October 12th Update – Elementary Curriculum and Instruction

Preparing for Conferences

Are you looking for ideas and resources for parent-teacher conferences? Here are some great resources and ideas to help you. They are also located under “More Resources” of this website.

Literacy Happenings

REMINDER happening today, October 12th:

Really Great Reading office hours!

Nick Goodman from Really Great Reading will be available to answer any questions you or your team have regarding foundational skills instruction. Stop in anytime during the following blocks of time.

1:30 – 2:10 pm Countdown office hours- link to meeting here
2:10 – 2:50 pm BLAST office hours- link to meeting here
2:50 – 3:30 pm HD Word office hours- link to meeting here

COUNTDOWN Hot Topics

Are you wondering about RGR’s philosophy on not starting letters/sounds out of the gate. Here is some interesting information around this!

HD WORD Hot Topics:

Do your kids need more practice before moving to your next unit in HD Word?

As HD Word moves forward, you may find you need extra days, even a week, of practice on certain skills. Here is a format you can use on those days. Links are included to help you build your lesson. Reach out to coaches to help you simplify this into a lesson that is easy for you!

Remember, no need to rush through the curriculum- go as fast as you can BUT as slow as you need to.

HD Word brainstorms coming from teachers:

Many teachers including our strategic team are trying out different flows for their weekly HD Word lessons, troubleshooting different resources .. basically being super creative and diagnostic with their approach to their instruction. We want to share these cool ideas in case any of them feel useful to you.

Social Emotional & Mental Well-Being

Looking for some mindfulness or relaxation opportunities for your students. The Harmony App in Self Service has a great resource for you or your students.

You will see a relaxation station option in the Harmony App at the end of the list of options.

Inside the Relaxation station option students can choose Breathe or Focus.

Free SEL books: https://www.tfff.org/ (The Ford Family Foundation) You can get free SEL books from the Ford Family Foundation website. Click on “resources” and choose “Select Books.” You may create your working wish list and it keeps track of which books you have already acquired. You may only order a title once, you may only order one book at a time. After you have read the book enough to do a review, all they ask is that you give it as many stars as you see fit and write a one-word or one-page review (whatever you feel it deserves).

Technology Happenings

Discovery Ed Professional Learning Opportunity

Discovery Education will be hosting an optional, one-hour professional learning session for Bend-La Pine elementary staff on Wednesday, October 26th, at 1:30. The session, Getting Started with Discovery Education, is a great way to find out more about the tools and resources available for use in the K-5 classroom. If you are interested in attending this virtual learning session, please fill out this form. Attendance is limited to the first 50 staff members, and you will be provided with 1 PDU. A zoom link for joining the session will be sent to you on the morning of October 26th. If you have any questions, please contact your instructional technology team.

Digital Citizenship Month

Every year, the third week of October is Digital Citizenship Month. With student conferences next week, all of October is a great time to talk about digital citizenship with your students. Most of us agree that digital citizenship skills are important but are unsure how to fit teaching them into our already full schedules. Rather than recreating the wheel, Bend La Pine Schools leans on the expertise of Common Sense Education and their vast resources, including ready-made free digital citizenship lessons for all grade levels. These include quick, 15-minute activities or longer 45 minute lessons. Topics include staying safe online, cyberbullying, what is and is not safe to share online, among many other topics. Check out the Digital Citizenship Week Elementary Calendar and Quick Digital Citizenship Activities to access these ready-to-go lessons.