Our Mission: “Educate students for lifelong learning and responsible living.”
Our Vision: “Provide a learning environment that promotes and develops academic and
social growth.”
Author of the Month: Kevin Henkes
Word of the Month: Reliable Rise N Shine: Ms. Harden
- Monday: NO OUTDOOR RECESS, NO EXCEPTIONS due to the Eclipse. Oklahoma
Eye Doctors Warn Solar Eclipse Viewing Can Damage Vision. The eclipse will end at 2:37. Discovery Ed is doing a livestream and I believe there is one on You Tube as well.
- Tuesday: Nelson Out - Library Meeting. PLC's Gifted and Talented in Conference Room. Mandatory Faculty Meeting in the Library 3:30 p.m.
- Wednesday: Regular Day
- Thursday: Brett Out - Principal Meeting, KONA Ice
- Friday: Complete F&P Testing. Be sure to record information in Running Records Tracker. We will be using this information during PLC's.
The First 30 Days Continues....
K - 2
Week 4: Reading
Lesson
20 & 21 – Problem & Solution / Review of Character & Setting.
Lesson
22 – Nonfiction Text Features: Table of Contents & Index
Lesson
23 – Nonfiction Text Features: Glossary
Lesson
24 & 25 – Nonfiction Text Features: Graphics & Review of 22 & 23.
Lesson
26 – Good Readers use Pictures
Week 4: Writing
Lesson 20 – Completing the Rough Draft
Lesson 21- Introduce Revising : Using a Caret
Lesson 22 & 23
– Using Spider Legs & an Asterisk
Lesson 24 – Introduce Response Groups
Lesson 25 – Introduce Editing
3 - 6
Week 4: Reading
Lesson 18 & 19 – Fiction: Character Development &
Setting
Lesson 20 & 21 – Fiction: Plot & Point of View
Lesson 22 – Nonfiction Text Features: Table of Contents
& Index
Lesson 23 & 24 Nonfiction Text Features: Glossary
& Fonts / Graphics
Lesson 26 – Make Connections: Text to Self
Week 4: Writing
Lesson 20 – Completing the Rough Draft
Lesson 21- Introduce Revising : Using a Caret
Lesson 22 & 23
– Using Spider Legs & an Asterisk
Lesson 24 – Introduce Response Groups
Lesson 25 – Introduce Editing
Take a Look At Our Book
Shout out to Ms. O'Shields for having the class Look at Our Book posted in the main hallway. This bulletin board is a monthly opportunity
for the grade level to show something that you are reading or learning about
that has to do with reading! Miss O’Shields volunteered to get Kindergartens
section up as an example of what we mean! The pictures below are an example of
what it can look like.
Lesson Plans and Grades
It is the expectation that everyone will post their lesson plans in the Google Drive. This is part of the Marzano Evaluation Process. It is also the expectation that teachers will post at least 3 grades a week for English/Language Arts and Math. Science and Social Studies should have at least 2 grades per week. If you need help with Infinite Campus setting up your grade book Ms. Hunt, Ms. Peake, Ms. Ferguson, and Coach Barton are all very skilled with the program.
Jordan (ELA Coordinator) asked Scholastic and Benchmark to
work together to create a spreadsheet of titles that would work for each unit
based on the books you received from your Scholastic Library. Below is the link
to the spreadsheet, at the bottom are tabs for each grade level and it has
marked which book box they come from and what unit they will work with! This is
an awesome resource! Take a look at it and let me know if you have any
questions!
Begin browsing which books you will be using with your Benchmark Unit 1 (that starts after Labor Day). In the comment section please list at list 1 title that you will be using.
Our Mission: “Educate students for lifelong learning and responsible living.”
Our Vision: “Provide a learning environment that promotes and develops academic and
social growth.”
Author of the Month: Kevin Henkes
Word of the Month: Reliable Rise N Shine: Ms. Harden
- Monday: NO OUTDOOR RECESS, NO EXCEPTIONS due to the Eclipse. Oklahoma Eye Doctors Warn Solar Eclipse Viewing Can Damage Vision. The eclipse will end at 2:37. Discovery Ed is doing a livestream and I believe there is one on You Tube as well.
- Tuesday: Nelson Out - Library Meeting. PLC's Gifted and Talented in Conference Room. Mandatory Faculty Meeting in the Library 3:30 p.m.
- Wednesday: Regular Day
- Thursday: Brett Out - Principal Meeting, KONA Ice
- Friday: Complete F&P Testing. Be sure to record information in Running Records Tracker. We will be using this information during PLC's.
The First 30 Days Continues....
K - 2
Week 4: Reading
|
Lesson
20 & 21 – Problem & Solution / Review of Character & Setting.
|
Lesson
22 – Nonfiction Text Features: Table of Contents & Index
|
Lesson
23 – Nonfiction Text Features: Glossary
|
Lesson
24 & 25 – Nonfiction Text Features: Graphics & Review of 22 & 23.
|
Lesson
26 – Good Readers use Pictures
|
Week 4: Writing
|
Lesson 20 – Completing the Rough Draft
|
Lesson 21- Introduce Revising : Using a Caret
|
Lesson 22 & 23
– Using Spider Legs & an Asterisk
|
Lesson 24 – Introduce Response Groups
|
Lesson 25 – Introduce Editing
|
3 - 6
Week 4: Reading
|
Lesson 18 & 19 – Fiction: Character Development &
Setting
|
Lesson 20 & 21 – Fiction: Plot & Point of View
|
Lesson 22 – Nonfiction Text Features: Table of Contents
& Index
|
Lesson 23 & 24 Nonfiction Text Features: Glossary
& Fonts / Graphics
|
Lesson 26 – Make Connections: Text to Self
|
Week 4: Writing
|
Lesson 20 – Completing the Rough Draft
|
Lesson 21- Introduce Revising : Using a Caret
|
Lesson 22 & 23
– Using Spider Legs & an Asterisk
|
Lesson 24 – Introduce Response Groups
|
Lesson 25 – Introduce Editing
|
Take a Look At Our Book
Shout out to Ms. O'Shields for having the class Look at Our Book posted in the main hallway. This bulletin board is a monthly opportunity
for the grade level to show something that you are reading or learning about
that has to do with reading! Miss O’Shields volunteered to get Kindergartens
section up as an example of what we mean! The pictures below are an example of
what it can look like.
Thank you so much for all you do.
Lesson Plans and Grades
It is the expectation that everyone will post their lesson plans in the Google Drive. This is part of the Marzano Evaluation Process. It is also the expectation that teachers will post at least 3 grades a week for English/Language Arts and Math. Science and Social Studies should have at least 2 grades per week. If you need help with Infinite Campus setting up your grade book Ms. Hunt, Ms. Peake, Ms. Ferguson, and Coach Barton are all very skilled with the program.
Jordan (ELA Coordinator) asked Scholastic and Benchmark to
work together to create a spreadsheet of titles that would work for each unit
based on the books you received from your Scholastic Library. Below is the link
to the spreadsheet, at the bottom are tabs for each grade level and it has
marked which book box they come from and what unit they will work with! This is
an awesome resource! Take a look at it and let me know if you have any
questions!
Begin browsing which books you will be using with your Benchmark Unit 1 (that starts after Labor Day). In the comment section please list at list 1 title that you will be using.
4 Things to Remember If You Practice Tough Love Teaching
Why the right balance can really make a difference in how students view you.
I am almost paralyzed by heights. I have to take deep breaths while driving over bridges, can’t speak while riding a ski lift, and constantly struggle when a hike with my family nears the edge. Yet I still believe in tough love. This summer, I took the tough love approach with myself, pushing myself to face my fear of heights by embracing the Vermont tradition of jumping off of rock outcrops into clear waters.
The emotions I experienced while getting through those fears are similar to what I see in so many of my students. I watch them taking deep breaths when they sit down to write an in-class essay. I know the wheels are churning in their heads even as some fear or anxiety holds them silent during a discussion, and I puzzle away at how to help them approach the edge and take that leap.
My summer has made me realize a few things about being a tough love teacher. Here are the lessons I’m reminding myself of this school year. From first-year newbies and lifers alike, I hope these help you, too!
1. A pat on the back beats a kick in the pants
When I first started teaching 20 years ago, I thought that if you push kids hard enough they will rise to the occasion. What I have realized over two decades is that some kids simply crumble under that kind of hard-sell approach. Every year now, I set the goal of softening up a bit. Instead of saying, “everyone else is reading a poem in front of the class,” I now tell my students how positive I am they can do it, how excited I am to hear what they have written. Then I give them the option of an assignment to replace the oral presentation they are so scared of.
Why the right balance can really make a difference in how students view you.
I am almost paralyzed by heights. I have to take deep breaths while driving over bridges, can’t speak while riding a ski lift, and constantly struggle when a hike with my family nears the edge. Yet I still believe in tough love. This summer, I took the tough love approach with myself, pushing myself to face my fear of heights by embracing the Vermont tradition of jumping off of rock outcrops into clear waters.
The emotions I experienced while getting through those fears are similar to what I see in so many of my students. I watch them taking deep breaths when they sit down to write an in-class essay. I know the wheels are churning in their heads even as some fear or anxiety holds them silent during a discussion, and I puzzle away at how to help them approach the edge and take that leap.
My summer has made me realize a few things about being a tough love teacher. Here are the lessons I’m reminding myself of this school year. From first-year newbies and lifers alike, I hope these help you, too!
1. A pat on the back beats a kick in the pants
When I first started teaching 20 years ago, I thought that if you push kids hard enough they will rise to the occasion. What I have realized over two decades is that some kids simply crumble under that kind of hard-sell approach. Every year now, I set the goal of softening up a bit. Instead of saying, “everyone else is reading a poem in front of the class,” I now tell my students how positive I am they can do it, how excited I am to hear what they have written. Then I give them the option of an assignment to replace the oral presentation they are so scared of.
I think it’s important to remember that lots of jumpers need some encouragement. Very few respond well to aggressive pressure, and nobody wants to get pushed over the edge.
I think it’s important to remember that lots of jumpers need some encouragement. Very few respond well to aggressive pressure, and nobody wants to get pushed over the edge.
2. Get comfortable because this could take a while
I once watched a kid stand atop a rock for more than two hours. Peering down the ten feet or so to the water below, he watched a parade of other kids launch off the edge with ease. After each jumper he would step back up, tense his body like he was going to jump, and then back away. For two hours he did this. His family just hung out on the rocks below, chatting and snacking. They said very little, choosing to just give him some time.
Each year, I have debated this approach with my colleagues. I have had several students paralyzed by public speaking, and in the most extreme cases, I have offered an alternative assessment. Several of my colleagues have argued that I need to give a zero if the student won’t present, but each time I come across this situation I choose a different path. Sometimes students just aren’t ready for a particular challenge.
Not everyone is going to jump off of the rock right away. I am 41 years old and just now managing to jump. If my students need a bit more time, I can wait.
3. Community is better than competition
I once watched a kid stand atop a rock for more than two hours. Peering down the ten feet or so to the water below, he watched a parade of other kids launch off the edge with ease. After each jumper he would step back up, tense his body like he was going to jump, and then back away. For two hours he did this. His family just hung out on the rocks below, chatting and snacking. They said very little, choosing to just give him some time.
Each year, I have debated this approach with my colleagues. I have had several students paralyzed by public speaking, and in the most extreme cases, I have offered an alternative assessment. Several of my colleagues have argued that I need to give a zero if the student won’t present, but each time I come across this situation I choose a different path. Sometimes students just aren’t ready for a particular challenge.
Not everyone is going to jump off of the rock right away. I am 41 years old and just now managing to jump. If my students need a bit more time, I can wait.
3. Community is better than competition
Call it differentiated instruction or just call it good teaching. Shift your classroom away from competition and toward community. The student who writes beautiful and technically sound prose can certainly help the student struggling with sentence construction. But, it is not a contest. The student struggling with sentence construction may have a more insightful and original view of the literature we read that can really benefit the more technically proficient writer.
Call it differentiated instruction or just call it good teaching. Shift your classroom away from competition and toward community. The student who writes beautiful and technically sound prose can certainly help the student struggling with sentence construction. But, it is not a contest. The student struggling with sentence construction may have a more insightful and original view of the literature we read that can really benefit the more technically proficient writer.
4. We can all use a little more patience
We all aspire to help our students overcome their fears, take responsible risks, and find the joy of overcoming something that was once a daunting source of fear and anxiety. Keep trying to refocus on pointing out what students are doing well.
It can be exasperating when a student isn’t picking up an idea, but remember that after a certain point more attempts are reinforcing failure rather than gaining mastery. I want them all to write beautiful prose, but must remember that it is a process of many increasing degrees.
As you start the year, keep these ideas in mind. Before you know it all of your students will be flying through the air, splashing down into invigorating waters, and coming to the surface with smiles that remind you why you teach.
Boy Scouts would like to start at troop at Coolidge for boys in 1st to 4th grade. They are offering to pay 2 staff members $10.00 a week to be "troop leaders". Boys Scouts will be providing all supplies and curriculum. Ms. Goodall has expressed interest. If you are also interested please in being a troop leader for the boys please let me know.
Photo's for the Coolidge Yearbook can be uploaded in our Google Folder, Photo's for Yearbook, https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3X94wORxmtXdXZDMGMwQ3pNMTg. Please add photo's throughout the year.
To Develop Every Child Into a Reader:
- Everyday a child reads something they choose to read.
- Every child reads accurately
- Every child reads something they understand.
- Every child writes something that is personal and meaningful daily.
- Every child talks with peers about reading and writing.
- Every child hears an adult reader read fluently.
Coolidge Elementary Academic Goals for 2017- 2018
- All Students WILL achieve academically.
- Reading: Increase reading proficiency by at least one grade level, and know their current F & P level.
- Math: Increase math achievement by 10% with 80% mastery of math facts on grade level.
- Writing: Increase writing proficiency by 15%
- Student Attendance: Increase student attendance to 98%.
- Increase Faculty Attendance to 98%
OKCPS Literacy Standards
Coolidge Elementary School | Oklahoma City Public Schools
We all aspire to help our students overcome their fears, take responsible risks, and find the joy of overcoming something that was once a daunting source of fear and anxiety. Keep trying to refocus on pointing out what students are doing well.
It can be exasperating when a student isn’t picking up an idea, but remember that after a certain point more attempts are reinforcing failure rather than gaining mastery. I want them all to write beautiful prose, but must remember that it is a process of many increasing degrees.
As you start the year, keep these ideas in mind. Before you know it all of your students will be flying through the air, splashing down into invigorating waters, and coming to the surface with smiles that remind you why you teach.
Boy Scouts would like to start at troop at Coolidge for boys in 1st to 4th grade. They are offering to pay 2 staff members $10.00 a week to be "troop leaders". Boys Scouts will be providing all supplies and curriculum. Ms. Goodall has expressed interest. If you are also interested please in being a troop leader for the boys please let me know.
Photo's for the Coolidge Yearbook can be uploaded in our Google Folder, Photo's for Yearbook, https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3X94wORxmtXdXZDMGMwQ3pNMTg. Please add photo's throughout the year.
To Develop Every Child Into a Reader:
- Everyday a child reads something they choose to read.
- Every child reads accurately
- Every child reads something they understand.
- Every child writes something that is personal and meaningful daily.
- Every child talks with peers about reading and writing.
- Every child hears an adult reader read fluently.
Coolidge Elementary Academic Goals for 2017- 2018
- All Students WILL achieve academically.
- Reading: Increase reading proficiency by at least one grade level, and know their current F & P level.
- Math: Increase math achievement by 10% with 80% mastery of math facts on grade level.
- Writing: Increase writing proficiency by 15%
- Student Attendance: Increase student attendance to 98%.
- Increase Faculty Attendance to 98%
OKCPS Literacy Standards
OKCPS Math Standards
Melissa Brett | Principal
Coolidge Elementary School | Oklahoma City Public Schools
5212 S. Villa, Oklahoma City, OK 73119
(405) 587-2800
(405) 208-1581 (cell)
Earth Day and Veterans Day both look like important books in Unit 1 classroom libraries.
ReplyDeleteI will most likely use "Map Keys" sooner rather than later. In our Social Studies, we just learned about maps and map keys/legends. Seems like a good way to connect the subjects to each other.
ReplyDeleteHow Kids Grow
ReplyDeleteI Can, We Can
ReplyDelete