Blog

Fall into the fall semester with these quick and easy formative assessment ideas.  

Formative Assessment or Checks for understanding help the teacher adjust as you work towards the “end.” By using formative assessments, you can make sure that the students understand the concepts or ideas before they fail a summative or unit assessment.  Here are some fun ideas to both engage your students and get the data you need on what your students know. 

1. Graphic organizers - provide students with a way to use both words and pictures to represent their learning.  This allows students that feel they are not as good at writing to show their understanding in a different way.  

2. Signaling - allows your students to give you a quick idea of how they are doing on a topic.  Finger signaling by holding up a number or traffic signals can provide a way for a teacher to quickly gauge understanding. 

3. Chain Reaction - gives the control to the students the control of the assessment  & allows the teacher to facilitate the assessment and listen for key ideas

4.Snow Ball - Each student needs one piece of paper and something to write with

Anchoring your Classroom to Promote Student Success! This edition of “Teacher Tips” focuses on setting up your classroom to promote student success by using anchor charts. Whether you are just starting out as a new teacher or are a veteran, anchor charts can set students up for success. Thanks to Tammy Lemm from Klein ISD for her help with this month's publication. What are anchor charts? This high yield instructional strategy can be used across content areas to help “anchor” major concepts into the students minds. By using color, words and pictures students are able to have a visual of their learning. Anchor charts can be student developed or teacher developed. The best charts are usually developed as a lesson evolves, with students a part of the conversation. These charts make the teacher/students' thinking visible. Once they are hung on the wall they are continuously accessible to students for reference. They should be referred to regularly so they simply do not become a poster on the wall. Other activities can be planned that allows students to interact with the charts in different ways. What Makes A Good Anchor Chart? Contains only the most relevant or important information (think Readiness Standards!) Post in a logical order (chronological for history) Keep it simple…they shouldn’t be overly elaborate and don’t have to be artistic masterpieces Need to be interacted with regularly by the students and the teacher otherwise they become posters Use sentence strips to make removable labels Have students assign clip art images that best “illustrates” the content. Where do I start? Look at your data Think about your content and the ideas in which your students struggle Start with a few and add each year How do I use Anchor Charts in my classroom? Create a timeline of your curriculum for the school year Combine with a card sort to make interactive Have students use to as a source of information for a foldable or on a graphic organizer Follow up with reflection questions or other processing activity Use student response to reflection questions to determine needs for targeted instruction

July Teacher Tip: What is hot is Social Studies? Check out Chat GPT & see how AI is helping teachers in the classroom. 

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot trained to understand typed prompts and generate content that sounds human, is the fastest-growing web platform ever. (Edutopia, March 13, 2023)

Quick Guide to ChatGPT  This one page quick guide developed by Crystal Uhiren @MrsUTeacher. This quick guide gives teachers a one page guide of ideas that they can try using Chat GPT to make teacher work a little easier. 

We Are Teachers: 20 Ways Teachers Can Use ChatGPT to Make Their Lives Easier

By: Jill Staake on March 13, 2023

Edutopia: 6 Ways to Use ChatGPT to Save Time

By: Todd Finley - March 13, 2023

Summer Break is here try Teacher Tip's Summer Bingo! Find your best self as you relax & recharge from the school year. Check out the BINGO card online to get some ideas about how to spend your summer. 

Calling all US History teachers! The American Historical Association (“AHA”) has been partnering with the National Council for the Social Studies (“NCSS”) to learn about how US history is taught in your state. Recently, the AHA sent out a survey to US history teachers in your state - another opportunity to contribute to this important work.

If you received a letter and/or an email about the survey, please complete the questionnaire about your experiences teaching US history as soon as possible. 

After you follow the link in your letter and/or email and complete the 15-20-minute survey, you will receive a $10 gift card as a thank you for participating.

For more information about the survey, please visit the survey website. https://www.norc.org/research/projects/american-historical-association-survey-of-us-history-teachers.html#accordion-80b3b41f0d-item-b5f832e322

ENDING THE YEAR ON A POSITIVE NOTE

May your school year end on a positive note. State testing is over & now what? Try these quick & easy strategies to engage your students to the end.

1.Passion Projects - allow students to research a subject of their choice and create a presentation or create a project that shows their learning.

2.Let The Students Teach - allow students to teach the class for part of a day or period.

3.Reflection Time - take the time to let students reflect on their experiences in your classroom. Students often realize or notice things that you would never think about.

4.Write A Letter -students write a letter to a teacher or professional in the school that has helped them throughout the school year. Letters can be distributed by students or put into teacher’s boxes for a great end of the year surprise.

5.Theme Days - count down to the end of the year by creating a theme for each of the last days of school.

6.Time capsule - create a time capsule of memories using a water bottle and colored strips of paper. Students can write down their favorite memories to keep and open in the years ahead.

7.Survival Guide - allow students to create a video on the best tips for surviving the school year in your class. The videos can then be saved to create a great way to start the following school year with your new students.

8.Celebrate Achievements - class rewards provide a way for a teacher to recognize student accomplishments that might go unnoticed in regular school assemblies but can highlight how far a student has grown in the year.

9.Write About It - students create a six word memoir to describe their year. Check out more information on TechNotes from TCEA.

10.Graffiti Wall - students sign a large piece of paper with their favorite memory of the school year. Allow students to take pictures or selfies in front of the wall to preserve their memories for years to come.

I’m sure you have heard this from the TXCSS leadership several times, because we believe this to be true. We can’t all take the time to visit legislators or attend State Board of Education meetings. We don’t all have the time to track all the pending legislation, but taking the time to vote is easy. Educators make a powerful difference by voting together to support public education.

Last year TXCSS entered into a partnership with Texas Educators Vote (TEV) to join in their efforts to create a culture of voting in Texas public schools. How can you help in these efforts?

• Participate in Educators Voting Day by voting on Thursday, October, 27
• Publicize Educators Voting Day to your colleagues
• Check out the resources TEV has at  https://texaseducatorsvote.com/

One of their best resources is the “Who Does What?” guide. This concise brochure or “one-pager” details which elected officials make what decisions about public education. This resource could be used with students and parents.

Not only is your voice your power, but our combined voices are more powerful. We look forward to seeing you at the polls on Educator Voting Day – October 27th.

The sometimes complex and lengthy process for revising the social studies TEKS has reached a point at which many educators engage - reviewing the draft proposals. Please keep in mind that getting to these draft changes has taken a fair amount of time. In that process teachers have participated in survey sessions facilitated by the regional service centers and the TEA hosted sessions at the TXCSS conference last fall to solicit input from social studies educators. Content advisors were selected, met and made recommendations to the State Board of Education(SBOE). Work groups were selected with the appointment approval of SBOE members and those groups have met several times to produce the current drafts.

The SBOE wants to hear from the teachers now.

Please take the time to review the drafts for revising the social studies TEKS

and email the SBOE with your thoughts, suggestions, concerns.

Social Studies TEKS Review Work

The most up to date K-8 draft is from Work Group F.

Notable changes to the social studies TEKS include the following:

TXCSS as an organization respects multiple narratives, so every teacher/member should advocate his/her position in regards to these changes. We learn more when we listen to each other. TXCSS applauds the hard work and dedication of those who have served on the work groups.

The SBOE meets next August 30 - September 2 , so make your voice heard soon. 

Thank you so much to our TEA partners for keeping us up to date on Social Studies related news.  

Social Studies TEKS Review Survey

As part of the State Board of Education’s process to review and revise the social studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is surveying educators to help inform the recommendations of the social studies TEKS review work groups. We encourage you to provide your feedback regarding the current social studies TEKS by completing the survey.

Please note that survey will only be open for four weeks, so you are encouraged to complete the survey as soon as possible. The Social Studies TEKS Review Survey will close on December 10, 2021.

The link to the Social Studies TEKS Review Survey is https://tea.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6PXR2JYyIHIv2jc

 TEA UPDATE FALL 2021ppt

If you:

- Teach a civics-related subject (i.e. social studies, government, advocacy, etc.)

- Teach within Texas

- Teach students 13 years or older then you are eligible to participate!

The study will focus on how you teach and think about civics. Participation involves a 45-minute Zoom interview with the researcher.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING OR GETTING MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT BRIANNA DIAZ AT DIAZBF@BC.EDU.

or schedule an interview here

https://calendly.com/diazbrianna/civics-interview