Instructional Minute

Check out the principles below!

A structured literacy approach teaches students about the sound structure of language, letter knowledge (letter names, formations, and the sounds that correspond to the letters), types of syllables and the vowel sounds in syllables, spelling rules and generalizations, and the meaningful parts of words (roots, prefixes, suffixes). It also includes explicit instruction to support oral and reading comprehension, including how to make meaning from text. This includes teaching how sentences work, vocabulary, text structure, and comprehension strategies.

Get Inspired!

Use the Spotlight app to highlight examples of your students' work and project excerpts for instruction or for student appreciation.

Access the Spotlight app through the Program & Apps menu when logged into the program.

Explore the tool HERE

Many problems, especially as students begin to advance to more sophisticated work, have no keywords.

Consider the following problem: Dominique had 10 flower petals. Four were green and the rest were orange. How many orange flower petals does Dominique have?

Because this problem does not contain keywords, students who rely on this approach will not have a strategy on which to rely, which will most likely result in a new word, like “rest” being added to the subtraction word list.

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.

Elevate Math Instruction with High-Impact Routines High-Yield Routines K-8, 2nd Edition, is a must-have resource for teachers committed to high-quality instruction and fostering a love for learning in their students. With its practical strategies, alignment with educational standards, and emphasis on differentiated instruction, this book is poised to transform mathematics teaching and learning in all classrooms.

Whether you are a new teacher seeking guidance or an experienced educator looking to refresh your approach, this resource will inspire teachers to create a vibrant and effective mathematics learning environment.

Take Me There!

High School Command Terms

Although formally labeled "IB Command Terms" command terms are found on most secondary standardized tests. When teachers intentionally teach, use, and model these terms in their daily lessons, they equip their students with the vocabulary needed to perform when responding to a question or writing prompt. A list of the most common command terms is below:

The Frayer Model

The Frayer Model is a graphic organizer that helps students define, analyze, and clarify concepts. Although originally intended for vocabulary building, The Frayer Model can also be used to help students build conceptual knowledge, understand the relationships between ideas, or make connections that increase comprehension of the topic at hand.

How to use the Frayer Model

1. Write the word or concept in an oval in the middle of the page
2. Define the word in the upper-left box
3. List characteristics in the upper-right box
4. Provide examples in the lower-left box
5. Provide non-examples in the lower-right box

6. Add illustrations or photographs to help visualize the word/concept

A template and model example with some potential variations below:

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!

Our research partner, the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) at Michigan State University continues to evaluate the partnership model across the state of Michigan. As a district we are writing to remind you about participating in EPIC’s annual survey of teachers and principals in partnership districts.

Partnership districts are required to reach at least a 50% response rate from partnership school teachers and principals, and at least a 30% response rate from non-partnership school teachers and principals. Teachers and principals in all schools in partnership districts—both partnership and non-partnership—will receive a personalized survey link to participate. Those who complete the survey will receive five (5) SCECH credits.

The research team plans to launch the survey February 3, 2025. An email with the personalized survey link will come from mipartnr@msu.edu and in some cases from singer41@msu.edu. If you have principals or teachers who do not receive a survey email by the end of the launch week (Friday, February 7), they can reach out directly to the research team at mipartnr@msu.edu.

If interested, please read the original memo from Gloria Chapman, the Director of the Office of Partnership Districts.

We appreciate your time and willingness to assist us.

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.