November/December 2024

Academic Discourse & Written Communication

Academic discourse plays a crucial role in fostering critical thinking and language development for all learners, particularly multilingual learners. By engaging in thoughtful discussions, analyzing complex texts, and presenting arguments, students are encouraged to explore different perspectives, ask thought-provoking questions, and develop their understanding of the world. For multilingual learners, academic discourse provides a valuable opportunity to acquire English and academic vocabulary in context, which leads to increased confidence and fluency.

Thinking Maps also support verbal and written communication by encouraging students to organize their thinking visually. This helps them create a structure for their writing where they can orally rehearse (talking off the map) which increases student confidence in putting pencil to paper. This practice aligns with grade-level writing standards, ensuring that students are developing the skills necessary to write with clarity, coherence, and focus.

How might we elevate the current levels of academic discourse students experience in all content areas using Thinking Maps and the following supports for discourse?

Math Updates

SAVE THE DATES! enVision Mathematics ©2024 Adoption Training, Spring/Summer 2025 (choose ONE option):

• Monday, April 28 (1-day option)
• Thursday & Friday, May 29 & 30 (2-day conference-style option)
• Thursday, July 31 (1-day option)

Registration will open in January with the choice of Professional Development/Salary Credit or a stipend for attending. Please note that the May 29 & 30 training dates overlap with Project Launch planning days.

Mathematical Discourse 

Student talk and opportunities for students to share their thinking are key components of effective math instruction. Refer to our enVisionmath2.0 Daily “Look Fors” and the Five Strands of Mathematics Instruction for practical ideas of how and where to incorporate such opportunities. All students have the right to express their mathematical thinking to at least one other classmate every day. This is especially important for multilingual learners with emerging English proficiency. That doesn’t mean every student must explain their thinking to the entire class; ample opportunities for small-scale discourse in pairs or table groups is sufficient.

Topic Assessments 

It’s important we establish the proper expectations for student learning through the assessments we use. All enVisionmath2.0 Topics have a revised Topic Assessment linked for use in the corresponding Unit Plan. These assessments define the minimum level of performance for all students.

We strongly encourage teachers to use these assessments instead of the published assessments with enVisionmath2.0. Digital forms of these assessments also exist for Grades 3-5 only. Check out how to use Performance Matters for administering these digital assessments.

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ELA Updates

Thinking Maps Trainings

Thinking Maps Basic Training is available for all staff who may be new and have not been trained in Thinking Maps yet. Please consider joining the Fall/Winter or Winter/Spring–classes are linked at the end of this newsletter.

PBA Expectation Reminders 

PBAs are a great data point to see the skills students have acquired. A quick reminder that the PBA is to be completed independently, within 90-minutes, which can be divided into two or three writing sessions. This designated amount of time mirrors expectations for extended response on CMAS. For more information check out the Overview of Assessments in ELA. 

Please make sure you are scoring PBA writing with the ReadyGen Rubrics provided as they are aligned with standards and are prompt specific. 

Supporting Multilingual Learners and Newcomers in ELA

We now have district access to PebbleGo Spanish where students can read and/or listen to content to develop background knowledge on the content being read in ReadyGen. 

Check out the Recommendations for ELA and Math Instruction for Newcomers with ideas to support Newcomers during Whole Group and Small Group. The Scaffolded Strategies Handbook is a supportive resource for sentence frames, cognates, and more!

Keep an eye out for a grade level specific email from Shane Saeed with anchor text summaries in Spanish to use with your MLs and newcomers.

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Social Studies Updates

Indigenous Heritage Month

November is Indigenous Heritage Month! Here is a curated list of resources (picture books and lessons) you might consider using in your classroom during this month.

Veterans Day

November 11, 2024 is Veterans Day. Here are some resources you might use as you and your students celebrate our veterans.

Colorado 150 and America 250 Anniversaries

Did you know that next year we will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence and 150 years of Colorado becoming a state?  

America250 just launched America’s Field Trip for the 2024–2025 school year! America’s Field Trip is a nationwide scholastic contest that invites students in grades 3–12 to share their perspectives on what America means to them through artwork or essays — with the opportunity to earn an unforgettable field trip experience at some of the nation’s most iconic historical and cultural landmarks.

 Here’s everything you need to know about America’s Field Trip:

• 25 first-place awardees from each grade level category and a chaperone will receive airfare and lodging for a 3-day, 2-night trip to a select historical or cultural site.
• Second-place recipients will receive a $500 cash award.
• The teacher associated with the top-scoring student submissions in each grade level category will receive a $1,000 cash award. 

You might consider introducing this to your 3-5 graders as a class project! Visit America250’s website to learn more about how students can enter, and for contest rules, judging criteria, classroom resources, and more. Don’t wait, the deadline for submissions is 5:00 pm ET on April 16, 2025!

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Science Updates

Help students prepare to show off their science knowledge in 5th grade by getting them familiar with what CMAS looks and feels like. Below is a full review of last year’s CMAS Science results for your school, along with numerous resources on analyzing those results and preparing students for success. The resources include the following:

• Guide to the Colorado Academic Science Standards
• CMAS Science Results by School
• Finding GLEs in the St Vrain Science Unit Plans
• Introduction to 3-Dimensional Science Assessments
• CDE ePat Assessment Tool
• Mystery Science 3D Assessments 
• Additional Resources for grades Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th to prepare students for success on the 5th grade CMAS Science Exam

Elementary Science CMAS Review

Please let Mike O’Toole know if you want him to visit one of your school’s science meetings to review the data and resources.

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Professional Development Opportunities

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

• There is still limited space available for this Wednesday’s special event with Patrice Bain, author of the new book Powerful Classrooms. RSVP here if you are planning to attend, and click here for more information.
• Math Routines for Reasoning (Saturday, December 7; 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM; 0.5 PD/Salary Credit)
• Thinking Maps (Fall/Winter section and Winter/Spring section)
• SAVE THE DATE! Join us the evening of Tuesday, January 28 for “Developing a Student-Centric Classroom to Serve All Learners,” a special event with Dr. Robert Dillon. Register here to attend.

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Digital Curriculum & iPad Settings

Some default settings on district iPads may interfere with access to digital curriculum. If students or teachers are having trouble accessing digital curriculum, please check these settings. These settings may need to be reapplied after an iOS update.

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Contact Us!

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