The selected movie prompt for the end-of-year language sample is “She Knows” from the 2nd Annual PAWS Movie DVD. 12th graders who are graduating will be writing a letter to the next year’s group of seniors. For more information, teachers need to view the “Language Samples Prompts Required” page under “Language Arts - English Curriculum and Support” on Instruction Wiki through the Intranet.Students will do this during the same time-frame of April - May, 2008. For English teachers only: The expository writing assessment students just did should also go into the writing binder, with this new more recent sample in front of it. Assessing this writing sample with a rubric is at this time optional. Please send me a copy of the 6-trait class results chart from the expository writing. Applied English teachers only: To check out the resourceful writing rubric as an option, you can view, download, and print this from the Language Arts Wiki page.

Some of us attended the Inland Empire Reading Council workshop last night where the speaker, Dr. Robert Pritchard, spoke about differentiating instruction. I would be happy to share the handout with anyone who wants more information on this subject. One of the great resources he told us about is the website listed below. It provides sample lessons for math, science, and language arts at each grade level from K-12 . The lessons are designed to address the same key concept for three different levels of learners.

Please check it out! - Melissa, Curriculum Specialist

Try out the ASL/Deaf Studies online activities on the ASLRose website. The wish list described below certainly reflects our AEBPD “Star Schools” wishes, as well! Keep in mind that English development for Deaf children is equally important. This company specializes in ASL, an area that is still lacking in curriculum resources nationwide. In addition, the ASLRose book Have You Ever Seen? with accompanying DVD is now bar-coded if you’d like to check it out for your classes. If there is high demand for this, we will order more copies.

Writing instruction, expectations, and assessment ideally revolve around a commonly-agreed upon rubric. The HS team has adopted the 6+1 Trait rubric, with free resources from the Northwestern Regional Education Lab. Electronic files of both the regular rubric and the beginner rubric can also now be accessed from CSDR Wiki.

In addition, please check out this NEW resource on the NWREL website with a bank of scored student sample papers at grade level spans, either on all traits or specific traits: See samples on website. A date needs to be reserved for the secondary teachers, as well as elementary teachers during a separate time, to get together for a good block of time on Friday to score together the student writings with these rubrics sometime in February before IEP writing.

In the meantime, secondary teachers can practice using these resources for the current class writings and portfolio expectations.2007