March for a Cure Update (3/11/17)

March for a Cure? Yes, MARCH FOR A CURE! 

For every PowerWalks classroom observation conducted this month, LYS will donate 5¢ to the American Cancer Society. Every PowerWalks observer who conducts 200 or more classroom observations this month gets a March For A Cure T-shirt.   

I march for Gerald Burnett, Margaret Nold, and Phyllis Nold. 

Who do you march for?

Visit Classrooms… Beat Cancer!

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/Fundamental5
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Asks... Kindergarten and 1st Grade Critical Writing

A new LYS Principal asks the following:

SC,

I have been doing my PowerWalks since our training this Fall. I have just a few questions on what Critical Writing should look like in our Kindergarten and 1st Grade classrooms. Could you provide some examples?

SC Response

First, a reality check. In Kindergarten and 1st Grade classrooms you will see the least amount of Critical Writing. Which means you want to see A LOT of small group purposeful talk.

In Kindergarten, a commonly observed form of Critical Writing is student drawings with the students explaining their thinking or the story.

In 1st Grade the expectation is higher. Students should be able to write a full sentence explaining their thinking (don't worry about spelling and punctuation). 

Below are some Critical Writing ideas for Kindergarten and first semester 1st Grade classrooms.

Critical Writing in Reading

As the teacher reads a story to students, she pauses to allow students to talk about their predictions of what will happen next.  As students talk, the teacher records their thinking with a picture drawn in a windowpane organizer.

Draw/describe how the main character in a story feels at the beginning of the story.

Draw/describe how the feelings of the main character in a story change over time.

Critical Writing in Math

Draw a picture illustrating what is happening in a story problem.

Draw/explain what would happen if two groups are combined. 

Critical Writing in Science 

Draw a picture (then explain) of what you know about _________.

Draw a picture (then explain) of something new you learned about ___________.

Draw a picture (then explain) of the most important safety rule.  Defend your answer.

Critical Writing in Any Setting

Dictate or write the most important thing you learned about ____________________.

Dictate or write a question you have about ______________________.

Draw a picture of what you already know about ____________________. 

Visit Classrooms… Beat Cancer!

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/Fundamental5 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Revisionist History and a Realistic Present

“Once upon a time we used public schools to educate American kids, for the benefit of all.” – The lament of a current public school teacher

First, B.S.  Let’s confront the brutal facts. Saying that prior generations used public schools for the benefit of all is revisionist history.  Unless you count ALL as everyone who is NOT a minority or has special needs.  Our history is not exactly pretty.

On the other hand, our present is something we can point to with a level of pride. We have done a better job of working to educate every student who enters our doors. But let’s not pretend that we did this on our own.  Like it or not, the truth of the matter is that courts, the advocates, and accountability have forced us to change our practices, beliefs, and expectations.  This change has been stressful for public school educators but good for public school students.  Additionally, we have made this change with arguably, inadequate resources.   

Which brings me to my second point.  Now public schools are working to educate all students to a high level.  But schools are doing this with resources that have kept pace with neither expectations nor inflation.  And teachers are doing this while being battered and berated by the very politicians that we repeatedly vote for.

At some point, we must recognize that as public educators we reap what we sow.  When the people we vote for are the source of our pain, we either accept it or vote for someone else.  That is more productive than lamenting about something that never was.

Visit Classrooms… Beat Cancer!

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/Fundamental5 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook