Instructional Minute

The last two Instructional Minutes focused on how using keywords in mathematics can be troublesome especially when students' advice through math. One of the main reasons that it is troublesome is that it bypasses any mathematical reasoning (Sowder 1988). Using an attack strategy for solving word problems has been extremely helpful in requiring students to mathematical reasoning to solve the problem. UPS Check is one attack strategy that can be used.

Kindergarten Block Teams-Building Math and SEL Skills Through Purposeful Play

March 20, 2025 I 7:00-7:30PM ET

Are your block centers gathering dust, or have they become places where kids just knock things down? Learn how to transform them into hubs of learning and creativity! Join us for an interactive session where we'll explore how you can use block centers to teach math and social-emotional learning (SEL) through purposeful play. Inspired by NCTM's Building a Tower problem, you'll explore Block Teams- weekly activities where students engage in math practices and collaborate to design and build structures inspired by landmarks around the world. Open to all!

Sign Up Here!

Please note that this professional development opportunity is entirely optional, and additional hours will not be compensated.

Formative assessment is essentially feedback both to the teachers and to the pupil about present understanding and skill development in order to determine the way forward. It is defined as assessment carried out during the instructional process for the purpose of improving teaching or learning. What makes formative assessment formative is that it is immediately used to make adjustments so as to form new learning. It gives us the information we need to make data-informed, instructional decisions.

The seven strategies are structured around three formative assessment questions:

• Where am I going?
• Where am I now?
• How can I close the gap?

2. Use examples and models of strong and weak work. Begin with work that demonstrates strengths and weaknesses related to problems students commonly experience, especially the problems that most concern you. Ask students to analyze these samples for quality and then to justify their judgments.

4. Teach students to self-assess and set goals. You can use the agree-disagree format to design a 10-12 question pre-assessment (example below).

5. Design lessons to focus on one learning target or aspect of quality at a time. For example, mathematics problem solving requires choosing a workable strategy as one component. A science experiment lab report requires a statement of the hypothesis as one component. Writing requires an introduction as one component. Look at the components quality and then teach them one part at a time, making sure that students understand that all of the parts ultimately must come together.

6. Teach students focused revision. Have students work in pairs to critique an anonymous sample and revise it using their own advice. Ask students to write a letter to the creator of an anonymous sample they have just critiqued, suggesting how to make it stronger for the aspect of quality discussed. Ask students to analyze your own work for quality and make suggestions for improvement. Revise your work using their advice. Ask them to again review it for quality.

7. Engage students in self-reflection, and let them keep track of and share their learning. Examples of this activity:

• Students write a process paper, detailing how they solved a problem or created a product or performance. This analysis encourages them to think like professionals in your discipline.
• Students write a letter to their parents about a piece of work, explaining where they are now with it and what they are trying to do next.
• Students track their own progress toward mastery of learning targets.
• Students reflect on their growth, "I have become a better reader this year. I used to..., but now I..."
• Students help plan and participate in conferences with parents and/or teachers to share their learning.

Create custom targeted question sets to improve instruction. This resource has thousands of real test questions, allows the user to filter questions, and then export into a PDF if needed. Follow the link below for access!

SAT, PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10 Educator Question Bank

Dive into a quick video and discover how much you can learn in just a few moments!

Click on the above title to view the evaluation documents for staff!

Below you can find the new, updated required instructional minutes by grade level and content area. Each grade level also includes a sample schedule.

Teachers are encouraged to monitor student progress regularly using formative assessments and adjust pacing as needed based on classroom data. However, teachers should aim to stay within two weeks of the pacing outlined in the guides to maintain alignment with district-wide goals. While we do not adjust pacing for snow days, the pacing is a guide and the expectation is to stay within the established two-week time frame.

The documents attached outline K-8 curricular resources, standards and pacing. This can also be found by clicking here on the LSD website.

The document attached outlines 9-12 curricular resources, standards and pacing. This can also be found by clicking here on the LSD website.

A resource to use as you see fit.