November 4^th Professional Development

Grade Level and Content Area Meetings

Middle School Resources:

· Math

· Language Arts

· Science

· Social Studies

VIII. Middle School

Middle School Math

Math Teaching Resources :

- Glencoe Textbooks

Math Worksheets:

- Geometry color sheets (Hodgson)

- Decimals, Fractions, and Percents (Shelton)

- Math puzzles (Shelton)

- Math 7-8 (100 Reproducible Activities ) (Shelton)

Math Resource Presenters:

- Dr. Marsha Tate – Brain Based Learning

- Math Academy

Math Software:

- Orchard

- Gamecoe

- Skills Connection

- Coach

- Glencoe Software

- Math Blaster

Math Instructional Strategies:

- Short presentation for each class

- Tangrams

- Use art to help teach Geometry

- Use body to do angles, (obtuse, acute, right) rays, and line segments, etc.

- Using Algebra Tile Activities to teach Algebra

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Language Arts Teaching Resources :

- Light up your Mind through Creative Thinking, by Grimm & Ihrig

- SAT Score Raising Dictionary

L. A. Instructional Strategies:

- Paragraph of the week – either a weekly or bi-weekly paragraph

- Journal: First 5-10 minutes of class. Not necessarily graded for grammar, but more just thoughts on paper. (20% of final grade)

- Write sequels to stories: group or individual, anything left unanswered, write sequel.

- Viewing/Presenting: Look at artwork, can be found in viewing and presenting over heads, come up with objectives by using thesaurus. Cannot repeat any objectives. Take adj. & then write a little brochure selling artwork.

- “Adjective Menu”: Come up w/name, items, etc., all using colorful adjectives. Take items & write a descriptive paragraph. (6^th grade)

- Crate Poster for Lost Item: What wouldn’t typically be lost. Ex: lost mind, lost time.

- Emotion or Idea Mask: Take emotion, examine it, create a mask showing emotion. Ex: confused, excited.

- Student Tales: Students write their own book published with child’s work. (8^th grade) studenttales.com

- Vocabulary Story: Take vocabulary from story and write their own story or poem.

- Vocabulary: Vocabulary basketball-take empty can and they must spell and define a word for a “shot.” Can use in sentence for step closer to basket. Teams can do @ end of class for just a few minutes

- Password: One word clue to guess word (vocab) Similar to old game show.

- “Eraser Race”: Test prep. Game—Slide eraser on board tray and where it lands is how many points question is worth. Each question is worth that may points. If chalk board eraser goes all the way down and into can, 100 points are given—no questions asked. Winning team-5 bonus points on test.

- Diagramming: Diagram sentences with different colors. “Color map of the day”

- Meet with county teachers in same grade to check if we are stressing the same things for high school.

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Social Studies Teaching Resources :

- Tennessee History

- National Geographic

- History Magazine

- Ancient Civilizations

The American Journey

S. S. Worksheets:

- Graphic Organizer’s

- National Outline Maps

- Skills worksheets

S. S. Resource Presenters:

- McClung Museum

- Presentation Plus

- Ripley’s Aquarium

- Museum of Appalachia

S. S. Software:

- Sunbright video quiz (sunlight media) most which are provided w/text material

- Power Point

- Ancient Tands

- Word

- Excel

S. S. Instructional Strategies:

- Bonus Participation tickets: apply to daily avg. 1 point per/ticket

- Group work using a time line to brainstorm a topic

- Bell ringer activities to get their attention at the start & end of class

- Clear on days objectivities (Glooms Tax) and supplement text content w/real stories of history

- Vocab. Skills by discussion

- Organization skills

- Technology

- Class notes

- Reports

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Science Teaching Resources :

- Mainly our adopted textbook

Science Worksheets:

- Material that came with the textbook

Science Software:

- Net-trekker

- United Streaming

- Brain Pop

- State testing site

- County website for science

Science Instructional Strategies:

- Short quizzes given often over material covered

- Make sure standards for a particular subject are covered and tested

- Use computer utilities such as net-trekker and United Streaming to aid and enhance classroom instruction

- Do an intense review several weeks before T-Capps are given

- More visual and hands on activities

- Movies

- Field Trips that meet standards

Goals/Objectives

- TCAP Prep:

- Methods: Vocabulary drill

- Main fact/concept review quizzes

- Test questions that closely mimic TCAP

- Know and teach tested items

- Practice reading charts and graphs

- Systemic and Holistic Understanding

- Methods: Focus on the system and its tangential relationships as opposed to isolated facts

- Ask and discuss why something happens an dhow it impacts other organisms or systems

- Ask students to explain relationships

- Discuss other concepts studied and their role in the current topic

- Use informal conceptual models

- Deep Understanding when Possible

- Methods: Give vocabulary context

- Explain all concepts giving more information when possible and appropriate

- Tell students how, why, and where

- Use higher order questioning (formal and informal)

- Formal and Informal Investigation

- Informal: Contemplative listening

- Encourage questions and covey their importance to science

- Answer when possible and appropriate but remember “I don’t know. Here is how you find out and tell me” is a great answer.

- Encourage observation

- Encourage hypothesis but demand inquiry

- Scientific method

- Formal: Familiarization with lab equipment

- Introduce and practice lab procedures

- Explain and require lab sheets

- Encourage extra projects and experiments

- Promote self learning skills through fact based (not concept based) research opportunities

- Create a Love of Science

- Methods: Be enthusiastic!

- Utilize your individual talents to create interest

- Make the classroom visually appealing

- Provide exploration opportunities

- Provide real world connections

- Don’t be afraid to entertain while teaching

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