Elementary Updates 2023-24 December – St. Vrain Valley Schools

December 2023

Learning Spaces with Dr. Robert Dillon

Join us for an evening with Dr. Robert Dillon, a nationally-known consultant, speaker, and author on designing learning spaces that are designed with intention and promote collaboration, creativity, and calm. How we design and set up our classrooms can positively impact student learning and student agency.

Date: Thursday, December 7, 2023
Time: 4:30 – 6:30 PM
Location: Main Street School Auditorium
Target audience: All K-12 teachers

Interested participants should register here. There is an opportunity to earn 0.25 Professional Development/Salary credit for attending Dr. Dillon’s presentation and submitting a written reflection with implications for the classroom. All interested participants need to register by Tuesday, December 5.

Please direct any questions to Emily Scott ([email protected]) or Greg George ([email protected]).

Math Updates

Elementary Math Adoption Committee Update

The Elementary Math Adoption committee came to consensus on piloting enVision Mathematics ©2024 for the 2024-25 school year. For the rest of this school year, the committee will spend time identifying and curating supplemental activities and tasks to elevate the enVision lessons.

PAEMST Award Nominations

Do you know an excellent K-6 teacher of math, science, computer science, or STEM? Nominate them for a PAEMST award! The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for math and other STEM fields. The awards were established by Congress in 1983 and awardees receive a certificate signed by the President of the United States; an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for ceremonies, professional development, and networking; and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. Nominations this year for K-6 educators close on January 8, 2024.

ELA Updates

Fourth & Fifth Grade Teachers: Structured Morphology General Reminders

Congratulations! At this point in the year, you are likely wrapping up Unit 2 of the Level 4 Structured Morphology program and are about to dive into Unit 3 where you will focus on free and bound Latin morphemes and number prefixes. As you prepare for instruction in Unit 3, let’s reconnect with essential resources to support the delivery of this content (please note, all of these resources are linked on the ELA Website on the Landing Pages for 4th & 5th Grade).

Lesson Planning Template for Units 2-5: This resource is an editable template and offers teachers the ability to customize instruction based on previous learning (This template can also be found on pg. 83 of the Teacher Guide)
Slide Deck Template: As we consider principles of Structured Literacy, one such principle is that instruction is most effective when it is direct, explicit, and multimodal. To that end, similar to Fundations, we highly recommended that Structured Morphology lessons be done on the board, via anchor charts, or on a doc camera. For teachers who want to establish an outline using a slide deck, we have created a basic slide template for consistency. This resource offers teachers the ability to customize the delivery of instruction based on the needs of their students.
Assessment Companion: This resource offers teachers a warehouse of formative activities to progress monitor student learning. The activities in the Assessment Companion can be explicitly taught and completed by students in any order deemed appropriate by the teacher. Based on the Pacing Guide for Structured Morphology, these tasks should be used on the Cumulative & Formative Activity Days. Consider using your End of Unit Word Lists to help build your cumulative activities.
Editable Assessment Companion Activity Templates: Some of the student activities in the Assessment Companion that accompany lessons/concepts in Units 2-5 come with editable templates. This resource offers teachers the ability to customize the task for students based on the morpheme being practiced. Editable Templates can be found in the Structured Morphology Resources menu on the Landing Pages for 4th & 5th Grade.

Thank you for embracing the opportunity to extend Structured Literacy into 4th & 5th Grade! We are inspired to learn alongside you as you leverage evidence-based resources to support intermediate foundational skills and vocabulary acquisition!

Social Studies Updates

Exposing students to primary sources and teaching them how to analyze them is a great learning opportunity for all students in K-12. Why is this so important?

Primary Source Analysis will…

Enrich student understanding of content
Build historical thinking skills and context
Help students derive conclusions based on evidence
Encourage students to examine bias, perspective, and POV
Reinforce the importance of sourcing

Where do I find primary sources to use? The district unit plans have primary sources and inquiry kits linked in the plans. You will find them under “Supplemental Resources.”

Look for links titled, “primary source sets,” “inquiry kits,” and “student inquiries.” I am continuing to add more primary sources and lessons, so check back often!

SVVSD is hosting an online course on Culturally Responsive Instruction of Native American Students. You can receive 1.5 salary credit hours, and this course will count for 21 hours of the CLDE requirement for re-licensure. Click here to sign up.

Science Updates

Hands-On, Minds-On Connections

A reminder, each elementary science unit plan has a collection of Hands-On, Minds-On connections to assist with creating active learners in your classrooms. Learners who are engaged and experiencing relevant phenomena to light that spark of wonder about science in their community. These connections are enhancements to your Mystery Science materials and include Nearpod lessons for each science concept as well as STEM and environmental education activities. (There will be Science to Go check out options as enhancements starting in January)

Elementary Science Open House

Join us online Tuesday December 12th from 4:00 to 5:00 to discuss all things science with your fellow elementary teachers. We will be discussing ReadyGEN & Thinking Map connections as well as how to find grade level nonfiction science articles and options for local phenomenon for each science concept. (Extra Duty Hours for those who attend) Elementary Science Open House Link

Professional Development Opportunities

The following classes are available for registration through the Office of Professional Development. All classes are in-person unless otherwise noted.