Core Content Coaching Social Studies Grade 6

1. Core Content CoachingSocial Studies Grade 6 1st 6 Weeks6th Grade World Cultures Unit 2: Physical Geography Unit 4: Civic Responsibility Austin Independent School District (Please allocate 45 – 50 minutes to view and discuss this module.) *Unit 3, Celebrate Freedom Week was covered in a previous module

2. Bring to the planning session: • School Calendar/Yearly Itinerary (YI) • Curriculum Road Map (CRM) • TEKS, ELPS, CCRS • Our World Today • A resource for higher order question stems (samples provided) • Lesson Plan template • … and most important, EACH OTHER

3. TEAMWORK IS IMPORTANT! TEAM T- Together E- Everyone A- Achieves M- More …and the students are the ones to achieve the most

4. Yearly Itinerary Yearly Itinerary information should be used along with school event calendar to obtain an accurate picture of available instructional time

5. Review CRM for Units, Vocabulary, Arcs, Resources, Pacing Time for Arcs…(Review each category…)

6. Look at the TEKS being taught for the lesson, what students will need to know and what they are expected to do… Look at the verbs, words, phrases… • What TEKS are going to be addressed during the lesson? • What academic vocabulary do students need to understand and use? • What words, phrases in the TEKS may not be understood by the students? • What anchors of support can teachers and students create? Unit 2 Arc 1

7. Look at the TEKS being taught for the lesson, what students will need to know and what they are expected to do… Look at the verbs, words, phrases… • What TEKS are going to be addressed during the lesson? • What academic vocabulary do students need to understand and use? • What words, phrases in the TEKS may not be understood by the students? Unit 2 Arc 2

8. TEKS: Look at the TEKS Verb, words, and phrases… • Do you understand what students need to master? • Do you understand what the TEKS expect the students to learn? • How will you teach the students the vocabulary and phrases related to the TEKS? • How will you teach the TEKS to the students? • How will your student product reflect mastery of the TEKS being studied? • What anchors of support do students need to support their learning? • How will you know when the student has accomplished/demonstrated mastery (Proof of Understanding) of the TEKS being studied? • How will you intervene if students do not master the TEKS for Units 2 and 4?

9. Students Will Know…Students Will Be Able To… Read the Students Will Know… and the Students Will Be Able To… statements Do these sections reflect what is in the TEKS? How will your teaching reflect these sections? • Oral language strategies • Written response strategies • Questioning strategies • Collaborative learning strategies • Reading strategies Discuss as a group & share with each other: What activities will I use to engage my students and ensure mastery of these TEKS?

10. CRM Assessment Evidence Discuss in partners or in a group, the formative and summative assessments listed. Are there any you might want to add or change? Unit 2 Arc 2 Discuss how you will modify these tasks for your students.

11. Models/Anchors of Support, Instruction, and Student Task…Plan your lesson Your classroom should be filled with anchors of support that reflect the current unit of study. Examples of anchors of support: • Interactive Student Notebook (ISN) • Physical maps • Student created graphic organizers about latitude and longitude • Images of physical processes The task -The student task is aligned to the TEKS/SE -The task is aligned to student’s needs (ELL, SpEd). -Students are engaged in tasks. -Students are on task and able to articulate learning. -Learning is student directed. -Students work in a variety of group formats..

12. CRM Planning Tools Model Lesson: In the 6th Grade Social Studies Home Page, select the 1st 6 weeks model lesson entitled “ Writing About Physical Features” or “Create an Imaginary Place – Physical Features on Display”. Look over the lesson, you will want to make adjustments based on the students you have, the background knowledge they have, and the content it covers.

13. Don’t Forget the ELPS, CCRS, and 21st Century Framework • ELPS These standards are required by law and are not only for ELLs but support quality instruction for all learners in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. What ELPS willl you use for Units 2 and 4? • CCRS These standards were approved in 2008 to ensure that Texas students are graduating from high school with all the skills necessary to be successful in college. These focus not only on content but the intellectual skills and underlying understandings of the structure of knowledge nec3esary to be highly equipped for post-secondary education. What CCRS best fit the lessons you will teach in the next 3 weeks? • Framework for 21st Century Learning This framework is designed to outline the skills, knowledge, and expertise students need to be successful in life, work, and globally. They focus on aptitudes such as, creativity, technology, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and communication. What 21st century skills are your students using in class as they study Physical Geography and Philantropy?

14. Planning Time Review the parts of the CRM: concept, pacing, unit, arc, vocabulary, resources, TEKS, Students Will Know…, Students Will Be Able To …, Performance tasks, and Assessments. What will you use from the CRM? What will you add to the lesson? What guiding questions and/or stems are you going to use to promote the use of academic vocabulary, to engage the students, and support comprehension of what is being learned? • Vocabulary • Provide opportunities to use academic vocabulary. • Set the expectation that students use academic vocabulary in the classroom. • Communicate that students speak and write in complete sentences using academic vocabulary.

15. Planning Continued… Formative or Summative Assessment = Proof of Understanding Examples: - Students act out various physical processes - Describe 5 physical geographical features in interactive notebook - Pose a question or problem such as :What do you think is the greatest need in our school? How do you think we should fix it? How was Pangea formed? - Whiteboards –show a physical feature/process and have students write the name of it on a whiteboard

16. Scaffolding • Scaffolding is breaking up the learning into chunks and then providing a tool or structure to facilitate student understanding. • You can scaffold the information for this unit by categorizing physical features into categories and teaching them in smaller chunks.

17. Scaffolding continued • Show and Tell/Modeling: Show or demonstrate to students exactly what they are to do and examples of the finished product • Tap into Prior Knowledge: Students make connections to past and new knowledge. • Give Time to Talk: Structured discussions • Pre-Teach Vocabulary: Use photos, in context to things they know or are interested in, , analogies, metaphors, student created symbols/drawings, time for discussion of terms • Use visual aids: Graphic organizers • Pause, Ask Questions, Pause (think time), Review: great way to check for understanding Process: new idea from reading or discussion is shared, pause, ask a strategic question(s) (design ahead of time, specific, guiding and open-ended), pause again, and call on someone to “give the gist” of what was just discussed/discovered/questioned www.edutopia.org

18. Planning: Differentiation “Differentiated instruction is a teaching approach in which educational content, process, and product are adapted according to student readiness, interest, and learning profile” (Wehrmann, 2000) • “Content differentiation means giving the students different material to cover” (Wehrmann, 2000). • Differentiating the process requires the use of many instructional techniques and materials to enhance and motivate learning styles of students. A teacher should make activities different (Wehrmann, 2000). • “Product differentiation occurs when we allow students to demonstrate their learning through different assessment • formats” (Wehrmann, 2000). • How might you differentiate your instruction for Units 2 and 4?

19. Planning Question Stems Question stems: • Knowledge: What do you remember about… How would you identify … When did … • Comprehension: What would happen if … Will you restate … What can you say about … • Application: What examples can you find that … What would the result be if … What questions would you ask of …

20. Planning: Question Stems cont. • Analysis: What do you see as other possible outcomes? How is __ similar to __? What are some of the problems of … • Synthesis: Can you see a possible solution to … What would happen if … If you had access to all the resources, how would you deal with … • Evaluation: Is there a better solution to … Can you defend your position about … What changes would you make to revise …

21. Clear Expectations • How will students be held accountable for their learning and make their thinking public? • How will discussion and collaboration be encouraged and expected? • How will students be grouped to extend and challenge their thinking and problem solving abilities? • How will students be motivated and engaged?

22. Best Practices Because Teaching and Assessment have a reciprocal relationship, plan your lessons with these questions. • How will the teacher model/explain clear expectations for the students’ learning? • What anchors of support can be used/created to help students in their thinking? • Which 21st Century Skills can be targeted? • How will students be held accountable for their new learning, as well as make their thinking and learning public? • How will accountable discussions and collaboration be encouraged in an atmosphere of mutual respect? • How will students be grouped to challenge their thinking (problem solving)? • What role might technology play in making the learning more accessible and at the same time, and more challenging?

23. Resources • Our World Today is a great place to start. • The CRM has resources listed under the Unit and the Arc. • Check out the Social Studies Website for more resources for your grade level. • The Library Services Media Center has iBistro: The Encyclopedia Britannica and the World Book are online. • Many other AISD licensed internet resources are also located here, along with user names and passwords, including Discovery Education Streaming. (Go to the AISD website, type in iBistro, click on Portal Knowledge.)

24. Writing Opportunities(Expository or Personal) • Personal writing: Person reflections/illustrations on content such as physical features or a story about physical processes. • Factual writing: Summarize what was learned about the formation of Pangea. Explain the cause and effects of natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Analyze how improvements in technology have altered our physical environment. Interpret maps, data, and graphs. Use graphic organizers to describe physical features.

25. Reminders • Provide many opportunities to use the vocabulary in class activities • Check for understanding as often as possible. • Differentiate the content, process, and product

26. Final Thoughts… • This module concludes the first six weeks. • As the school year progresses, these steps will begin to be automatic. • Make notes on modifications you made to your lesson plans as you use them with students. This will help you plan your lessons next year.