MSM 218: 8675309 Common Core and more!

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

AMLE Feature:

 

Grade levels for K–8; grade bands for 9–10 and 11–12

The Standards use individual grade levels in kindergarten through grade 8 to
provide useful specificity; the Standards use two-year bands in grades 9–12 to
allow schools, districts, and states flexibility in high school course design.

An integrated model of literacy

Although the Standards are divided into Reading, Writing, Speaking and
Listening, and Language strands for conceptual clarity, the processes of
communication are closely connected, as reflected throughout this document.
For example, Writing standard 9 requires that students be able to write
about what they read. Likewise, Speaking and Listening standard 4 sets the
expectation that students will share findings from their research.

Shared responsibility for students’ literacy development

The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening,
and language be a shared responsibility within the school. The K–5 standards
include expectations for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language
applicable to a range of subjects, including but not limited to ELA. The grades
6–12 standards are divided into two sections, one for ELA and the other for
history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. This division reflects the
unique, time-honored place of ELA teachers in developing students’ literacy
skills while at the same time recognizing that teachers in other areas must have
a role in this development as well.
Part of the motivation behind the interdisciplinary approach to literacy
promulgated by the Standards is extensive research establishing the need
for college and career ready students to be proficient in reading complex
informational text independently in a variety of content areas. Most of the
required reading in college and workforce training programs is informational
in structure and challenging in content; postsecondary education programs
typically provide students with both a higher volume of such reading than is
generally required in K–12 schools and comparatively little scaffolding.

http://www.corestandards.org/
Common Core Test Sample:  http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/common-core-sample-questions/ela-grade-7.pdf
Common Core Maps:  http://www.commoncore.org/maps/

Jokes You Can Use:

Q: What do you get when you cross a perm with a rabbit?
A: Curly hare.

1. A day without sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last; thinks slowest.
7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria. They’re the only culture most people have.
10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
14. OK, so what’s the speed of dark?
15. When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.
19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?
20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?
21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, ‘What the heck happened?’
22. Just remember — if the world didn’t suck, we would all fall off.
23. Light travels faster than sound. That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
24. Life isn’t like a box of chocolates. It’s more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

Eileen Award:

None this week  🙁

Advisory:

Open University 60 second Adventures in Thought

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/philosophy/60-second-adventures-thought?track=69508b9e11

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-ICE CUBES, STEM AND 5E
This podcast is based on the article “Should Ice Be Cubed?” written by Richard H. Moyer and Susan A. Everett.  The article can be found in the September 2012 issue of Science Scope magazine, a magazine for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.

All four STEM areas were integrated throughout the 5E lesson as students were engaged, they explored, they developed explanations, they extended their learning and were evaluated.  Science was represented through heat transfer, cooling rates, and melting.  Technology was integrated through the use of the different types of ice cube trays — novelty, giant cube, household, and student built.  The activity allowed students to become engineers by testing three different ice-cube-tray designs.  Finally, the mathematics was used in measuring the surface-area and volume relationships between the ice cubes.

From the Twitterverse:

 

Resources:

Periodic Chart

Lots of really great information about elements. Don’t miss the navigation bar on the right. Also includes printables.
http://chemreference.com/

Find the Data

Incredible amounts of data.
http://www.findthedata.org/

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

Ohio Middle Level Association:

 

• The Ohio Middle Level Association will hold their annual conference.

 

• OMLA Registration Form
• OMLA Presentation Proposal Form

 

AMLE Affiliate Conferences:

 

• The Michigan Association of Middle School Educators Annual Conference is coming up March 2013 in Dearborn, MI.  
  • MAMSE Exhibitor Form
  • MAMSE Registration Form

 

• MAMSE Presentation Form
• MAMSE Conference Program Book (2011)
• The North Carolina Middle School Association’s Annual Conference March, 2013
  • Conference Brochure  
  • Presenter’s Application
  • Who They Are . . .
  • This year’s sessions . . .

 

Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

Classroom 2.0’s Ning Blog: Archived content is available.