expect the best

7/29/2019 Expect The Best

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EXPECT THE

BEST!!School 28

Marc A. Medley, PrincipalNancy Castro, Vice-PrincipalSeptember 6 & 7, 2011


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What is essentialforschools?

Chat about this with your neighbor for a couple of minutes


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Three simple things

(1)Reasonably coherent curriculum (whatwe

teach).(2)Sound lessons (howwe teach).(3)Far more purposeful reading and writing in

every discipline, or authentic literacy

(integral to both what and how we teach).


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The top performingschool districtsrecognize that theonly way to improveoutcomes is to improveinstruction


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Simplicity, Clarity,and Priority


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What We Teach


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How We Teach


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Authentic Literacy


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Reading

Writing

Talking


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Despite the central importance of reading and writing to general

learning and college preparation, students rarely engage in

authentic reading and writing activities, even in language arts.

Mike Schmoker - Book FOCUS


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The implementation of coherent

curriculum; effective lessons; and

abundant amounts of purposefulreading, writing, and talking should

be our highest priorities.


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Every year we get students who cant read or who

read far below grade level, but they can improve.

Smart is not something they are; it is something they

can become. They cant pull themselves up without

helpour help.

Salome ThomasEL


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Sample morning mantra for rituals and routines

Good morning Mr./Mrs./Ms. ___________. I am here and I am ready to learn.

Have the entire class say

something like the above

every morning.


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Lack of proficiency in reading, writing, and math is a symptom of deeper problems

that have gone ignored, unaddressed and unmet for too long.

One of the first steps toward becoming a great, inspiring teacher is to concentrate

on building strong relationships with your students while simultaneously making

learning fun (Kunjufu, 2002)

In a teacher-centered learning environment where teachers do most of the talking, it is

virtually impossible to adequately ascertain how the students learn, because the students

are reduced to passive learning. The classroom learning environment must instead be

student-centered, as this enables you to observe your students engaging in active learning.


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You must ensure that your students can actually sense the passion that you have

for them by consistently demonstrating your concern for them through your

speech and your actions. You must also maintain a high degree ofenergy and

enthusiasm in the classroom; your students must be able to perceive that you are

literally excited about their academic growth.

Each and every day, as your students walk into your classroom, you must expectthat they will in fact achieve academic excellence, and that anything less than

excellence is unacceptable. Your students need to know that it is simply not an

option to give less than their maximum effort.

Your students are listening to every word that you utter and watching every move

that you make. It is one thing to tell students what you expect of them; it is an entirelydifferent thing for them to see expected behaviors being modeled by the people whom

they respect.


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In addition to having your students read, you must also require them to write about

themes in books they are reading. They should be encouraged to write critiques,

analyses, reactions, and summaries. They should also be encouraged to write original

pieces about their life experiences.

Make sure to ask thoughtful, reflective questions rather than simple, factual ones andthen give students adequate time to respond.

Invite students to discuss their thinking about a question or topic in pairs or small

groups, then ask a representative to share the thinking with the larger group


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Present several possible answers to a question, then ask the students to vote on them

Ask all students to write down the answer, then read a selected few out loud

Have students write their understanding of vocabulary or concepts before and after

instruction

Ask students to summarize the main ideas theyve taken away from a lecture,

discussion or assigned reading

Have students complete a few problems or questions at the end of instruction and

check answers

Interview students individually or in groups about their thinking as they solve problems


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Weve Talked About

What We Teach

How We Teach

Authentic LiteracySimplicity, Clarity, and Priority

Reading

Writing

Talking


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EXPECT A GREAT SCHOOL YEAR!!!!


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SOURCES:

Schmoker, Mike (2011). FOCUS.

Alexandria, Va.: ASCD

Kafele, Baruti (2009). Motivating Black Males to Achieve In School & In Life.

Alexandria, Va.: ASCD

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