TOSA Tribune

Nixa Public Schools

Intermediate October 2009

Volume 4, Issue 1

“In the Know”

Listed below are district Directions for these easy-to-
expectations. If you have use strategies that cover the
any questions or need four basic principles of coop-
support in a particular erative learning are in the Ka- Inside this
area, please contact gan Cooperative Learning issue:
Cheryl Dick or Debby SmartCard. If you don’t have
Money. one, check with your col- District Expecta- 1
leagues or building principal. tions
District Expectations
Brain-Friendly Strategies:
2010 M.A.P. 2
Communication Arts: Absence of threat
150 minutes each day Respecting the uniqueness Blueprints
Teach written cur- of learners
Math:
riculum Engagement of emotions Expect Students to 2
75 minutes a day Get There
Word Wall Understanding the brain’s
Teach written curricu- attention span
Nifty Thrifty Fifty lum
Editors’ Checklist Active, relevant choice- M.A.P. Resources 3
70% Investigations (K-4) driven learning
SSR Conferences GLE examples from
Writing Conferences Complex, real-life learning
DESE’s website
DESE vocabulary is Eating proper foods
DESE vocabulary is used Cold Assessments 3
used Specific, immediate feed-
Integrate questions back
Cooperative Learning:
from the Interpreta- Utilization of patterns in
Four Basic Principles
tions from the Show- learning Anchor Activities 3
Positive interdepend- Engagement of meaning
Me Standards into
ence
lessons/classroom Well-lit classrooms
assessments Individual accountability
~Eric Jensen Book Study Oppor- 4
Equal participation
Simultaneous interac- tunity/Guidelines
tion

When is the last time you

used:
___Inside/Outside Circle?
___Four Corners?
___Fan-N-Pick?
___RoundRobin?
___RoundTable?
___One Stray?
___Send-a-Problem?
___Showdown?
___Stir-the-Class?
___Team-Pair-Solo?
___Team-Stand-n-Share?
___Think-Pair-Share?
M.A.P.— Practice the Way We Play
D.E.S.E. recently released the blue-
prints for the 2010 M.A.P. tests.
Be sure to practice the way we play.
Math Blueprint
Third Grade:
3 sessions
50-62 selected response
4 constructed response
Number and Operations: 33%
Geometric and Spatial Rel. 18%
Measurement: 17%
Data and Probability: 10%
Algebraic Relationships: 22%
Fourth Grade:
3 sessions
50-62 selected response
4 constructed response
1 performance event
Number and Operations: 35%
Geometric and Spatial Rel. 15%
Measurement: 20%
Data and Probability: 10%
Algebraic Relationships: 20%
Fifth Grade:
3 sessions
50-62 selected response
4 constructed response
Number and Operations: 28%
Geometric and Spatial Rel. 17%
Measurement: 17%
Data and Probability: 16%
Algebraic Relationships: 22%
Sixth Grade:
3 sessions
50-62 selected response
4 constructed response
Number and Operations: 29%
Geometric and Spatial Rel. 14%
Measurement: 14%
Data and Probability: 24%
Algebraic Relationships: 19%
Page 2
Communication Arts Blueprint
Third Grade:
4 sessions
50-59 selected response
4 constructed response
1 writing prompt
68% reading
22% writing standard English
10% writing formally
Where success
Fourth Grade: is a tradition ...
3 sessions
50-59 selected response
4 constructed response
82% reading
15% writing standard English
3% writing formally
Fifth Grade:
3 sessions
50-59 selected response
4 constructed response Expect to Get Your
79% reading
18% writing standard English Students „There‟
3% writing formally
Sixth Grade: “Effort-based ability is the
belief that all students can
3 sessions
50-59 selected response do rigorous academic work
4 constructed response at high-standards, even if
78% reading
20% writing standard English
they are far behind
2% writing formally academically and need a
significant amount of time
to catch-up. Educators who
carry this belief into their
practice are not unrealistic
about the obstacles they and
their students face. They
simply have not given up.”
~Jonathan Saphier
TOSA Tribune Intermediate
Save Time—Grade-Specific M.A.P. Resources Are Just a Click Away
Are you looking for resources to prepare stu-
dents for April’s M.A.P. tests? You can find
GLEs, vocabulary, proficiency descriptors, tu-
toring checklists, math GLE examples, and
much, much more at the following websites:
3rd Grade CA and Math:
www.cherylsclassroomtips.blogspot.com
4th Grade CA and Math:
www.cherylsclassroomtips4th.blogspot.com
5th Grade CA and Math:
www.cherylsclassroomtips5th.blogspot.com
6th Grade CA and Math:
www.cherylsclassroomtips6th.blogspot.com
COLD Assessments—Are You Giving Them?
What is a cold assessment? A COLD as-
sessment means that you have taught the
GLEs, but you haven’t given students a
review guide or reviewed IN CLASS the
items on the test. After all, you won’t know
what’s on the M.A.P. test until you give it.
You simply know that you need to teach
the GLEs.
I’m Done ... What Do I Do Now?
Those dreaded words can be pre-
vented with anchor activities. Anchor
Activities Anchor Learning. They are
a way to communicate that:
In this class, we are never finished.
Learning is a process that never ends.
~Carol Ann Tomlinson
To increase effectiveness, teach the
entire class HOW to do an anchor ac-
tivity before allowing students to
tackle it alone.
Volume 4, Issue 1
Have you used the linked curriculum cards on
Nixa’s website? DESE’s Communication Arts
questions are included in the 3rd-6th grade
curriculum. The 3rd and 4th grade math cards
also have direct links to GLE examples to use
for morning warm-ups.
To access the cards, follow these simple direc-
tions:
Go to: www.nixapublicschools.net
Click on: Curriculum
Click on: Click here for Nixa Public
Schools Faculty Curriculum Information
Sign-In
Follow links to your grade-level resources
Speaking of COLD Assessments ... in the article above if you need help ac-
cessing this site. The benchmarks will be
The Common Assessments (Benchmarks) revised, if needed, and ready for you weeks
should be administered in a COLD setting. before they need to be administered.
For students to be prepared, be sure you’re Please contact our office if you have any
following the district’s scope-and-sequence questions.
which can be found on-line. See directions
“How to tell students what to look for without telling them
what to see is the dilemma of teaching.” ~Lascelles Abercrombie
Anchor Activity Ideas
Think-Tac-Toe (hyperlinked)
R.A.F.T. (hyperlinked)
Frayer Graphic Organizer
(hyperlinked)
Cubing (hyperlinked)
*Unless students are illustrating brain
pictures to learn a concept, drawing is
NOT considered an Anchor Activ-
ity.
Page 3
 205 North Street
Nixa, MO 65714

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October 1, 2009
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year. With a new year fully in swing, it
is important to do first things first. Creating a warm, safe environment is the first
step in cultivating an academic climate conducive for learning. It is also impor-
tant to establish high, yet attainable expectations.
This newsletter is intended to be a resource for you to prepare your stu-
dents for the M.A.P. test. If you need any assistance in curriculum, instruction or
assessment, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Have a great school year!
Working Together,
Cheryl Dick
417.724.4060
debbylawson@nixaschools.net
cheryldick@nixaschools.net
debbymoney@nixaschools.net