The Fundamental 5 - Lesson Plan Template

Coming soon to the Apple App Store: The Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Template.

You asked for a lesson planning tool that actually makes your job easier. The wait is almost over!

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11

Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

A Superintendent Submits... The Fundamental 5 - Doctoral Level Discussions

A LYS Superintendent sent in the following field report.

SC,

Hope all is going well. As you know, I’ve been working on my Doctorate. In my cohort, there are school leaders from across the country. Last week my class was discussing how we can help special education and ESL students prepare for state assessments. I drove the discussion to scaffolding the instruction and specifically mentioned Lesson Framing (and quoted the book, The Fundamental 5). Here is a response a school leader in Virginia sent me.

I really enjoyed hearing about how you are requiring teachers to frame their lessons. The Cain and Laird (2011) reference is one that I am familiar with, but have not yet had the time to fully digest.

The use of framing seems to tie-in nicely with Wiggins and McTighe’s (2005) discussion on backwards [or reverse] planning [or design]. The underlying concept to using backwards design when creating a curriculum begins with identifying what you want the students to be able to do at the conclusion [outcome] of the curriculum. Then work backwards identifying critical elements of understanding that would be needed [sequentially] to be mastered by students that would eventually culminate in achievement of the end goal [a bit awkwardly worded I know]. In fact, I am quite surprised that Cain and Laird (2011) don’t reference Wiggins and McTighe (2005) at all in the text.

I would imagine that using the framing strategy would help alleviate student test anxiety and probably provide for more meaningful note taking. It would be interesting to set up a study to measure the effects [if any] of the use of framing. Any thoughts on if research regarding such a seemingly simple action has been completed?

Reference

Cain, S. and Laird, M. (2011). Fundamental five. Houston: CreateSpace.

Wiggins, G., and McTighe, J., (2005). Understanding by design: Expanded (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson, Merrill Prentice Hall

I just wanted to share a Virginia educator’s viewpoint and thank you for writing a great book. Thought you might enjoy!

SC Response

Heck yeah, I enjoyed this. Our little book is showing up all over the place. For the record, we didn’t mention Wiggins and McTighe because we hadn’t read their book. But the connection to backwards design is one that we highlight when we are training teachers. Once I decide how the student will demonstrate that he/she has mastered the objective, 80% of my lesson plan has been completed.

Thank you for mentioning our work in your class. Having the book discussed in a doctoral course is just crazy, flattering, exciting and beyond anything Laird and I ever imagined. Also, I did notice that the PowerWalks numbers for your district are through the roof. Keep up the good work and remember we’re just a phone call away.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11

Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

A Superintendent Submits... Certification Audit

A LYS Superintendent submits the following:

SC,

This information needs to get out soon. I have yet to find a campus administrator in a small district that knows this information.

Each district or campus needs to do a campus level review of employee certification. Do this in an Excel spreadsheet and update it yearly. The link to SBEC VirtCert is:

http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/sbeconline/virtcert.asp

Most people are familiar with the certification site and use it frequently. Once you have this information, you will need details of teaching assignments, which means master schedules for secondary schools and teaching assignments for elementary schools.

Next, you need the following document:

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5830&menu_id=865&menu_id2=794

Once you arrive at this page, find the link that says Teacher Assignment Chart.

This chart is broken down by grade level: elementary, middle school, and high school. Note that middle schools are further broken down into Self Contained and Departmentalized. My guess is virtually every junior high out there is Departmentalized.

Now, look at the teaching assignment in the left column, and then look at which certificates are valid to teach the listed course. DO NOT DEVIATE. The language on the certificate MUST exactly match the language in the Certification column. Some certificates have very similar wording, but can not be used to teach the exact same subjects.

This process gets tricky because many teachers hold certificates that are no longer available. DO NOT ASSUME that because an old certificate seems very similar to a more currently issued certificate that the two certificates entitle the teachers in question to teach the exact same courses. In many cases this is not true.

For example, there are some older Theater certifications that can be used to teach speech, and there are some more current Theater certifications that may not be eligible to teach speech. If in doubt call SBEC.

Review your teachers for each class they are assigned. If everthing matches up, that's great. If not, develop a corrective action plan and fix it this year. You may find some people need to go take certification tests, so I would do this soon so as to give them time to resolve any problems.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11

Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

In Remembrance

Gertrude Theresa Vajdos Brezina was born on October 27, 1919. She married Eligius Michael Brezina on July 2, 1940. Michael’s untimely passing in 1953 left Gertie to raise, on her own, seven sons and one daughter: Robert, August, Cassian, Gregory, Nancy, Mark, Stephen, and Eligius. The children ranged in age from 12 years to 9 months and Gertie made the commitment to keep her family together and to raise the children that God had given her.

For most of the years that her children were in school, Gertie was employed as cafeteria manager/dietitian for Louise ISD. Gertie will be long remembered by all who knew her for her unfailing faith in God, which gave her strength, courage and perseverance. She will also be remembered for her mile-high pies and upside down cinnamon rolls. She is irreplaceable and will be greatly missed, but she leaves a legacy of a life well lived and treasure-trove of cherished memories to her loved ones.

“Her children rise up and call her blessed. Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:28

In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to:

Brezina Scholarship

Louise Independent School District

P.O. Box 97

Louise, Texas 77455

A LYS'er Answers My Question

In the 10/6/2011 post, “Blog and E-Mail: A Review of Functions,” I asked,

“RSS Feeds - I don't have a clue. The tech guys just said it needed to be there. Can anyone out there explain it?”

A LYS reader sent in the following answer:

Hey SC,

Your RSS (Real Simple Syndication) subscription sends your posts to my Google home page (i.e., previously established and rarely utilized). When I subscribe to RSS "comments", I get those on my Google homepage too. You have other options listed (e.g., netvibes, newsgator, etc.) that are other "feed reader" sources.

For me, I notice more of your posts on Twitter because I utilize that more than the Google page... just some feedback for you.

I really appreciate your blog posts and I share them often with my colleagues. Keep 'em coming!

SC Response

Thanks for the answer and thanks for following. As long as the LYS Nation keeps reading and participating, I’ll keep up my end of our on-going discussion.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11

Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of October 2, 2011

Our bootleg technology conversation is dramatically different (if it exists at all) without the presence of Steve Jobs. With bootleg technology have a tool that is beyond the realm of imagination for prior generations of educators. We just have to figure out how to use it.

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own bootleg technology devices to follow Twitter. If you haven’t done so yet, we want you to join us. To let you see what you are missing, here are the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of October 2, 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. In just two weeks, Cottonwood Elementary has increased the practice of Lesson Framing by over 30 percentage points.

2. When formative campus data is shared with the board, it immediately becomes summative to the staff. Regardless of board intent or action.

3. If you want to solve the problem of too many coaches going to too many events - make the athletic department pay for the substitute teacher. Even for PE.

4. Great Elementary Lesson Frame: We will discover how heating and cooling change things / I will tell my buddy one observation I made about change

5. At a bizarro central office meeting right now. Central office staff and principals are actually talking about instruction.

6. If the district technology department focused on increasing access for users instead of reducing the problems created by users, they would be more useful and have more job security.

7. Confused about Lesson Framing? Get “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction,” now available on Kindle.

8. If you try to fix every deficit of every student, you fix nothing for anyone. Prioritize interventions.

9. Shared ordeal is great for building trust and morale. Never waste a good crisis.

10-A. Ms. Roark was 5 for 5 on the Fundamental 5! Oh, and she was teaching seven, high school aged, emotionally disturbed students.

10-B. Mr. Berry was 4 for 5 on the Fundamental 5 today. Would be incredible instruction in a regular classroom. Simply over the top in a special education classroom.

10-C. Mr. Muzzy was 4 for 5 with the Fundamental 5, with eleven special education students in his class. Great job!

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11

Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASSP Conference; NASB Conference