Navigating the Course of Change Elementary Curriculum Update June 2004

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Navigating the Course of ChangeElementary
Curriculum UpdateJune 2004

• Ed Vara
• Education Service Center, Region 20

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English/Language Arts

• Grade 3 Reading scores continue to improve.
• Standards continue to increase.
• Statistical equating
• Spring 2004 23 items correct to pass not 22
• Implications for future assessments, regardless
  of grade level and subject area
• See TEA April letter

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English/Language Arts

• Fourth Grade Teacher Reading Academies
• Continue building capacity in teachers at the
  upper grades
• Focus on expository text
• Social Studies
• Science
• Day 4 Using data to drive instruction

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English/Language Arts

• Grade 5
• Build momentum from 3rd grade to 5th grade in the
  area of reading
• Increased standard performance (Panel
  Recommendation)
• Increased rigor
• 4TRA content is appropriate for grade 5 teachers

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English/Language Arts

• Grade 5
• Reflect on effective instructional strategies in
  grades 3 and 4 as evidenced by TAKS analysis
• Review individual performance on grade 4 TAKS
• Intervene early

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Mathematics

• Concern about arterioskillosis
• A pervasive condition that is characterized by a
  preoccupation with viewing mathematics
  instruction as exclusively skill dependent a
  clogging of the cognitive arteries
• Left untreated, it can lead to decreased
  achievement in mathematics.

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Mathematics

• We are seeing a parallel phenomenon to the ELA
  Reading Wars.
• Tied to the belief that mathematics instruction
  is dependent on the acquisition of skills in a
  specified and unique order
• If you dont know your times tables, you cannot
  learn the next concepts.
• If you dont know your basic skills, you cannot
  do higher math.

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Mathematics

• Staff development and technical assistance should
  guide teachers away from totally directed
  instruction and towards guiding student
  engagement through questioning and problem
  solving.
• Requires thinking on your feet and a dynamic
  learning environment

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Mathematics

• Upcoming staff development
• Summer Math Institutes
• Elementary (4 2)
• Marilyn Burns

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Science

• Alignment issues continue K-12, especially around
  process issues.
• Lab time and quality of labs continue to be an
  issue.

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Levels of InquiryStructured

• The teacher provides students with a hands-on
  problem to investigate, as well as procedures and
  materials, but does not inform them of the
  expected outcome.
• Students discover relationships between variables
  or generalize from data collected.

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Levels of InquiryGuided

• Teacher provides the materials and problem to
  investigate.
• Students devise their own procedure to solve the
  problem.
• Teacher facilitates investigation and encourages
  student- generated questions to further
  investigations.

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Levels of InquiryOpen

• Similar to guided inquiry, except that students
  formulate their own problem to investigate.
• Open inquiry allows students to develop their
  understanding of a concept and use scientific
  reasoning.

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Social Studies

• The challenge of dealing with expository text
  continues K-12.
• Need for earlier introduction to the tools for
  dealing with expository text
• Need for instruction to be explicit
• The dilemma of reviewing for TAKS
• How do you prepare kids without sacrificing the
  TEKS of the required course?

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Social Studies

• How much time is spent at grades 9 and 10
  reviewing 8th grade social studies TEKS in the
  fall and right before TAKS?
• One option Review throughout courses by
  integrating comparison/contrast activities to
  courses
• For example, causes of conflicts, types of
  government, etc

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Curriculum Think Abouts

• The opportunities and challenges in
  departmentalizing in elementary school
• Specialization (building on strengths)
• Fragmentation (instruction in isolation)
• Establish a balance between narrative and
  expository text

Rhetoric Reflection Voice
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Curriculum Think Abouts
The power of the 5 E Planning Model
Engage Explore Explain Elaborate Evaluate
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Curriculum Contacts

• Jeff Goldhorn
• jeff.goldhorn_at_esc20.net
• [phone]
• Ed Vara
• ed.vara_at_esc20.net
• [phone]