As the end of the school year draws near, we wanted to spend the last few Instructional Minutes highlighting some of the previous topics we have covered this school year!

A teacher's skill in questioning and in leading discussions makes a powerful contribution to student learning and is valuable for many instructional purposes: exploring new concepts, eliciting evidence of student understanding, and promoting deeper student engagement.

Questions of high quality cause students to think and reflect , to deepen their understanding, and to test their ideas against those of their classmates. When teachers ask questions of high quality, they ask only a few of them and provide students with sufficient time to think about their responses, to reflect on the comments of their classmates, and to deepen their understanding.

The teacher uses open-ended questions, inviting students to think and/or offer multiple possible answers. For example:

• The teacher asks, "What might have happened if the colonists had not prevailed in the American war for independence?"
• The teacher uses the plural form in asking questions, such as "What are some things you think might contribute to _____________?"
• The teacher asks, "How do you know which angle is obtuse, right, and acute?"

Students initiate higher-order questions and/or the teacher builds on and uses student responses to questions in order to deepen student understanding.

• A student says to a classmate, "I don't think I agree with you on this, because..."
• A student asks of other student, "Does anyone have another idea how we might figure this out?"

Note: these are entirely optional professional development opportunities offered by various sources. Additional hours will not be paid to staff that register.

Whether you’re new to Amplify or a seasoned user, this is a great opportunity to see what updates to expect and learn how to get the most out of your program(s).

Can't attend live? No problem! Once you’re registered, you’ll receive the recording and all the session materials after the event.

Register now

Jack Miller Center is a civic education nonprofit organization focused on promoting the teaching of America’s founding principles and history on campuses and in classrooms across the country.

The Jack Miller Center will be holding a primary source-focused professional development program for K-12 social studies educators in East Lansing with our partners at Michigan State’s James Madison College on July 9 – 11. This is a great opportunity for teachers to dive into content and gain summer PD hours.

The theme for the program will be “Great Debates in American Politics” and it will cover key political debates from the Founding Era, the Antebellum and Civil War Eras, and the twentieth century. The program will include primary source discussions led by MSU faculty as well as an application session led by, Emilee McHorney, on strategies for teaching the primary sources discussed to K-12 students.

There is no fee to attend and teachers will receive a $300 stipend for completion of the program.

The link to register can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBaPtOAjWBKvGWWrrk_n6tOBX6zmJ_GkYRnQqZdvrxdZBdMw/viewform

As the end of the year is quickly approaching, we would love your feedback! Please take a moment to fill out this survey on our Instructional Minutes for this school year.

24-25 Instructional Minute Survey

K-8 Science:

• May 14th

K-8 Math:

• May 20th

9-12 Math:

• May 15th

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.