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Upcoming Events:
MON. (2/11) State Of The District Speech, By Dr. Kropp
@ 6:30pm In PAC... Come Support & Listen!
TUES. (2/12) Instructional Rounds, (Click For Schedule)
***Still Room To Join***
Per. 1/2 = Observe Mr. Kennedy
Per. 3/4 = Observe Mr. Anderson
Per. 5/6 = Observe Ms. Rofe
WED. (2/13) Leadership Council, 7am in Room 500
Drama Show - ALMOST, MAINE
(Starts 2/12, And Runs Through 2/15)
P.S. If you've never seen it before, it's hilarious! (And sweet...) You Should Go!
THUR. (2/14) Valentine's Day
FRI. (2/15) (: NO STUDENTS :)
COMMON CORE AQUARIUM
Department Time & WASC Included...
ALL WEEK LONG --- COME SUPPORT LOS AL IN THE PLAYOFFS:
Basketball, Soccer, Girls Water Polo, And Wrestling...
& On The Horizon...
Feb. 18 President's Day --- NO SCHOOL!!!
Feb. 21 Spring Choir Show --- through February 23rd
Feb. 25 College Information Night For Juniors
Feb. 26 All District Band Night
Feb. 28 All District Orchestra Night
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There's Still Room For A Few Instructional Rounds Participants:
Contact Kathy Currie To Go On A Round This Tuesday, 2/12!
Teachers are like doctors... We observe each other prac-tice for the sake of developing language and methodology to communicate what goes on in class.
Tuesday's INSTRUCTIONAL ROUNDS @ Los Al are sure to engage teachers in meaningful observations and discourse around sound instructional practice.
Once again, Ms. Currie has organized 3 sets of ROUNDS to take place throughout the day in which groups of 5-7 teachers will observe a class period and then debrief the experience for a period afterwards.
Two ROUNDS on Tuesday will be focused on the art of "direct instruction," and one ROUND will take a look at the "You Do" cycle of an "I Do, We Do, You Do" lesson framework. Whichever area of instructional delivery you're most interested in investigating, please sign up! There's still 1-3 spots left in different cycles throughout the day; and there's so much to learn and reflect on when going on a ROUND.
Ms. Currie can be reached at kcurrie@losal.org. So, hurry up and sign up for Tuesday's Rounds before they fill up.
*** P.S. Your sub will be all taken of...
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The Common Core Aquarium Is Friday:
Demonstration Lessons Are All The Rage These Days --- But This Isn't Your Average Demo...
Just a few days from now, this drawing will become a reality. It'll be fun, risky, and oh.... so Common Core :)
Here's what we know: From 10:30am - 12:15pm on Friday, Los Al teachers will be taking place in one of the largest aquarium-style lesson studies to ever be conducted in Orange County. Our focus will be "Elements Of A Common Core Lesson Design," and we will specifically be examining the following aspects of teaching in the Age Of Common Core: 1) The shift from "content to skill," 2) Connecting multiple disciplines in one lesson, 3) Depth, complexity, and rigor, and 4) Gradually moving from "Sage on the Stage" to "Guide on the Side" --- also known as "I Do, You Do, We Do..."
Here's what else we know: Because we believe that the knowledge necessary to do this work is in the classrooms of teachers (and not "gurus" from across the country), we're partnering with Crystal Jerabek, a teacher at Westminster High School just down the road, so that we can give honest feedback to each other about the lesson without the complexities of relationships getting in the way. (Crystal is a 9-year teaching veteran, and extremely interested in what classroom instruction will look like as The Common Core State Standards take hold these next few years.)
Here's something else we know: Ms. Jerabek has given us a rough draft of the lesson --- very rough --- as she's been working with Mr. Arnold and others to refine Friday's lesson to be of maximum value for the Los Al teaching community. For a super-early framework of Friday's aquarium task, click here. *** Remember, the goal of Friday is not to leave saying, "Oh... that's how I should be preparing to teach." Rather, Friday's aquarium should foster meaningful conversations with colleagues in which things like, "Hmmm... I do that already," or "That was interesting..." or "That strategy's just not for me..." get said over and over again. ***
Here's what we don't know: Will this be an effective use of time? Will it flop? Can all this be done in a 45-minute lesson with a 45-minute debrief?
I think it can. And I know that whatever happens, whatever the outcome, we are all to be commended for caring so much about our professional practice and giving this instructional experiment the fair shake it deserves...
Let's break a leg!
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EEATT Is In Full Swing:
25+ Teachers Came To The Tech Brainstorming Session Last Wednesday...
It was like an Apple Trade Show in Mr. Bennett's room last Wednesday after school... Macs and iPads galore!!!
Almost 1/4 of all Los Al teachers made it to Mark Celestin and Dan Bennett's EEATT workshop last Wednesday, as Los Al is forging ahead with educational technology in the classroom.
 Wednesday's agenda was full of opportunities to share, ask questions, and shape the direction of technology use in the classrooms of our school. As evidenced from the wide variety of user backgrounds in the room, everyone has something to contribute when it comes to discussing technology in education --- from the 20-year veteran, to the student teacher who was born after the internet was created. For any and all of your tech needs, just visit the EEATT Blog: Or, contact Mark Celestin or Dan Bennett direct @ Let the technology smorgasbord continue... |
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Have You Met David?:
Our New Plant Manager Is Everywhere At Once...
There's a line from Herman Hesse's SIDDHARTHA where Vasudeva tells The Buddah that he should "be like water... everywhere at the same time." Our new plant manager, David Bodell, takes that metaphor to heart.
They say his response time is under 2 minutes, flat. And that he's been known to fix things before people even realize they were ever broken...
New Plant Manager David Bodell is a man on a mission during the school day @ Los Al. Rarely in his office, David can be found in classrooms and hallways tending to whatever issue of the day arises, or planning out the logistics for Los Al's next big event.
And his work is appreciated. Tons of Los Al teachers have come up to him and thanked him, not only for his time and expertise, but for that big smile he gives them when dropping off a new piece of technology, or installing new carpet in a room that's been in need for years.
Thank you, David. You "heart" Los Al just as much as the next person. And it shows :)
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 Now THAT'S a Senior Class Shirt...Way To Go Class of 2013!
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Hands-On With
Review Tools:
How They Work, Why The Work, And What You Can Do To Help Students Study
This Intermediate Algebra student is smiling because he's got a cool review tool to study from for his test tomorrow. And you'll never guess who made it for him.... His teacher!
Ms. Gallagher does more than just teach students the material in her Intermediate Algebra class. She practically guarantees that they'll be successful.
And why not?
As the classroom pendulum swings from the "trick-answer/gotcha!'" paradigm of the 80's to the "scaffolded/deep analysis" paradigm of today, teachers are being tasked to assist with every element of teaching and learning... including review.
It's an important skill, too --- the ability to review and study effectively. And with Ms. Gallagher's crafty mathematic chart and manipulative in their hands, students are learning the value of creating a tool that is efficient and effective when it comes to preparing for an upcoming assessment.
So, grab some scissors. Cut into some cardboard, and let the study-tool making begin!
You'll thank yourself later as an effective study tool puts the onus of re-teaching back on the student. Saving time for you to review with students who truly need it the most.
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Homework In The 21st Century:
Is It All Just Fun And Games?
Here's the cool thing... this Los Al student is actually learning while he plays on the computer during Griffin Lab after school.
If you want to know the difference between homework in 1993 and homework in 2013, all you have to do is watch the video above. It's pretty telling...
In it, a Sophomore clicks away for a minute at a time pretending to be a bird eating some moths. The kid likes it because his brain is focused on the fact that it's trying to complete a task: eat moths. But it's what happens once the game is over that's truly powerful...
At the conclusion of the game, once the player has eaten everything they can in a minute, the following screen pops up:  It reads, "CHANGE IN YOUR FOREST: Your forest started with 50% light moths and 50% dark moths. Now, there are 66% light moths and 34% dark moths. Since you could see dark moths easier, you ate more dark moths than light moths."
THIS IS POWERFUL!
The game makes the learning stick by having the user be a real part of the problem or solution. This is the new paradigm for homework... tasks that involve and immerse students in problem solving, and force them to reflect on the experience at the end.
Think this is cool? Here are two more pretty awesome games that can be used in History, Science, or general studies classrooms:
--- teachers about disaster preparedness.
Enjoy!
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YouTube In The Classroom:
Just In Time For The State Of The Union!
 Tuesday's State Of The Union Speech is a perfect opportunity to bring YouTube into the classroom!
Remember this?
Tune to channel 3. Put in your tape. Press "Play/Record." Then "Stop." Then "Eject." Then lug the tape to school (hoping you don't drop, misplace, or spill coffee on it). Push it back into another VCR. Hope the school VCR works. And try and get the tape to play with as few white lines running through the picture as possible?
Not anymore!
Wednesday morning, more than a few history teachers will log on to their computers, type "State Of The Union" into their YouTube search bars, and watch excerpts from the President's speech TOGETHER.
And that's the key part.... TOGETHER! Cohort analysis is so powerful, it's important for teachers to take advantage of it as much as possible. Making video in the classroom be as easy as watching a YouTube video increases the opportunity for students to do critical analysis with each other. And opportunities like the President's State of The Union speech are ripe instances where the textbook and real-life can come perfectly together in a Government or other Social Science class.
Enjoy the new web filter everyone!!!
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Even Tito "Hearts" Los Al...
Tons of Famous MMA Champions Stopped By The Los Al Gym This Weekend To Watch Our Boys Wrestle!!!
NEW PICTURE
DOWNLOADING SITE
From now on, if you need a picture from any of these Monday Morning Memos,
The pics there are high quality, easy to access, and always downloadable.
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Los Alamitos High School
3591 Cerritos Ave.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
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