What’s New in Sandusky City Elementary Schools?
This school year some primary teachers use methods developed by Debbie Diller, “Math Work Stations” professional. Diller’s method uses common everyday objects bundled by skill sets to help young students develop and understand math. Several teachers in the primary grades organized instruction in their math classes this way this year. In Math Work Stations, students work in pairs. The teacher first trains students about how to handle and use stations, how to store materials, and how to work with a partner to learn math skills. Then the teacher introduces the stations, one or two at a time, until ten stations operate in the classroom each day. The teacher facilitates math learning time by walking around the room, checking with students about their work, listening to them react to problems, and asking children to explain what they are doing.
Teachers’ reactions to Math Work Stations have been positive this year, even amazed! Debbie Coffey and Cindy Souter, two teachers at Osborne who financed the purchase of math materials and storage bins for Math Work Stations through aSandusky City Schools Teacher Grant,are thrilled with the results. As an example, last month Mrs. Coffey pre-tested first grade students to assess skill levels prior to beginning a new unit. All but nine of her students demonstrated that they hadalready mastered the necessary skillsfor that unit! Knowing this, Mrs. Coffey could then provide challenge for mastery students and basic instruction for those that still needed learn the operation. What an efficient teaching strategy for Mrs. Coffey! What fun for the students! They learned these skills through constant exposure to them in a hands-on, independent way all year.
On June 20, 2012, a Martha Holden Jennings Grant will provide a training for any teacher K-3 who is interested in learning about the “Math Work Stations” strategies. Mrs. Coffey will invite Pre-Service B.G.S.U. Firelands Campus students to attend this training because the instructional strategies have proven so successful for her first- grade students. We are excited about the use of Math Work Stations at SCS.
Professional Book Studies for Teachers
Our district improvement plan directs is to provide support for our teaching staff to improve instruction. This means teachers want to learn to make lesson meaningful to students. SCS has provided professional book studies for its teachers who want to learn more. These are three courses of instruction so far developed:
1)Teaching with Poverty in Mind, based on the brain research of Dr. Eric Jensen, and Dr. Ruby Payne. (References: A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Ruby Payne, 1996;Teaching With Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids’ Brains and What Schools Can Do About It; Eric Jensen, 2009) This series has been popular with teachers of all grade levels, particularly high school and elementary school. Over 50 teachers have taken either one or two years of study with this material.
2) Engagement: A No-GapEnterpriseis a study that utilizes work by Baruti K. Kafele:Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and in Life, 2009and Dr. Johnnie McKinley: Raising Black Students’ Achievement Through Culturally Responsive Teaching, 2010, as well as other writers about the African American student experience and how to make school more relevant to all students. Many teachers of all levels have attended this discussion both last year and this year.
3) Boys Who Struggle: What’s Up with That?is a new book study this year. It is a “blended” course which means that teachers meet sometimes as a traditional face-to-face class and sometimes they communicate and react to their material using a digital format. This year’s course consists of three face-to-face classes (4:00 to 7:00 p.m.) on three different evenings, plus three live webinars about the book, and three “threaded discussions” (called WIKIs). Teachers in this class study a book written by researcher Dr. Kathleen Palmer Cleveland:Teaching Boys Who Struggle in School, Strategies That Turn Underachievers into Successful Learners, 2011. The blended course format is new, but the topic is one with which teachers and parents have struggled for ages. This course proves enlightening to everyone involved and will undoubtedly lead to increased awareness.
In all three classes, the goal is to reach out to students in ways that make school relevant, powerful and successful for each child.
Curriculum Connections
Imagination Station: A Science Curriculum Connection for Grade 5
Thanks to Imagination Stationgrant-writer and foundation officer, Shelly Orenstein, and SCS grant-writer, Dr. Roth, three funders combined efforts to provide a powerful 21stcentury Curriculum Connection for 5thgrade science students in Sandusky this spring. The STEM-related activities include professional training on-site at the Imagination Station inToledofor science teachers; Video Distance Learning lessons beamed from the Imagination Station to our elementary students in each building; workshops in each 5thgrade science classroom on the topics of force and motion; and a science festival for each building, to which parents and families are invited. Each science festival will feature at least ten stations where parents and children can participate in fun and educational science activities. Local funders for this project are: TheRandolphJ. and Estelle M. Dorn Foundation, Metal Tek International and Kyklos Bearing International. We thank each of our generous funders, who together contributed a total of$13,000, and the Imagination Stationfor helping to increase excitement and learning in science.
City Greenhouse: A Science Curriculum Connection for Grade 6
Tom Speir and the City Greenhouse of Sandusky, along with Greenhouse volunteers Mary Jane Hahler and Richard Gallagher, among others, provide informative tours and lessons inside the city’s beautiful garden space, the Greenhouse. This project was the result of an invitation from the Greenhouse to our students and was coordinated at this end by Cosetta Adkins, 6thgrade teacher at Hancock. Students learned about plantings, solar panels, a living, growing “clock” downtown, and many other interesting things. Most of the students had never been inside a greenhouse. Teachers developed pre-visit activities that will be expanded upon for future visit. The district is proud to enlarge it view of “classroom” to utilize the fine resources of our local Greenhouse and looks forward to invitations from other local and community sources of science or social studies learning for all of its students.
Hayes Presidential Center: A Social Studies Curriculum Connection for Grade 4
Fortunately for our grade 4 students, the Sidney Frohman Foundation has continued its generous assistance to provide an important Curriculum Connection at Sandusky City Schools. Through the efforts of Nan J. Card, Curator of Manuscripts, and her staff at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont and Sandusky CitySchools principals, teachers, central office staff, transportation and food services departments, students visit the President’s home and its museum, with pre-teaching and post-teaching activities that enhance students’ appreciation of Ohio history. This trip is scheduled through Luanne Maschari, Administrative Assistant in the department of Elementary Curriculum, and coordinated at this end by principals, Mr. Ted Peters, Mr. Tom Frietas, and others. Without the financial assistance of the Hayes Centerand the Frohman Foundation, transportation and entrance fees would be prohibitive. Sandusky Elementary Schools are extremely thankful to all who work to provide this valuable enrichment experience for our students.
Closing the Gap Communities of Practice: Washington,D.C.
Early in March, 2012, Superintendent Tucker headed a team from Sandusky City Schools that, as a result of an AASA/CoSN grant funded by the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation, met in our nation’s Capitol with eight grant-selected school districts from around the country. The topic of discussion was student achievement and how to provide better systems for collecting and using data that will help teachers and students. For the coming year, SCS will participate in on-line, digital conversations with teams formed during theirWashingtonbriefing to addressGrowing a Data Rich Culture—Creating a learning eco-system that fosters continuous use of data to strengthen instruction. Teams fromArizona,Pennsylvania,Tennessee,Wisconsin, and Colorado worked alongside Mr. Tucker, Mrs. Zess, and Dr. Roth to plan for future exchanges of ideas throughout the year, all without a face-to-face meeting. Because of our district’s existing technology, we are able to take advantage of this larger support system, learn from other districts, and share our ideas with educators from all over via computer, iPad, Video Distance Learning and other communication formats. The goals of this “Closing the Gap” effort match our district’s learning plan, the Ohio Improvement Process.