Learning-Focused Connections
Issue 49:  Week of  May 25, 2009
The LEARNING-FOCUSED Connections Newsletter is a link to exemplary practices and ideas that will help you as an educator to increase achievement in your classroom and school.  Some weeks there will be a mix of articles in the mailer; other weeks we will follow a theme.  We are all working with the same goal in mind, continuous improvement in student achievement.
In This Issue
What Are Context Clues?
"Be the Text"
Lincoln County High School: A LEARNING-FOCUSED Success Story
Past Connections Articles
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LEARNING-FOCUSED Summer Institute on
Sustaining Exemplary Practices 

July 13-17, 2009
Greensboro, NC

Sessions include:  Training of Trainers and regular workshops at the Institute:
  • LEARNING-FOCUSED Strategies version 7 (regular sessions and Training of Trainer sessions)
  • Reading Comprehension Strategies and Assignments (regular sessions and Training of Trainer sessions)
  • LEARNING-FOCUSED Math (regular sessions and Training of Trainer sessions)
  • Differentiated Assignments (regular sessions and Training of Trainer sessions)
  • Vocabulary Instruction (regular sessions and Training of Trainer sessions)
  • Catching Kids Up with Acceleration (regular sessions and Training of Trainer sessions)
  • Scaffolding Grade Level Learning (regular sessions and Training of Trainer sessions)
  • Leadership, Balanced Achievement, and Accountability with Max Thompson
  • Starting and Sustaining Exemplary Practices with Max Thompson
  • Toolbox Training
  • Toolbox Administrator Training
  • Actualizing your Power Curriculum
  • Unlocking the Secrets of LEARNING-FOCUSED version 7 - a new book and 1-day workshop to provide for those trained in version 5 or 6 the latest information and exemplary practices in version 7!
Registration Fee:  $160.00 per person/day - includes all session materials except Training of Trainers Redelivery Kits and Support which are purchased separately.

LEARNING-FOCUSED will work with you on payment for this conference, including letting you register now and pay after July 1st!  Call us if you have any questions.

Session and registration information now available at www.LEARNINGFOCUSED.com

Summer Institute Opportunities to attend for Free!

We now offer all participants an opportunity to attend two days of the LEARNING-FOCUSED Summer Institute for free!

All you have to do to attend two days of the Summer Institute for free is to submit a 3+ minute video describing why your school/district chose LEARNING-FOCUSED, the impact of LEARNING-FOCUSED in your school/district, success stories, highlights of implementing LEARNING-FOCUSED, and what it is like to work with LEARNING-FOCUSED.  Videos can be submitted on VHS tape, Mini-DV tape, CD, or DVD.  To qualify for free registration, videos must be received by June 1st.

Ship video to:
LEARNING-FOCUSED
Attn: Video for Summer Institute Registration
132 Laurel Chase Drive
Blowing Rock, NC 28605

Offer does not include Training of Trainers Kits and Trainer Support - Registration fee only is free.
 
School and District Leaders:  We have a second opportunity for you to attend two days for free!  Bring a leader, as your guest, from a school or district that has not implemented LEARNING-FOCUSED to the Leadership, Balanced Achievement and Accountability session and/or the Starting and Sustaining Exemplary Practices Session and you both attend at no charge.  The leader must be a Superintendent, Assistant or Associate Superintendent, Director of Title 1, Director of Curriculum and/or Instruction, Director Professional Development, or Principal.

Session and registration information now available at www.LEARNINGFOCUSED.com
What Are Context Clues?
by Jennifer Partrick

Often, when students do not know a word, teachers instruct their students to use context by looking for words around the unknown word. However, there are other strategies that teachers can share with their students in order to help them discover the meaning of unknown words.
 
A Clear Definition or Synonym
Authors sometimes give an explanation of the word or uses a known word to support meaning of the unknown word.

Example:
Geriatric is a term that refers to old or elderly people. New and innovative residences are being constructed to support the increasing number of geriatric clients.
 
Concrete Examples
Authors may provide examples that make the meaning of the unknown word clear.  The example may be found before the unknown word or after it.

Example:
Geriatric individuals, old people, often move to warmer climates to retire.
Old people, geriatric individuals, often move to warmer climates to retire.
 
Contrast Clues:
Authors may make the meaning of the unknown word clear by providing the opposite meaning of the word.

Example:
Most geriatric people, unlike the younger generation, enjoy a quieter and less hectic life style.
 
Words or Phrases that Modify the Unknown Word
Authors sometimes use modifiers, like adverbs, adjectives, or relative clauses, which contain clues to help make the meaning of the unknown word clear.

Example:
In certain towns in Florida, I encountered large numbers of geriatric people walking slowly, some bent over from arthritis, enjoying the warm sunshine.
 
Repetitions of a Word
Another strategy that writers use is to repeat the word in familiar and new situations.  Doing this allows the reader to construct meaning based on what they already know or by using a differernt context clue strategy.

Example:
I was surprised at the number of geriatric individuals I noticed as I walked to work.  Geriatrics using walkers, motorized chairs, or canes enjoyed the warm sunshine as they sipped their morning coffee.
 
Unstated or Implied Meanings:
Often, readers can determine the unknown word meaning by looking at the situation in which the word appears or by drawing on their prior knowledge.

Example:
I was surprised to see the number of geriatric residents when I took my morning run.  They sat in the warm sunshine and played checkers, chatted with each other, and fed the birds.  No doubt they too thought that a warmer climate would be more enjoyable as they looked for a quieter life after retirement.
 
Helping our students become familiar with the different types of context clues will support them as they read and interact with text.
 
Reference:
Robb, Laura. (2003). Teaching Reading in Social Studies, Science, and Math. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
 
See Learning to Read K-2, Reading Comprehension for ELA Teachers 2-5, and Reading Comprehension for ELA Teachers 6-12 in the LEARNING-FOCUSED Literacy Collection for more information.
Connecting Exemplary Practices in Acquisition Lessons
                    
           LEARNING-FOCUSED Strategies Model - Part 2:  Connecting Exemplary Practices in Acquisition Lessons

  • Learn how the power of connecting strategies increases achievement
  • Utilize the Acquisition Lesson plan to develop quality experiences for learning
  • Develop Lesson Essential Questions from several resources
  • Understand why and how to activate thinking before teaching
  • Learn how to plan and implement previewing strategies
  • Learn to connect cognitive teaching strategies with your content
  • Discover how to easily develop and implement formative assessments that are distributed throughout instruction
  • Understand how to ensure quality assignments
  • Learn how summarizing connects assessment for learning
LEARNING-FOCUSED Strategies: Connecting Exemplary Practices in Acquisition Lessons
SKU: 812
Categories: Instruction Collection
Notebook: $40.00
"Be the Text"
by Carol Brewer

Does your state have listening, viewing, and speaking included in the Standards?  A great way to provide instruction on these is to "Be the Text."  This fits nicely into a culminating assessment for a completed novel or any type of text.  Many times students read text without a true understanding of what has been read.  "Be the Text" allows students to strengthen summarizing, paraphrasing and comprehension.  "Be the Text" gives students a natural connection to their real life and the world around them.  It also gives the students the reading to writing connections that are so very powerful for higher level thinking!
 
Steps in the Process of "Be the Text":
 
1.    Students read the text (many teachers find terrific results by using nonfiction as well as fiction). 
2.    Students rewrite the text with speaking parts and action.  Summarizing and paraphrasing can   
       be strengthened during this step.
3.    Students practice parts for fluency and confidence (think of the fluency goals this can satisfy!).
4.    Students present to the class, as well as others.

Refer to the LEARNING-FOCUSED Literacy Collection for more ideas.
Lincoln County High School: A LEARNING-FOCUSED Success Story
by Debbie Willingham

Lincoln County High School was created as the result of a consolidation effort, when the state of West Virginia merged four small (about 250 students each) high schools into one.  While each community had some misgivings about the merger because of their individual heritages of close community spirit and friendly rivalry, the county-wide high school opened its doors in the 2006-2007 school year with a new blending of teachers and students.

The first year concentrated on meshing four distinct areas of the county into a new community with common goals.  The second year, it was time to focus on academics, and the Principal, Dana Snyder, went to work to increase rigor and set high expectations.  The district, under the order of the state department, had been instructed to select and implement a model for achievement that could be easily, quickly, and completely implemented.  The new Superintendent, David Roach, knew that LEARNING-FOCUSED fit their needs.  He and Assistant Superintendent, Jeff Huffman, moved quickly to support the high school in putting training and implementation in place, both at the high school and at a struggling elementary school.  The faculty at Lincoln High rose to the challenge and gave up summer and school days to participate in a variety of trainings offered by LEARNING-FOCUSED.

Being consistent and pervasive was the theme, and after just one year of implementation, test scores increased by double digits in some areas.  The state (WesTest) test scores in English increased 15 points, and math scores increased nine points.  In addition, the end-of-course Biology test scores showed over 80% of students scoring proficient.  Now, in their second year of implementation, Mr. Snyder reflects on the progress the school has made.

Debbie:  Besides increased test scores, how has LEARNING-FOCUSED made a difference for teachers and students?

Dana:  What I like best about LEARNING-FOCUSED is that it is not a canned program; it is a teaching philosophy.  It is research based, and the research, as well as now our own experience, shows results.  How can you not make decisions based on those facts?  Students know the expectations; there are no "gotchas."  They know they're expected to know the answer to the essential question in depth.  They know they will be expected to stay actively involved in their learning through the strategies the teachers use, and they know what the expectations are.  Teachers recognize that the planning they do and strategies they use are just what good teaching is all about, and I'm happy to say that many of them were able to say, "Oh yeah, I kind of already do that," about a number of things.

Debbie:  How has LEARNING-FOCUSED meshed with your other primary initiatives?

Dana:  Our primary initiative in place going in was High Schools That Work (HSTW).  We were happy to see that there is an easy correlation between the two models.  Both focus on standards-based design of lessons, high levels of thinking using literacy and numeracy strategies (like graphic organizers and data tables), student-centered tasks and extending thinking assignments, and both formative and summative assessment (often using rubrics).  According to our February HSTW audit, Lincoln County High is in the top 25% of all West Virginia high schools in HSTW areas, and we are number one in overall growth.  In the spring 2008 audit HSTW credited LEARNING-FOCUSED with the vast improvement in the use of strong, rigorous instructional strategies.

Debbie:  Where do you see Lincoln County High School another two years down the road?

Dana:  I plan to have 100% implementation of the LEARNING-FOCUSED model in the next two years, with our being totally consistent and pervasive.  We should and can be a 90/90 school.

During the past year and a half, it has been extremely gratifying to visit classes, conference with teachers and administrators, and see the growth and successively easier implementation of strategies.  Lincoln County is truly a success story in having become a community with common goals and methods of attaining them, and we look forward to following their continued success.


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Past Connections Articles
Past Connections articles are available through the archive tool of this newsletter. Please click here to view the resources.
 
Have an Idea for a Connections Article?
If there are questions you want answered or strategies you want to know more about, please let us know by emailing info@LEARNINGFOCUSED.com. Insert "newsletter article request" in the subject line.