Wednesday

=Agenda • Wednesday, Aug.19, 2009=

Essential Questions:

 * How can we adapt our teaching practice to meet and affirm the diverse needs and strengths of our students?
 * How can diversified instruction improve success for all students while reducing disproportionality?
 * How are 21st century literacies integral to diversified instruction?
 * What are the connections between DI, RTI, Content Maps, and the 2009 - 2010 Action Plans for Equity?

Major Understandings:

 * The teacher focuses on the essentials of the subject- content, principles and skills.
 * All units should be differentiated, whereas individual lessons may or may not be differentiated.
 * Assessment and instruction are inseparable.
 * The teacher modifies content, process and products.
 * All students participate in respectful tasks.
 * The teacher and students collaborate in learning in the classroom and beyond.
 * The teacher balances group and individual needs.
 * The teacher affirms student differences.
 * Connecting district initiatives makes the work manageable and increases chances for student success.

1. Sign in, get materials/begin reflection and collectively defining DI 8:30 – 9:20 (Group assessment/Community of learners)
 * Write on blog and read other people's posts. Define DI in three sentences.
 * Get into groups of three. Share each of your definitions. Create a group definition in three sentences. Write the group definition on the blog (identify who is in your group) //**and**// draw a picture defining DI on chart paper.

2. Skills Overview 9:20– 9:40 Barry and Roger
 * Notice the ones we have engaged so far - we hope to engage them all throughout the week.
 * Click here for information about tiering
 * page 117 for questioning verbs

3. Assessment 9:40 – 11:30 Barry (explicit instruction) (Use “Three Levels of Text” protocol)
 * Read/listen to pages 59 – 82 in Tomlinson & McTighe
 * Online Resource - [|The Differentiator] - a tool to help create and differentiate assessments
 * Online Resource : [] -example of a quarterly self-assessment that Barry has used in both 6th and 7th grade.
 * Take a break sometime in here, too.

[|Part One] media type="file" key="UbD & DI part 1.mp3"

[|Part 2] media type="file" key="UbD & DI part 2.mp3"

[|Part 3] media type="file" key="UbD & DI part 3.mp3"

[|Part 4] media type="file" key="UbD & DI part 4.mp3"

[|Part 5] media type="file" key="UbD & DI part 5.mp3"

[|Part 6] media type="file" key="UbD & DI part 6.mp3"

6. Lunch 11:30 – 12:15

7. Work on units 12:30 – 1:45 (Deepen understanding/ try to get down major understandings and skills)
 * CDB (Curriculum Database)
 * Worktime --> Use our content map as a template & pages 30,31, & 37 in Tomlinson & McTighe as a reference
 * Flexible grouping: individual, pairs, mini-lessons, etc.
 * //**Take a break sometime in here when you need one**//

8. Group assessment/Community of learners 1:45 – 2:30 (video-tape) 9. Where do we go from here for the rest of today? 2:30 – 3:15
 * Break into groups of four, with each group focusing on one of the assessment rubrics that we will use to assess our learning for this training session. As a group, read through, discuss, and make sense of the rubric.
 * Come back together - each group share out/highlight key elements of the rubric.
 * We could break into groups based on need:
 * Provide support/instruction on specific elements of the maps to those who want it
 * Provide support/instruction in terms of specific equity and/or technology content/tools
 * Introduce a new tool to the whole group, called **//voice thread//**
 * Another option that the group/someone in the group suggests

Homework: