Instructional Minute

Strong academic culture isn’t built by programs—it’s built by daily instructional decisions grounded in evidence, collaboration, and shared responsibility.

A Focus on Academics — Living Our Collective Commitments Through Instruction

Building a strong academic culture and honoring our collective commitments begins with the daily instructional choices each of us makes in our classrooms and in collaboration with colleagues. As an individual teacher, you strengthen this culture when your instructional decisions consistently reflect our shared belief that all students can learn at high levels.

You can bring this commitment to life academically by:

Taking collective responsibility — Viewing all students as our students and sharing instructional strategies, scaffolds, and extensions that help every learner access rigorous content.

Using evidence to guide instruction — Regularly analyzing student work, formative checks, and assessment data to adjust teaching, reteach when needed, and provide targeted support or stretch during Tier 1 instruction.

Collaborating with purpose — Engaging actively in team meetings to examine student evidence, plan responsive instruction, and align on practices that ensure consistency across classrooms.

Modeling a learning stance — Reflecting on instructional impact, seeking feedback, and demonstrating that effective teaching is an ongoing process of learning, refining, and improving.

Honoring team instructional commitments — Implementing agreed-upon instructional practices and communicating openly when support, clarification, or adjustment is needed.

When each of us commits to these academic actions, we create consistent learning experiences where instruction is responsive, expectations are high, and both students and educators grow.

“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” — Brian Herbert

Shared Commitment Connection:

As a learning community, we act on our belief that all students can learn at high levels by creating classrooms where thinking is visible, participation is expected, and instruction responds to evidence of learning—not assumptions.

Technique Spotlight: Cold Call
Cold Call is a structured questioning technique in which the teacher strategically calls on students regardless of whether their hands are raised to share thinking, reasoning, or responses.

Cold Call ensures that participation—and thinking—is distributed across the entire classroom. Instead of hearing from only volunteers, teachers gain real evidence of learning from a wide range of students, allowing them to adjust instruction in real time and maintain a culture where every learner is accountable and supported.

Strong Cold Call is:

• Predictable → Students know thinking is always expected

• Supportive → Tone communicates belief, not pressure

• Equitable → All students are included, not just the most confident

• Instructionally purposeful → Responses inform teacher decisions

Rationale: How Cold Call Strengthens Tier 1 Instruction

Cold Call strengthens core instruction because it expands the amount of evidence teachers gather during a lesson. Instead of relying on volunteers—which often skews toward confident or quick processors—teachers see who truly understands and who needs support.

Here’s why this matters:

1. It reveals real-time learning evidence.
Teachers gain a clearer picture of class understanding and can adjust pacing, modeling, or examples immediately.

2. It normalizes thinking for all students.
Participation becomes an expectation, not a personality trait. This builds a classroom culture where effort and engagement are the norm.

3. It strengthens instructional decision-making.
Responses show who is ready for extension, who needs scaffolding, and who may need small-group support.

4. It communicates belief in every learner.
When delivered with a calm tone and supportive body language, Cold Call signals:

“I believe you are capable of thinking and contributing.”

5. It supports PLC collaboration.
Because Cold Call provides authentic evidence of student understanding, teachers can bring more accurate data to team conversations about instructional next steps.

Teacher Moves That Make Cold Call Effective

• Ask the question first, then name the student

• Provide think time before calling

• Maintain encouraging tone and neutral body language

• Scaffold if needed (“Take a moment—what’s one part you can start with?”)

• Affirm effort, then refine thinking

Instructional Flow Connection

Teach → Question → Cold Call → Analyze Responses → Adjust Instruction

Cold Call is not about catching students off guard—it is about ensuring every student’s thinking informs instruction.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the next Math Steering on February 24. Please look for an email from Ms. Sarah Kentner. The K-8 Math Steering Committee meets on the last Tuesday of every month!

We are looking forward to seeing you at the next 9-12 Math Steering Committee Meeting , which takes place virtually the second Thursday of the month. Please look for an email from Steering Chair Liz Ballinger or Nicole Minor to join virtually.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the 9-12 English Steering Committee Meeting , which takes place virtually the last Thursday of the month. Please look for an email from Steering Chair Suzy Khoury to join virtually.

The K-8 Science Steering Committee will be held on the last Tuesday of every month

at 4:15 pm. Please look for an email from Steering Chair Catherine Cole Adams to join virtually.

The documents attached outline K-8 curricular resources, standards and pacing. This can also be found by clicking here on the LSD website. *Please note that pacing for Illustrative Math powered by Kiddom and Reveal Math will become available as the year progresses.

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.

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