GRADE LEVEL MINUTES – FOURTH GRADE

Oct. 11, 2002

Bellingham School District

 

OUTCOME:  Teachers will have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with peers in order to incorporate the elements of the District Social Studies, Health, and Literacy Curriculum and strategies for good instruction into their lessons and units of study.

 

AGENDA TOPICS:

 

I.                    Our Vision of Learning and Implications for Good Teaching

 

(Handout From Meeting:  Article:  How People Learn)

 

What is our theory of learning? 

v      Learners actively reflect and ask questions about their world

v      Learners construct conceptual frameworks by making connections, seeing relationships, considering other perspectives, and

v      Learners have preconceived ideas about their world and continually confirm and correct these ideas

 

              What are the implications for teaching?

v      Teachers need to provide demonstrations of active inquiry by asking questions that expert performers/learners ask about specific disciplines.  (What questions do mathematicians ask? What questions do readers ask?  What questions do writers ask? )

v      Teachers provide opportunities for students to learn about a subject or topic in depth.  Ample time is allowed for students to grasp the big ideas, to reflect, to investigate, to question, to see relationships, and to construct new meaning.

v      Teachers expect students to perform the new learning in authentic situations demonstrating the skills and knowledge as outlined in district and state standards.

 

This theory of learning connects with the Conditions For Learning found in our Elementary Literacy Support Guide.

 

Further information about How People Learn can be found at www.nap.edu.

 

II.                 Challenges with the District Health Curriculum – In Depth

 

There is only one required unit to be taught this year.  It is “Be Cool, Keep Clean”

Teachers provided feedback on their questions and needs regarding the implementation of Great Body Shop (see attached Q&A for Health).

 

III.               Elementary Literacy Support Guide: Active Inquiry

 

v      Questions that readers ask are related to the Reading Process

v      Explicitly teaching questioning can include helping students understand that some questions are literal and answers are found in the text.  Some questions are interpretive and answers are found in a conversation between the readers and the author.  Other questions are evaluative and ask for a reader’s opinion.

v      Handout: Question Answer Response Strategy

 

(Handout From Meeting:  QAR: Question Answer Response from September, 2002 Reading Teacher p. 20-27)

 

IV.                Backwards Design – Starting with the big ideas to be learned and describing the

            Performance expected from the students.

 

                (Handout From Meeting:  Curriculum and Resources for Fourth Grade)

 

Sample units for social studies were developed and shared by the participants.   These drafts will be sent to each teacher and may be further developed at future grade level meetings.   The template will be sent electronically to each grade level teacher.

 

 

 

 

V.                 Questions

 

Teachers posted questions throughout the day.  See attached for Q/A sheet.

1.        Is the Rand McNally Atlas appropriate for 4th grade and is it the same as 3rd grade?  (the 3rd grade is not really an atlas)  Because the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades all use the Junior Atlas, how do we know what to teach and what to avoid re-teaching?  Are there assigned lessons for each grade?

2.        What resources do we have for teachers about world/US regions? (The current resources only go in depth for WA State)

3.        Where are some materials for comparative regions that include economics?

4.        How about supplemental resources for social studies like a kit for individual buildings?

5.        The 5th grade social studies committee determined that there would be a 2 year implementation in order to get full classroom sets into every 5th grade classroom.  Is that still going to happen?

6.        What is the district’s recommendation for combination classrooms when using the social studies curriculum?

7.        Could we have a copy of the unit design template electronically?

8.        To bring depth to my teaching, I often bring in recent materials that are relevant and interesting.  Is it OK to use materials that are not approved?

9.        What is the Thinker Tools Curriculum

 

 

 

VI.              Next Steps

 

Teachers posted suggestions and topics for future grade level meetings.

Topics:

v      Year long unit planning for social studies that integrate across curriculum

v      Literacy Materials and Instructional Practices for comprehension

v      Share writing projects, 6 Trait Writing

v      Math problem solving/Number Talks/Number Sense

v      How to coordinate TERC with SFA

v      Assessment: Monitoring notes

v      WASL Preparation

v      Spelling

v      Guided Reading – Getting kids to be efficient questioners

v      Strategies to work with tangled readers when using grade level text books

v      Discuss ways to put constructivist approach into practice – active learning

v      Timelines for year long planning

v      Science kit management

v      Art

 

ATTENDEES 

Alderwood: Kent Quigley, Jeana Swanson  Birchwood:Candy Smith, Jaylani Battle Carl Cozier: Kerry Draddy, Chris Carty Columbia: Shannon Sampson Geneva:Teri Herda, Deirdre Coleman, Mark Danielson, Debbi Dougherty Happy Valley: Skip Failor, Patsy DeCastro Larrabee: Cathy Young, Lisa Conlon Lowell: Debbie Hanson, Patty Keene Northern Heights: Sheryl Binning,  Karen Blum, Sandy Chorvat  Parkview: Tom Gresham, Teresa VanHaalen, Joyce Burdge, Kathleen Robbins Roosevelt: Meredith Hansen, Barb Reilly, Tiffany Gutierrez Silver Beach: Angela Borden, Susan Kagel, Barb Ruthford Sunnyland: Mike Kettman, Gretchen Howard HCLP: Judy Wagner

 

Volunteers to host:

Barb Reilly

 

Volunteer teachers will develop a plan for the next meeting in March.

Teri Herda

Debbie Hanson

Lisa Conlon

Patty Keene

Cathy Young

Deirdre Coleman