Create clear, predictable routines – creating clear, predictable routines is a trauma-informed practice and creates a learner-friendly culture. Some of our multilingual students can be experiencing various forms of trauma and social-emotional stressors. The more predictable and familiar our routines are in the classroom, the easier it will be to self-regulate and to learn to trust.
Go visual – Go visual in key concepts (word walls), in expectations and in directions for independent work time.
Make content comprehensible: Visuals, multimedia presentations, realia, hands-on activities and field trips are at the top of the list!
I do, we do, you do! – Teacher modeling and student practice opportunities are key for multilingual students.
Provide opportunities to talk about learning – If multilingual students can’t talk about their learning, they can’t read and write about their learning either. As students progress in their language abilities, find ways to increase opportunities to talk about their learning with modeled and guided practice.
Looking for more support? Reach out to . . .
Liza Digiglio Huet
Secondary Instructional Coach
Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Multilingual Services
If you would like to add a shout out to a colleague, please do so here.
To Brady Bedsworth (SHS):
Brady Bedsworth helped me out when I needed it and I appreciate him. Since it was Thanksgiving time, I wanted to recognize him and say “Thanks tons!” –Jason Colquhoun
To Jim Bright (BHS):
Shout out to Jim Bright for his positive influence in our building. Jim takes a strength-based approach with his students, works hard to protect teacher morale, and is just honestly a great human. I’m so honored to work alongside him! Thanks, Jim! -Vikki Staudinger
To Laura Gemignani (CHS):
Great curriculum leadership laura! Thank you for all the hard work you to do inspire students and get them excited about Biology! Appreciate you! -Kathleen Glogau
To Each and Everyone of you at Summit High School:
I’m so lucky to come to work and see you all everyday! Feeling exceptionally thankful to be surrounded by such a group of genuine and caring individuals. Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 and Go Storm 💚🤍🖤 -Jylan Mayloy
If you would like to add a shout out to a colleague, please do so here.
To Chelsea Jennings (MVHS):
She is instrumental in the lives of our Newcomers! She is so amazing in trying to find solutions to the issues and struggles these kids face. On top of being so vital to them, I have learned a lot and have felt SO incredibly supported by her hard work! I am grateful for her partnership and camaraderie, as well as someone to talk me off the ledge on the hard days. I am so grateful for Chelsea! -Nicole Contreras
To Lindsay Nickerson (CHS):
All her hard work making theater and dancing engaging and creating a cool new subculture within Caldera that students feel welcome and excited about. -Sara Trakselis
To Terri Johnson (HDMS):
Terri always goes above and beyond to bring interest and real life meaning to her math classes. Her 6th grade classes are in the midst of their NFL project. This past week the built houses out of cardboard and found materials. These houses were built to scale and the students calculated things like how much paint, carpet or hardwood floors they would need. The students even built furniture to scale. Engagement was through the roof!
To Sarah Oglesby (PCMS):
Thank you for going over and beyond with our students. You are amazing addition to the middle school! Keep on Keeping on.
To Kevin Cooper (BHS):
Inspiring a love of the school and making it more fun. -Jim Bright
To Nate Neil (BHS)
Feeding your students’ minds (with psych), souls (with love) and belly (with PB and J) -Jim Bright
To Steve Wetherald (BHS):
Changing the trajectory of students lives by forming deep relationships that continue far beyond students’ time at Bend High. -Jim Bright
To Erin Berg (BHS):
Working with students who struggle to help them achieve their potential and feel loved while doing it. -Jim Bright
To Jason Colquhoun (SHS):
Jason connects with all his students and they love his classes. -Andy Fleming
To Bend La Pine Choir Teachers
Tuesday night choir teachers from across Bend La Pine hosted a choir festival. There were choirs from schools from La Pine to Madras, from elementary to high school! It was an amazing event with a huge audience. The students singing brought joy to everyone! Thanks for the hard working choir team for your amazing work!
Students go through a very predictable pattern of academic behaviors as they are learning a new language. The table below is a quick reference to the stages and instructional moves that will provide success to you and your students.
Stage & Time
Characteristics
Teacher Prompts
Preproduction 0-6 months in school “Silent period”
Minimal comprehension Non verbal responses Draws and points
Show me . . Circle the . . Where is . . Who has . .
Early production 6 months -1 year in school
Limited comprehension One or two word responses
Yes/no questions Either/or questions One or two word answers Lists/Labels
Speech Emergence 1-3 years in school
Speaking in short phrases, simple sentences Frequent mistakes in grammar, word order and usage
Why?How?Explain . . . Phrase or short sentence answers
Intermediate Fluency 3-5 years in school
Developing academic language Excellent comprehension Makes fewer grammar mistakes
What would happen if? Why do you think? Tell me more . . . In your opinion . . .
Advanced Fluency 5-7 years in school
Near native level of speech Advanced skills in cognitive and academic language
Decide if . . Retell . . Compare/contrast Synthesize
Adapted from Krashen and Terrell (1993)
Note: Research shows that lack of native language proficiency and or schooling can cause the time frames to lengthen significantly.
If you would like to add a shout out to a colleague, please do so here.
To Glennys Schwartz (CHS):
Glennys amazes me with her keen sense of pedagogy and language acquisition knowledge for both second language learners and heritage Spanish learners. Beyond this, Glennys applies her professionalism with such care and humanity to all her students. She has been a tremendous support to me as I integrate into the Caldera staff this year. -Julie Montoya
To Jessica Colburn (LPM):
Jessica Colburn at La Pine Middle School is engaging her students with a research project (“no Wikipedia, no Google” says Jessica) to construct biographies for a number of diverse people who built our great nation. The interest level is high as students buzz about what they are learning.
To Nate Neil (BHS):
Is there ever a time when Nate isn’t with students sharing his upbeat and kind energy! It’s contagious. What a great role model for Bend High students. And for me as a teacher. Helps me remember what is important.
As educators we have all had interactions with students that impact us a great deal. One involving student voice was particularly impactful for me.
While working with a new high school math teacher I sat with a table of his algebra students as they discussed a challenging math task. Each student was asked to reflect on their ideas and connections to the problem. As the group I was sitting with did this, one student shared an idea that really connected to the problem but others in the group did not recognize it. I simply asked this student to repeat what he just said. When the student shared again the other students listened more attentively and realized the connection. As a result, the group had a great conversation and made sense of the problem. At the end of the class the teacher’s formative assessment was simply, “What did you learn today?” This student raised his hand and said, “I learned what it feels like to be smart in math class!” It hit me then how important it is for ALL our students to feel “smart”, heard and have their ideas valued in the classroom. This is what it means to belong in that space.
If it’s true that those that are doing most of the talking are doing most of the learning, how can we amplify the student voices that don’t typically get heard in our classrooms? How will amplifying those voices change the dynamics of our classroom?
The Matthew Effect describes what happens over time when some children enter into a positive feedback loop, whereby those who break the code with relative ease experience a positive effect and are able to learn what tasks they are given in schools with relative ease while those who don’t have the opportunity to get feedback do not experience this growth in learning.
Consider this analogy from a 2019 report in “Just Equations” on Race, Math and the Matthew Effect:
Two little girls join the soccer team. They have nearly identical athletic skills. Both are good runners, but Maria runs a half step faster than Gail. When the first soccer lesson begins, there’s one ball. They both run forward, and Maria gets to the ball first and kicks it. After they’ve done this 20 times, Maria has practiced kicking the ball 19 times, and Gail has had only one opportunity. A week later, Maria has learned a lot more about kicking the ball than Gail.
The slight difference in speed has widened into a much bigger difference in opportunity that, in turn, has widened the gap in kicking skills. After a while, Gail thinks she’s not good at soccer. She thinks Maria is good at soccer. Gail’s sense of soccer identity and belonging lead to diminished motivation and effort. Meanwhile, Maria’s excitement and motivation grow. There is no mystery as to why Maria will improve at a much faster rate than Gail. Her opportunities to learn in the moment, and over an increasing accumulation of moments, are greater—much greater.
It does not have to be this way.
Across the field, another soccer team is practicing, and that team will wind up winning the championship. That team is well coached. They have 20 little girls and 20 balls. All the girls kick the ball often and get feedback from the trajectory of the kicked ball. The coaches systematically give feedback to each girl, not just the girls standing near them, or the girl who attracts their attention.
In our classrooms, similar unnecessary differences in opportunity cause Matthew Effects. When the teacher poses a problem, some students raise their hands, saying “Ooh, ooh, ooh!” wanting to be called on. Time and again, they get the teachers’ attention, feedback, and encouragement. Meanwhile, many other students’ hands stay down as they build the mistaken identity that they cannot learn math. When teachers move too quickly, covering topic after topic, some students get left behind, not receiving feedback or instruction that makes sense to them. Day after day, the opportunity gap accumulates, and aspirations— especially STEM aspirations—erode, particularly for students of color and low-income students.
How can we make sure every student gets their “foot on the ball”? How can all of our students feel that they belong in our classrooms and “feel smart”?
If these questions have pique your interest, please check out these resources:
If you would like to add a shout out to a colleague, please do so here.
To Matt Faurot, Tara Termes, Katie Lyons (CMS):
“An amazing all school WEB assembly!”
“These three are doing an AMAZING job running the WEB program. The assembly they ran was fantastic and they made it happen. We have not had a school wide assembly since Covid began. Tara, Katie and Matt are really a fantastic team!” -Melissa Morris
To Chelsea Jennings (MVHS):
“Chelsea is doing so much. She has spearheaded the Bend LaPine Schools Newcomer program with such grace and professionalism. Her students know that she loves them and is always there. Her commitment to excellence challenges me to a be a better person. I also am so thankful for her steady, calm demeanor; she’s talked me off the ledge many times and I am so grateful to have her working with me as a partner in serving our ELL population!” -Nicole Contreras
To Lindsay Nickerson (CHS):
“Lindsay puts her creativity and joy into her classes and she gives them so many amazing experiences! Her classroom is warm, welcoming, fun and engaging.” -Bekki Tucker
To Jackie Greewood, Matt Johnson and The Summit Math Team (SHS):
“Jackie planned and facilitated a studio experience along with Matt Johnson for the Summit Math Team where the focus was on Ambitious Math Teaching, that is homing in on what keeps our students engaged, including anticipating teacher moves that will keep student on task and talking about the reasoning of their math ideas. A full day of learning and reflecting with each other!” -Linda Adams
To Amy Romero, Leigh Ann Medina, Sharon Sieveking and the entire Mountain View Math Team (MVHS):
“Leigh Ann and Sharon co-planned an amazing geometry lesson on writing proofs. EVERY SINGLE STUDENT WAS ENGAGED! They introduced the subject by comparing two column proofs to playing UNO. Using ideas from TDG’s Ambitious Math work Amy facilitated the full day PD with her team seamlessly. We did the math as teachers, anticipated student struggles and teacher moves that would keep the learning happening. Thank you Mountain View Math Team for a great day of PD!” -Linda Adams
We witness the fabulous work you do in the classroom. Join us in recognition of your work and dedication.
See something incredible happening in the classroom, in the hallways, online or outside of school that makes your school a better place for staff and students? Shout out to your colleague who is making it happen. You are the reason spectacular things are happening with students. Bend La Pine is fortunate to have a dedicated team of professionals. Let’s celebrate your hard work.
Every week we will highlight the work you do. Fill out the google form to recognize a colleague.
A couple of examples to get us started!
Shout out to Chris Kuka at Summit High School. Chris has dedicated time researching and developing an Executive Function program at Summit. In tandem with his colleagues, Chris connects with freshmen about their brains and how they work. He uses a framework for each student to self-identify their EF strengths and weaknesses and then teaches the explicit EF strategies. Chris is paving the way to ensure all students have the tools they need to be successful in the classroom and beyond.
MVHS Freshman team (Joy Teson, Shauna Johnson and Trevor Tesow) met to collaborate on a hands-on urbanization activity for their students. The Urban Game raises the roof! A great way to engage all their students.
Pilot Butte 6th grade Middle School Math Teacher Patty Brun is committed to creating an inclusive classroom where all student voices are heard. She is invested in developing relationships where her students feel safe to share their mathematical thinking. It was exciting to be in her classroom and I’m pretty sure that wasn’t just the anticipation of the fire drill that day!
Are you struggling to make the transition to a new way of grading? In Rick Wormeli’s article, “The Grief of Accepting New Ideas” (LINK), Wormeli suggests, “The way we teach is often a statement of who we are.” Wormeli also suggests that the presentation of equitable grading practices implemented in our district may feel like a questioning of our values as we sort and navigate how to reinvent ourselves in an ever-changing world. How do we hold tight to our confidence as educators, while also letting go of practices ingrained in our teaching so we may be open to accepting new ideas? Wormeli suggests that with this change comes vulnerability and grief over the loss of this part of our identity.
Depending on how you are wading your way through the start of the year with standards based grading now on your plate, hopefully you are on the side of hope. Hopefully, you have turned to your collaborative teaching community to seek resources to make this transition a bit more bearable, more productive for you, and more valuable for students. If you are looking for some teaching strategies to help support your transition to standards based grading, please see below for a collection of strategies presented at the Innovation Conference by three teachers from the Equitable Grading leadership team (Katie Lyons, Erin Hoffman, and Nishka Morton)
Disperse the Grading
In-class Retakes
Are you struggling to find time for students can retake assessments? Can you utilize class time to allow students multiple attempts on their assessments? Try a highlighting technique for providing feedback on assessments. Here is a video to show how this process works in one classroom: LINK A summary of this process is below
Advanced Proficiency Options
Often equity work is considered from a bottom-up perspective but don’t forget the opportunity to challenge your high achieving learners as you modify your assessments this year. Consider building out extension opportunities on all assessments you create or assign this year. As you transition to rubric scoring, you will be better prepared to evaluate student work when you have developed the top-end of the rubric with your highest achieving students in mind. By challenging them to pursue these extensions at every opportunity you are creating a bar in which they can rise to your clearly-stated expectations. These are great opportunities to have students show true learning through content or development of their skills. See below for a few ideas to consider:
More Tips!
Here are some of Rick Wormeli’s Practical Tips for Re-learning and Re-assessment: LINK. Re-learning may be the most important step in moving student learning forward. Creating a thoughtful plan for re-learning the material and providing student choice for how this re-learning takes place, may in fact allow students to see their mistakes and failures as opportunities to learn.
Last, don’t give up! This work you are doing to transition your grading practice is challenging but important. Student learning and mindsets have great potential to shift and grow. If you need specific help or resources please reach out to your administrator or a member of the equitable grading team for support.
In the afternoon (1:00-4:00), teachers will have a choice of several options to learn more about next steps in the use of Canvas. These trainings meet the contract requirements for District Directed Professional Learning.
These trainings are best experienced in person, as the Bend La Pine teachers/instructors will be able to guide you the steps to engage with Canvas in new ways. However, we realize that, for a variety of reasons, a synchronous, remote option via WebEx will meet some teachers needs; therefore, many courses will have that option.
During each of the courses (except for the invitational Grade Guardian course) you will receive information about Canvas-Synergy grade book set-up for this year. You will also receive the guidance for Canvas course expectations.
You do not need to register for the professional learning, you will only need to check in via Google form during the Canvas sessions.
Canvas for New Hires and Beginners
Facilitator: Dan Curfew
Location: Pacific Crest Middle School and La Pine High School Library
Description: This training is for teachers who are new to Canvas. Canvas includes a variety of built-in course construction and management tools that can be customized to create unique and accessible teaching and learning experiences. You will learn the basics of Canvas and have time to start building your courses
Canvas 201 – Leveraging Canvas to Increase Engagement
Description: You’ve mastered the basics of Canvas — now you want to step up your game. This course will review the basics but go deeper with each so you can see how using the same tool in different ways can help scaffold learning and also build up to higher-order thinking skills and promote more engagement with your students.
Description: Learn how to make the shift of instruction to a student-centered approach where the role of the learner moves from receiver of learning to active participant. You will learn about a variety of digital learning tools to enhance learning in Canvas. All of these tools promote the 4Cs for students: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.
Description: Easy, readily applicable Canvas features you can use right now to make your classes more engaging and equitable, your grading easier and more accurate, and your life more fulfilling! (OK, at least a little less stressful?)
Creating Dynamic Canvas pages (HTML and Canvas)
Facilitator: Kathie Quick
Location: Summit High School (B22)
Description: There is so much more that can be done to design your Canvas pages! We will use the HTML editor to add more style and flexibility to the Rich Content Editor. Learn things like using custom colors and design features, adding buttons, and using tables to organize and style content.
Overview of Grade Guardian (for Counselors, Graduation Coaches, Student Success teams, Tier 2 Support Staff, administrators, and Special Education)
Description: The Canvas LMS contains a great deal of information that we may use to improve retention and graduation rates. Grade Guardian retrieves data on a daily basis to help identify at-risk students at your school. This training, for non-teaching staff, provides a brief overview of Grade Guardian. Participants will learn how to navigate this tool to quickly identify students in need of additional supports. What’s more, Grade Guardian can be used to identify students in Canvas without parent “Observers” and to determine athletic eligibility.
For the last several years (minus the lost year to CoVid) Bend-La Pine has put on an amazing conference. The incredible teachers of Bend-La Pine share with their peers the beautiful work that they have been doing. Along with national level speakers, BLP teachers share the innovative work that happens in our schools every day.
We are excited to bring the Innovative Teaching and Learning Conference back again this year with over 30 educators sharing what they are doing in their classrooms every day.
You can register at this link. Click on the Sections tab part way down the screen to see the registration.
Interested in learning more about our keynote speakers? Here is a sample of their work.
Rick Wormeli on late work
Dr. Bettina Love on “co-conspiratorship” for equity
By Julie Montoya, Spanish Teacher and World Language TOSA, Summit High School
How do you usually finish this sentence: I always wish I spoke _________. I always wish I had learned French at some point since my father’s side of the family was from Quebec. I’m bilingual in English and Spanish, but that doesn’t stop me from wishing I spoke yet another language. Inherently, we know that each language we speak opens up authentic connections with a vast portion of the world, so we wish on…
Take Away #1: Learning multiple languages creates better learners. Period. As secondary teachers, regardless of which department we roost in, understanding the World-Readiness standards by ACTFL can help us all support our students in their journeys to learn languages and become culturally competent.
World Language standards have changed substantially in the last 10-20 years. To learn about the foundations of what we do in the World Language classroom, watch this 4 minute video.
Take Away #2: I am constantly amazed at the cross-curricular connections my students are making between the content they learn about in my Spanish class and what they are learning in their other classes. This is primarily by happenstance. I can only imagine how we might work together to intentionally support our student’s global readiness. We’d love to work with you! Here are a few examples I can think of.
Music: We watch a documentary that studied the importance of Mariachi music to the Mexican-American communities in Texas with their fierce high school Mariachi competitions. We learned about the history of this genre, its key instruments, and its vocal features.
US History: We studied the important connections in Oregon to the Bracero program that began in 1942, bringing 15,000 Mexican men to Oregon to aid in critical agricultural roles. These efforts helped aid hungry American families and supported the men fighting abroad.
Literature: Thanks to the film study of Disney’s Encanto, even our beginning Spanish students know about magical realism, birthed by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Students can identify and explain the presence of magical realism and its purpose in story-telling.
Math: Students learn how Chileans developed a mathematical formula to calculate the risk of certain geographical areas for earthquakes, which Chile experiences at an incredibly high rate.
Science/Archeology: Students learn about the prolific archeological evidence of brain surgery practice in the Incan cultures of Perú. Through studies of how bones heal, we can better understand the success rates of these practices.
Take away #3 In our World Languages classes, we consider culture through the 3 P’s: products, practices, and perspectives. Our students know this language, so try framing cultural observations in your classes with these terms. An example of this framework might involve noticing how many yellow and red flags are draped over balconies in Barcelona, Spain. The flag is the cultural project, while the public display is the practice. This leads to a discussion of the perspective of cultural, historical, and linguistic autonomy that many Catalán people feel in this region of Spain.
In a nutshell, consider exploring the cross-curricular connections at your school. Our students will grow into Global Citizens they need to become to be ready for the world.
Remember the sky that you were born under, know each of the star’s stories. Remember the moon, know who she is. Remember the sun’s birth at dawn, that is the strongest point of time. Remember sundown and the giving away to night. Remember your birth, how your mother struggled to give you form and breath. You are evidence of her life, and her mother’s, and hers. Remember your father. He is your life, also. Remember the earth whose skin you are: red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth brown earth, we are earth. Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems. Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the origin of this universe. Remember you are all people and all people are you. Remember you are this universe and this universe is you. Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you. Remember language comes from this. Remember the dance language is, that life is. Remember.
Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate 2019, member of the Mvskoke/Creek Nation
Today is Earth Day, a time to remember who we are as a species and how we are connected to the Earth that sustains us. Earth Day started on college campuses April 22, 1970 to bring awareness of human’s impact on Earth and its systems. Earth Day has become a global day for action and awareness about the effects of climate change. There are a plethora of resources for involving students with Earth Day in all subject areas. I have seen many teachers and students incorporating Earth Day themes into their lessons. For example, I was at Summit High School and was excited to see students advocating actions such as used mask collection, recycling and resource awareness. At Pacific Crest sixth grade students held a Socratic Seminar on alternative energy requirements. Action empowers students and inspires change. Below are just a few some Earth Day resources.
Bend’s Earth Day Parade is Back!
The Environmental Center is set to host their annual Earth Day Fair and Parade in-person after moving to virtual events for two years during the pandemic. Click here for details! This is a fun community event that involves many students and families in the area. The parade is downtown with the Earth Fair to follow.
I love these videos! Excellent video clips that can be used to inspire writing and reflection in all subject area. Beautiful videography around themes such as on water, fire or air with celebrities voice over. Below are two examples of the videos, one in English and one in Spanish.
Invest in the Planet
This year’s Earth Day Theme is Invest in the Planet . Earthday.org provides resources for educating and inspiring students and communities members to get involved. Some resources inspire activism and show locations around the world where students are standing up for the Earth. Some resources focus on Climate Justice and actions to help the most vulnerable populations locally and globally. Other resources focus on individual moves such as eating a plant-based diet or starting a local Clean-up. Below are some tidbits from the website.
Great Global Clean-up– How to register a clean-up or learn about global success stories
Earth Day Fact Sheet – Updated in 2022 facts about many topics related to the environment from the decline of Bees to deforestation.
Climate Justice
Climate Justice is a term referring to inequitable impacts climate change on marginalized populations. Advocates for Climate Justice are calling out the social, economic and public health crisis created by a changing climate. It is predicted that climate change will result in over 1 billion climate refugees by 2050. Climate refugee are people that are displaced by ecological changes and natural disasters cause by effects of global warming. Oregon State Science Standards will incorporate climate justice in the next standards adoption. Here is a toolkit for for teachers interesting in Climate Justice topics.
Citizen Scientists
Students and community members can be Citizen Scientists that collect real data for scientists around the world. Topics range recording bird migration at backyard bird feeders to reporting bloom dates of trees. Below are a few website to get you started.
NASA Citizen Scientists Projects NASA’s citizen science projects are collaborations between scientists and interested members of the public and have helped make thousands of important scientific discoveries.
NSTA Our Beautiful Planet Showcasing Climate Science Research to Spark Curiosity and Increase Student Understanding of How the World Works
Giving Students a Sense of Hope
Discussing climate change can cause anxiety in students. A few years ago my 8th graders I asked them to think about what they would be doing in 10 years. I was shocked at the number of students that thought that the Earth would be destroyed in the next decade because of climate change. They had a fatalistic view that was heartbreaking, and this was before the pandemic. To be scientifically literate, students need to learn about climate change and the impact of human activities. As teachers we need to be aware of what is age appropriate and how students might internalize the the impacts of global warming. It is important to give students a sense of hope and the belief that they are part of the solution through action and innovation. Our students are the innovators of the their future and want to be involved.
