The+Scholastic+Warriors+-+Week+10

=//__**Week 10**__//=

**PLC Group Name: Scholastic Warriors** **PLC Meeting Location: UH Cite Lab** **PLC Meeting Time: Friday 12 pm**

**Hour 1** **__//ENGAGE//__** As an anticipatory set for today’s lesson, please read the article “Getting "Inside Inquiry": Teachers' Questions Transform Their Practice“ []

__**//EXPLORE//**__ Take a look at this article, [] Focus on the quote at the beginning of the article//.// //"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The excellent teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires” // by William Arthur Ward

**__//EXPLAIN//__** 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Word a Day strategy? Pros: exposing children to words, fluency, building vocabulary Cons: gets repeative, can get boring, becomes a habit, loses meaning
 * Hour 2**

2. The article mentions several ways the teachers made the words “come alive" or "jump off the page”. What are some other ideas you could use to connect the words to students?


 * <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">different materials a day:technology, music, art
 * <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">role playing
 * <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">reviewing past words
 * <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">write a poem
 * <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">group work, each group writes a sentence
 * <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">acrostic poem
 * <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">﻿illustrate without using words

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">3. Take a look at the quote by William Ward. What does it mean to you? How is it significant? To us this quote means to be the best that you can be. You need to believe in your teaching. Inspire means to be a role model, go out of your way to connect to your students. Don't just tell students what to do.

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">__**//<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">ELABORATE //**__ <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">**Let's Think and Share** **!** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">A student in your classroom says the following sentence: **"** **//<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">I wonder if i will past my test" //** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">Notice there is no punctuation mark. Why? Well is it a sentence? or is it a question?

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">**<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt;">"I Wonder Game" ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">Teacher candidates will play a game, similar to Go-Fish, asking simple general education questions in the form of “I wonder” to facilitate writing their own wondering question for Inquiry #3.

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">As a group, make a list of teaching strategies of your own about which you have a wondering. You probably have things in common! Take turns selecting one to focus on and formulating a “wondering” about that strategy. Help each member to make a plan to initiate, analyze, and write-up this inquiry? What questions does each member have that the group can help sort out about the process?
 * < ==**Teaching Stratergy**== ||< ==**Wondering Question**== ||< =Plan= ||
 * < external rewards for academic ||< I wonder if external rewards for academics are really fair or effective? ||< Use intrinsic rewards and compare results. ||
 * < seat formation ||< I wondering if seating childen in groups will help them work better? ||< Compare your classroom with another teachers classroom seating arangement. ||
 * < accelerator reader/dot books ||< I wonder if children should still be challenged by reading books higher than their "dot" level? ||< Allow some students to read above their level, or remove dots and allow students to pick any book they prefer. ||

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">**Hour 3** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">__**//EVALUATE//**__ <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">1. As a group, reflect on what you have learned today about studying your own teaching practice. Why should teachers ask questions about their own teaching? How would your job be different if you approach it with an inquiry stance versus approaching it with no intention to ask questions? <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">You need to ask questions to know what works or does not work with your students. If you never question your teaching strategy then you will know what works. Also you will always be getting a new group of students every year. So what works with one class may not work with your next class. In the end it comes down to the students.

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">2. As a group, draft a brief statement (approx 1-2 paragraphs) of what you learned or new understandings you came to during this discussion. What did you agree with/about, and what did you not agree with/about? How do you KNOW you learned and grew?! As a group we have learned the importance of questioning your own teaching strategies in order to improve your instructional methods. Inquiry is also important when trying to modify your instuction to students needs. Coming together as a group, helped us see that we share a lot of the same wonderings. We also took notice of the differences in our schools even though they are in the same district. As a group we all agreed that there are always flaws to every teaching method. We disagreed on a few of the teaching methods in which we have observed with our cooperating teachers.

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.15pt;">3. As a group, please look at the Assignments page for the description and grading rubric for the Inquiry #3 assignment. You will be selecting a teaching practice of your own to study. The format is the same as your other inquiries, and is detailed on the Assignments page for this assignment.


 * 4. Individually, please send your “PLC Check” as an email to Dr. Pierson and Caroline (mpierson@uh.edu; Caroline Liu yliu7@mail.uh.edu):**
 * --What/Who worked well in today’s PLC meeting?**
 * --What/Who didn’t work so well in today’s PLC meeting?**
 * This PLC check is due emailed by Friday (10/29) at midnight.**