Friday, August 6, 2010

Pacing Guides 2010-2011


Click HERE for IR and Edge Pacing Guides.

Email me if you have any questions regarding Edge. I will do all I can to help.

Smile :o)

Friday, September 25, 2009

Lesson Plan Help

As you requested in your evaluations, many of you wanted lesson plan help. Unfortunately, we are trying to squeeze two days of training into one, which presents a few issues. Lesson plan templates (in the column to the left) are already on this blog, which is why we did not delve into a whole lot. If you need to see a sample, I am including a copy from last week.
Lesson Plans EDGE 0908 to 0915
I hope this helps. You can arrange this to meet your time constraints and the needs of your kids. If you are on 55 minute blocks, then it will take you two days to my one day. The best thing to do is open up all the resources on a big table or your bed...then start seeing what you want to put together for your kids.

For a day in the life of Edge, you saw much of it. The only difference is, my kids move groups every 20-30 minutes (for a two-hour block). All the activities we did today can be modified for the readings (like the jigsaw for the research, though you can do popcorn reading, silent reading, group reading, choral reading, or read alouds), the vocab (the graphic organizers activity we did), the essential question (four corners, post-it notes, among a gazillion other activities). The grammar lessons are pretty explicit, and we explained the cluster and unit assessments. The Online Coach was NOT purchased for us, so we did not even address that...though I recommended you take a look. Again, to infuse writing, use the pictures on the transparencies, or the cartoons in the book. The kids love this. Remember to encourage them to appeal to your sense of smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing.

If you have any other questions, please email me or Carmen. If you want to look at my class blog, remember, I teach Edge periods 1 & 2. Please visit at http://crodsallstars.blogspot.com

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Q & A from the Training on 8/19

Hi, guys and gals! I am posting some of the answers to the questions you had today from our workshop (8/19):

For the group that asked for the name of the book we discussed, it's called A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne. Enlightening stuff. It really put it into perspective!

For the reading strategies and their sub-strategies, here you go.
Plan and Monitor - Preview, predict and set a purpose; clarify ideas, clarify vocab
Determine Importance - Identify main idea and details; summarize; determine what's important to you
Make Inferences - I read, I know and so....
Ask Questions - Self-question; question-answer relationships; question the author
Make Connections - Text-to-self; text-to-text; text-to-world
Synthesize - Draw conclusions' compare opinions; form generalizations
Visualize - Form mental images; identify emotional responses; identify sensory images

* Remember, the sub-strategies change a little from level to level. If you want to see what is included in your level, look in the table of contents (usually begins on page vi), then look at the various units for the strategies in red lettering.


If you need to use the parking lot below for other questions, please feel free to do so (or you can post them here as well).

Have a wonderful "first day" tomorrow. Carmen and I are confident you all will do phenomenally!
GREAT JOB TODAY!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Parking Lot

Have questions or concerns about HB Edge while away from our training session? Well, here is your parking lot. State your questions here, and we will bring them in for discussion for our next meeting, or we will address them by replying to your post. To leave your comment on our parking lot, click on "comments" at the bottom of this post then type in your question. Check back in 24 hours to see our response. Remember, it's okay for cutting EDGE teachers to ask questions; that's how we all grow as educators...and the best part is, our students ultimately benefit from it.

Below is a sample blog post for students. Necessary Roughness is a novel that comes with HB Edge, Level C, and this post was created to help students earn a little extra credit if they needed it. They were able to respond to the novel while using the technology they love.

We will be reading this in class for the next month. I would like you to comment here as you read each set of chapters. This is a great way to boost your grade and reflect on your readings. Each post you thoughtfully and extensively prepare and publish will earn you 10 extra credit points. Please look at my comments in the comment section to see what the prompt is; it will change from chapter to chapter.

Prompt 1 - After reading the first two chapters, how do you relate to any of the characters thus far. Think about your life experiences, what goes on in the world around you, or what you have observed.


See me to schedule computer time if you do not have access at home. I am here to help if you need it. I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT.



Click HERE to access HB Edge online. Remember, you will need your e-Tools key code from inside your teacher edition.

The Edge Teaching Website has every teaching tool you need with the click of a mouse:

  • Cutting EDGE Instructional Resources and Transparencies
  • Online Lesson Planner
  • Assessment Tools
  • Edge Interactive Online Teacher's Edition
If you have trouble logging in, email Tech Support at techsupport@NGSP.com