARTS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
From March 7 through 11, the Arts in the High Country Festival showcased many of the outstanding performing arts taking place in SD73. With a focus on "Celebrating the Arts," students of all grades put their best feet forward on the Sagebrush Theatre stage, and had the opportunity to see and hear their student colleagues from around the district. The audience was treated to an Arts feast of dance, strings, bands, choirs and classroom music for the week.
DESERT DANCE: Inspired by the surrounding natural environment, we will experiment with soundscape, body percussion, and elements of movement. Together we'll compose a piece ready to perform. Brock Middle School FIND YOUR INNER TREE: In this session, we'll head west and dip into the rainforest. Exploring characteristics of a variety of coastal trees, we'll create movement and then play with improvisation for an accompaniment. Brock Middle School Karin Johnson - Elementary Music teacher in Burnaby, BC and is Past President of the BC Orff Chapter MIXED MEDIA PANELS: Create an art piece using a variety of mixed media techniques. You'll prime a wooden cradle panel, then work with acrylic paint and a variety of mediums to create a textural piece. Suited to all levels of ability. Come prepated to get messy. NorKam Sec Art Room Sharon Richards - Art and Photography teacher in Westsyde Secondary; served on the executive of the BC Art Teachers' Association for 15 years, and is on the Arts Education Curriculum Writing Team SEE IT! SAY IT! MAKE IT! DO IT!: Learn ways to integrate Music/Movement/ Drama/Art into the daily routines of your primary classroom. Discover routines, transitions and academic activities that you can use immediately. Learn ways to engage ALL students, even your most challenging ones, through Music and Movement! Carmelina Woods and Jennifer Coates - Elementary Music teachers at Beattie School of the Arts CONCERT AND JAZZ BAND MUSIC AND TEACHING STRATEGIES: You will discover the most recent (as well as tried and true) works and materials. You'll also learn strategies for teaching with an approach to inquiry, discovery and creating through performance-based music classes Don Bennett - SD73 District Fine Arts Coordinator
Arts in the High Country Festival
The Arts - Literacy of the Heart
April 18 Dr. Katy Arnett A full day session with Dr. Katy Arnett! Have you signed up? Come and spend the day with Katy Arnett. She will provide you with hands on - practical solutions about how to assist students experiencing a variety of difficulties in your language classroom. Katy's suggestions are simple and you can put them in place tomorrow. Worried about how to effectively differentiate learning with various needs and language skills in your classroom? Katy can help with that too. Fun and engaging - be prepared to move and think throughout the day. Do you have a student who takes a long time to read? Katy provides possible explanations and strategies to try out. Why does this student lose focus during tasks? Katy has great ideas to try! This session is appropriate for French Immersion teachers, Core language teachers, ELL teachers, LARTS & classroom teachers. There is only space for 50 teachers so sign-up early and don't miss your opportunity!
New Core French Resources! I'm shopping! Elementary Core French is in need of some new teacher friendly resources. I have found one that some teachers in our district having been piloting that looks promising. Échos Pro series is engaging, has well laid out lesson plans, magazine booklet, e-books Smart Board activities and more! There are three leveled kits to this series and each kit has 5 modules. The modules are communicative based and include interesting projects appropriate for the level of those students. Secondary Core French has been looking at Points de Connexion. This resource again provides a large variety of project ideas as well as supportive literature to use as a launch point for these projects. If you are interested in learning more or trying out these resources please contact me! One of my favourite things about these resources is that Dr. Katy Arnett had a lead hand in designing both and so you know differentiation is built in!
April 19 FDMT Session for French immersion and Core French teachers. Jean-Sebastien will be joining us to explain how FDMT products are useful to many students in your class. He will have products there that you can explore and purchase. This company recognizes that all students learn differently and is committed to providing the tools to help them do so. His session will nicely compliment the session with Dr. Katy Arnett the day before. Jean-Sebastien is bilingual and will be able to present and answer questions in both French and English. Who: All French immersion classroom teachers, LARTS, librarians, and CEAs. Core French teachers welcome as well. Where: Henry Grube Education Centre When: April 19 4:00pm - 5:00pm Register here: http://goo.gl/forms/XGVCmIiPk3
Second Languages
Authored by Ontario-based university scholars, What Works:? Research into Practice offers short research summaries on a variety of educational topics. One article, Project-Based Learning: Drawing on Best Practices in Project Management (Sept. 2015), explores the strengths and challenges of PBL and suggests some strategies to support its implementation. See the Professional Learning Websites page on the literacy website for other online resources. Please let me know if you find other sites you would like to share with colleagues.
Projects are a great way to engage students in cross-curricular learning. At Aberdeen Elementary, Grades 4-6 teacher Teri Allen-Innis and First Nations Education Worker Anthony Michel collaborated on a Haida Paddle project that embeds diverse curricular competencies - and the First Peoples Principles of Learning. This was a community project: Kamloops Home Hardware and Home Depot donated supplies, and SKSS students made the small wood paddles. Aberdeen students studied the purpose and history behind various paddles. They learned about Haida design and the use of colour. Students then created their own designs on paper and, using carbon, transferred these to their wood paddles, which were then painted. Students also learned that the paddle could be seen as a metaphor for a life journey. Then they wrote about a time when they had to make an important decision. Not surprising, students loved this meaningful, hands-on project!
I'm AVAILABLE TO HELP WITH LITERACY INSTRUCTION, RESOURCES, AND classroom ASSESSMENTS.
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society.” Kofi Annan
Professional Literacy Resource: What Works? Research into Practice
Tricia Persad, District Literacy Coordinator
In celebration of the BCTF's 100th Anniversary and in recognition of the valuable role literature plays in children's learning, the BCTF would like teachers to contribute to a list of the 100 best books for BC students. The BCTF asks, "What books do you believe every student should read before they leave elementary and secondary school?" All genres, including picture books, novels, short stories, memoirs, poetry, graphic novels, and nonfiction, are welcome. See the website for more information. There will be two lists, one for elementary and one for secondary. The 100 Best Books for BC Students lists will be announced in early September 2016. Email your book titles by July 30th to: bestelementarybooks@bctf.ca or bestsecondarybooks@bctf.ca
Turn and Talk is a helpful strategy that gives students time to process information in a timely and collaborative way. But there isn't always a guarantee that these short conversations are meaningful ones. On The Thinker Building blog, elementary teacher Michael Friermood observed that students were talking but not really listening to each other or building understanding. So, he developed a caring about understanding our partner framework to support empathetic communication (see poster): FACE: Look your partner in the eyes. Lean in. Smile. FEEDBACK: Nod your head. Give caring-cues like, "Mmm-hmm," or, "Really?" FOLLOW-UP: Ask a question to find out more and make things clearer. REPHRASE: Try saying back your partner's thinking: "So I think what you're saying is..."
LITERACY IS A Bridge
Some of the sessions offered at the KTTA "Inquiry Quotient" Professional Development Day focus on teaching a particular concept. These sessions will be an opportunity to examine collections of quality activities, books, and lessons that focus on implementing the revised curriculum. The presenters have taken these ideas and developed them into kits that will be available next fall from the Henry Grube library. 'HOW MUCH IS A MILLION?' Looking for a new twist on teaching place value? In this workshop you will learn how to model a million cubes and discover the pattern of our numbers system, understand exponents of 10, build a model cubic metre, and estimate the size of a billion even a trillion… that's a lot of unit cubes. From there we will look at a project in which students model a number in multiple ways and investigate their number. We will also make some connections to literature. 'FOUNDATION IN FRACTIONS' Do you want to jazz up your fraction lessons? Building a strong foundation in fractions can be challenging. Join us for a multi-faceted, developmental approach to teaching fractions. We will present a unit plan that incorporates hands-on and manipulative lessons, use of vertical non-permanent surfaces, and story books 'LEARNING THE LANGUAGE OF PROBABILITY- Introducing Probability in the Primary Classroom' Introduce probability to your primary classroom with short, fun hands-on activities that can be included into daily calendar. Explore the primary probability kit, literature associated with probability, learn games and activities to help develop probability language, and check out a variety of assessment tools. Geared for K-3 teachers. 'COUNTING WITH COINS' Help your primary students become confident counting money. This is a hands on, on-your-feet workshop. Teachers will leave with some written lesson plan ideas.
Amanda Russett Numeracy Coordinator
Information https://goo.gl/WWgONX
Numeracy 73
April 18-KTTA Professional Development Day
Math Challenge is an event put on by the district each year where Grade 5-7 students compete by writing a math test. Each school is assured at least four entries into the District Math challenge at TRU on April 26th (8:30am- 12:30pm) based on the school's preliminary round results. Students will write the final challenge and then take part in mathematics enrichment activities. Students will also be eligible for awards at the event. Students must write the preliminary test, have it marked by the teacher and results emailed to Amanda Russett, at arussett@sd73.bc.ca by April 15, 2015.
Plant and Animal Science KT (31637)
Transform struggling readers into successful readers with this field-tested, evidence-based phonological awareness program. This supplemental Tier 2 curriculum is the ideal way to deliver systematic, intensive phonological awareness instruction to students in Grades K–2, whether they have language impairments or just need extra help with literacy skills. Dr. Melanie Schuele will be here April 18th to teach us about using the kits Schools have purchased. The workshop is 9:00 - 3:00 at the Henry Grube. Registration will be with the KTTA Online Process or contact Marianne Vande Pol or Tricia Persad
Primary Success Spring Art Freebies Tissue Paper Blossoms Materials: - thin black paint or black India ink, straws, pink tissue paper, white paper (8 1/2 x 11) What to do: 1. Use a straw or eye dropper and put a drop of ink at the bottom end corner of the paper. 2. Have the child kneel up to the table and blow through the straw to spray the black across the paper like a branch. (If they blow from above you get a big splat). Add another drop and make more branches across the paper. 3. After the ink or paint is dry give the children 1 inch square pieces of pink tissue to fit over the end of a pencil and glue all over the branches. http://www.primarysuccess.ca/freepdf/Spring_Art_Ideas.pdf
Learning Science Through Inquiry
Phonological Awareness Instruction
http://www.purduescientificliteracyproject.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=3Wc%2BIhQTBwM%3D
Life Cycle of a Chicken KT 0225 Self-turning Incubator KL 0062
Early Learning Corner
In this unit, children will investigate the life cycle of the chicken. This inquiry unit is linked to the biological theme of growth and development. Prior to beginning this inquiry unit, children should have discussed important themes in the study of living things and read the science book “Living Things” by Alan Trussell-Cullen (Dominie Press, 2001). During this inquiry unit, children will observe the development of chicken eggs to learn about different patterns of growth and development in animals. Science book readings are throughout the unit to enrich children’s knowledge about the life cycles of living things.
Henry Grube Grabs!
Butterfly Kit KT 0834
Pam Gurney will be presenting a Google Read and Write workshop on the KTTA Pro-D day on April 18th. If you want to know more about Google Read and Write, and what it can do for your students, here's a link to check it out! http://www.texthelp.com/en-us/ support/training
Student Support Services
It's Kindergarten planning time again, and District staff are planning meetings for some of next year's Kindergarten students. The purpose of the meetings is to collect information about the children's strengths and needs to help make their transition to Kindergarten as successful as possible. If you know of any new K student who may have additional needs and has not had a K planning form filled out, please contact Reanne Bottenfield at the Henry Grube Centre.
___________________________________ Transitions Fair April 11 5-7 pm Henry Grube Education Centre Room 1A and 1B The fair will provide information on a variety of transition services, including post-secondary education, vocational training, employment, community participation, leisure activities and personal growth.
Boardmaker is a programs that allows you to create a variety of colourful materials for your students, such as sequences, communication boards, and schedules. BoardmakerShare is an online resource that is a place to find thousands of Boardmaker activities that have already been created for you!! For more information, check out these websites: http://www.mayer-johnson. com/what-is-boardmaker/ https://br.boardmakershare. com
“In my 30 plus years of teaching, there has been no other activity that has so universally inspired participation, enthusiasm, anticipation and excitement.” “It is not often that we get to use something new in the physical education department that brings a smile to all the students and staff, who were lucky enough to use the wheelchairs.” “It was common to hear from both staff and students comments like: “awesome,” “so cool,” “wicked,” “when do I get a turn,” and “do we get to keep these.” “The smiles and laughing were a testament to the level of acceptance to this potential intimidating activity.” “This program has been a resounding success and has totally enhanced our physical education classes.”
Big Idea:
Advocating for the health and well-being of others connects us to our community.
A set of 10 sport chairs rotate between elementary schools
Boks Kids: Active Kids = Active Minds. How and why?
ADAPTED SPORT IS INNOVATION
Wheelchairs Support Inclusive Physical Education
What do Students and Teachers Think?
in physical education classes, intramurals, and after-school programs. The outcome of integrating the sport wheelchairs into the Physical Education curriculum has raised the playing field for inclusion, awareness of the mobility challenges that some students face, and has encouraged physical activity for all. The sport wheelchair provides freedom for those with mobility impairments that may have kept them from actively participating in physical activities with their peers. Best practices research shows that inclusive play, recreation and sport are beneficial for both children with disabilities and those without.
A set of 15 high performance sport chairs rotate between secondary schools
The Let’s Play Program, in association with the Rick Hansen Foundation, and Kamloops Adapted Sports Association (KASA) has donated sport wheelchairs to support inclusive physical activity opportunities for K to 12 students in our district. For the past four years, each year approximately 6000 elementary and secondary students from across the district have opportunity to participate in wheelchair sports
Canadian Wheelchair National Championships April 22-24 at Tournament Capital Centre In partnership with British Columbia Wheelchair Basketball Society (BCWBS), Kamloops Adapted Sports Association, School District 73, and The City of Kamloops will be hosting the 2016 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League (CWBL) National Championship on April 22-24, at the Tournament Capital Centre in Kamloops. The CWBL National Championship brings together the best wheelchair basketball players from across Canada to compete for the title of national champion. This year, 10 co-ed teams will compete.
2016 Canadian National Wheelchair Basketball Championship Poster Carlo
The 10 Inquiry Packs coming soon
HENRY GRUBE EDUCATION CENTRE LIBRARY http://media.sd73.bc.ca
2. LITERATURE CIRCLE PACKS includes 6 copies of the novel or picture book with a literature circle guide.
3. Thematic kits includes fiction, nonfiction and artifacts to help strengthen background knowledge and vocabulary of curricular content.
1. SOCIAL STUDIES PRIMARY-INTERMEDIATE/JUNIOR INQUIRY PACKS includes 4 thematic books with guide to support inquiry based learning of Social Studies content areas.
DVDS: We have over 1000 quality, current educational DVDs. Digital Content: EBSCO, WB, Gale, NFB.
HGEC LIBRARY TOP PICKS FOR K-12 SOCIAL STUDIES
Grades 4-10
7
McQueen LakE
mcquee.nl/maps
Short & Share-able Day centre orientation videos :) mcquee.nl/dayvideo mcquee.nl/isobelvideo How to get there Google Maps mcquee.nl/get2day mcquee.nl/get2isobel Please phone Barbie Davies at the Henry Grube to make a booking: 250-376-2266
Day Centre
Day season at the McQueen Day Centre and the Isobel Day Centre will be upon us in no time, so let's please take a minute to review the essentials: 1) Parents Follow the Bus - we send out reminders and I know teachers do their best, but we still have parents coming up on their own, missing the day centre or taking the wrong turn on their way to Isobel Lake. Folks drive in to the overnight centre as well almost daily, causing confusion and disrupting the group. The bus also has a 2-way radio and can communicate with all logging traffic on the road, making it very safe. 2) Food at Designated Spots Only - At the Day Centre it's the day shelter, at Isobel groups usually have a snack right after they get off the bus and then have their lunch at the Forest Inn. No eating along the way and all food and garbage is taken back out. Remembering to bring a few small garbage bags is a great idea. 3) All Leaders Carry a Map - Second only to the preemptive clouds of insect repellent, are the ubiquitous cellphones and their slaves. A paper map should be printed out for every leader on the trip. It is the only dependable reference to have and we have ensured that our maps have the key features to ensure a safe journey.
Day Centre MUSTS
Isobel Day Centre
Inquiry Learning is messy! (It's OK!) You can't do it alone. The first time won't go 100% according to plan. don't give up! Revise! Learn through doing. Teachers are no longer experts… students share learning as members of the academic community. Aleasha Kachel and Laurel Reed
Inquiry Learning: Helping Students Engage and Connect to School
Inquiry is messy! (It’s OK!) You can’t do it alone. The first time won’t go 100% according to plan. Don’t give up! Revise! Learn through doing. Teachers are no longer experts… students share learning as members of the academic community. Aleasha Kachel and Laurel Reed, Westsyde Secondary School Educators
Inquiry Learning in Action: Westsyde Secondary Psychology Students Students at Westsyde Secondary wonder, invesitigate, construct , express and reflect on a psychology project that was fun and full of freedom . Student Gained confidence in their skills: Researching Using databases Using Print Asking good questions Organization Collaborating Technology Citing sources
How can a teacher ignite students’ interest in school subjects? Instead of the teacher telling students everything they need to know, inquiry-based learning asks students to construct their own knowledge through experiences and explorations. Inquiry-based learning emphasizes learning by doing and mirrors the work of scientists as they actively discover knowledge. Canadian Education Association and Simon Fraser University
Bring Down the Walls!
When technology integration in the classroom is seamless and thoughtful, students not only become more engaged, they begin to take more control over their own learning, too. Effective tech integration changes classroom dynamics, encouraging student-centered project-based learning. -- Edutopia
To help educators conceptualize how to effectively integrate technology into their classrooms, Dr. Ruben Puentedura developed the SAMR model. SAMR stands for: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. Substitution and Augmentation levels are basic integration with functional improvements (enhancement), while Modification and Redefinition usually indicate complete task re-design and previously inconceivable projects, now possible with the powerful integration of technology (transformation). Transformational tasks often involve sharing and collaborating beyond the walls of the classroom. Click the video below to learn more about SAMR or view at: https://goo.gl/MKeQaT
Chrome App/Extension of the Month: Screencastify
Screencastify is a simple screencast recorder for Chrome. It is able to record all screen activity inside a tab, including audio. Easily create a screencast for video tutorials, record presentations etc. It also supports desktop capturing, allowing you to record anything on your screen. It's great for making thinking visible!. Get it at: https://goo.gl/tQsZ8s For more information about Chrome apps/extensions, ask Tracy!
Keep your Eye on the Why...
Giving students opportunities to share and showcase their work, learning and ideas outside of the classroom using digital tools can be a game-changer in terms of moving to the transformational SAMR levels and having a "why" for using technology in the classroom. Watch the video below (or here: https://goo.gl/FUlSRB) about grade 1/2 students in Saskatchewan using blogs and a class Twitter account. Think about the "verbs" involved: collaborate, communicate, reflect, and empathize. How does bringing down the walls of the classroom assist these students in achieving these goals/verbs/actions? If this can be done in lower primary grades, do you see this being even more powerful and achievable with older students?
Technology Integration
It is easy to get caught up in planning tech-infused lessons that are built around a specific tool (ie: blogs, Prezis, slideshows, etc.). Tech integration is most powerful and meaningful if we take a step back, and focus on the learning intentions of the lesson or unit, and not just the tool. Marc Prensky has a useful model to help with this: Verbs and Nouns. Often we think of the tool/noun first, but it is more beneficial to think of the "verb or skills, we want our kids to learn—from thinking critically, to presenting logically, to communicating, to persuading, to being rigorous, to understanding context (there are many others)", and then choose the best tool to support. More info here: http://goo.gl/8mioen Two other models that can help with this are thinking about work as "digital vs. digitized": https://goo.gl/kpW9IC and "Ask Why Five Times" to get to the root issue (or learning goal). http://goo.gl/L6LeR0 Tools are cool, but it's the learning that matters most!
SAMR
HAPPY SPRING!! Join Our Aboriginal Sessions KTTA Pro-D Day April 18
Come join a hands-on session to celebrate Aboriginal Science! Both Noreen and Ellen are contributors to the most recent FNESC (First Nations Education Steering Committee) publication: Aboriginal Science Teacher Resource Guide. This is a highly regarded exemplar, which demonstrates how the newly revised curriculum can effectively credit Aboriginal knowledge while addressing Science content in the BC classroom. The document will be introduced with a focus on at least 2 of the units, both of which pay tribute to local knowledge. Draft copies will be available for teachers to view. Ellen is of Stó:lō and Cree ancestry and is currently working with Penticton Indian Band as Head Teacher for the Adult Education Program, as well as teaching math and science. Her previous work included designing and coordinating an Aboriginal Forestry Extension program (through FORREX at the En'owkin Centre) that promotes Indigenous knowledge as it relates to sustainable forest management. She is also involved with the Locatee Lands on the Penticton Indian Reserve where the black cottonwood lowland forests are home to many rare and endangered species. Much of the ongoing work includes habitat enhancement and restoration, as well as fostering an increased understanding of cultural traditions and ecological literacy amongst both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. Noreen is of Stó:lō ancestry from Hope and is currently the K-12 Aboriginal Resource Teacher in Kamloops. She will bring along a wide assortment of local materials to share and offer insights to local resources. ****Please view the KTTA Pro-D catalogue for more Aboriginal selections.****
Spider's Gift Come join Roxane and Marie Sandy (FNEW) on April 18th to learn a local Secwepemc legend, Spider's Gift. The story has been adapated from CBC's Legends of the Shuswap. We will discuss the different aspects of Aboriginal Storytelling and protocols. Everyone will take a complete set of the Spider's Gift die cuts created specifically for the Secwepemc legend. You will also learn different ways you can use storytelling in your classroom. "Every creature has lessons and we learn from them. Man must learn from animals, birds and water creatures and Man must look after Mother Earth’s creations. "
Aboriginal Education Ed Educat