September 21: Middle School
000_MS Agenda 08172023 no notes.docxAgenda
MS NSI Sep 21 share.pdfSlides
These are the slides presented during the meeting.
Pre-Work
For your prework, we'd like to ask you to do a few things:
Read the Amplify text for the grade that you teach. If you happen to work with more than one grade-level, please select the grade you'd like to work with for our session. You do not need to do anything else with the text prior to our session.
Please watch the linked video on why comprehension matters.
Please read "The Gettysburg Address," review the "Sample Task Analysis Guide," and respond to the questions posed underneath the link for the guide.
We'll discuss your pre-work during our online meeting. Please don't forget to sign-in before joining our Zoom meeting. See you all soon!
Sixth Grade Text
Please read the excerpt from chapter 1 of The Secret of the Yellow Death. This text is located in Unit B, Sub-unit 2, Lesson 1, Part 9 (solo).
Seventh Grade Text
Please read the excerpt from "Sucker." This text is located in Unit B Sub-unit 1, Lesson 1, Part 8 (solo). You may want to read the entire short story to situate this chunk of text.
Eighth Grade Text
Please read the excerpt from chapter 1 of Narritive in the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. This text is located in Unit B, Sub-unit 2, Lesson 1, Part 8 (solo).
Why Comprehension?
Lincoln_Gettysburg_Address.pdfThe Gettysburg Address
Please read "The Gettysburg Address" prior to reviewing the questions on the task analysis guide.
2_Gettysburg example.pdfSample Task Analysis Guide (TAG)
Please review the lower-level demand questions and the higher-level demand questions. Then, compose a quick write in response to the following questions:
What do the lower-level questions add up to? In other words what will you know about what students know and are able to do after answering the lower-level questions?
What do the higher-level questions add up to? In other words what will you know about what students know and are able to do after answering the higher-level questions?
Materials for our Work Together from 6:00 to 8:00
Amplify Task_6th gradeBoy.docxSixth Grade Questions
Amplify Task_7th grade Red Scarf Girl.docxSeventh Grade Questions
Amplify Task_8th grade Frederick Douglass.docxEighth Grade Questions
9 Task Analysis TS_08072923.docxTask Sheet: Analyzing Tasks
Task Analysis Guide.pdfGeneral ELA Task Analysis Guide
Resources
The resources linked below provide a reminder of the student-centered routines as well as a task sheet that utilizes the routines for a comprehension task.
7_IFL-Student-Centered-Routines-updated chart.pdfStudent-Centered Routines Guide
Copy of 3_Woodson_Comprehension Task Sheet_v2.pdfSample Comprehension Task with Student-Centered Routines
Please add your trio's work to the linked Google Slides.
Bridge to Practice
The purpose of this bridge to practice is for you to try out implementing a high-level comprehension question with a small set of routines (the work you discussed in your trios). To be successful with this bridge to practice
ask students to respond to the comprehension question - this could be one that you worked on with your trio, or it might be one that you develop with your school team.
utilize a small set of student-centered routines to invite students to discuss their understanding of the text with a partner before sharing as a whole group.
reflect on the process using the following questions:
What went well in your adaptation of the curriculum?
What do you want to change or try differently next time?
We'll discuss how it went (or where you are in planning if you haven't yet engaged in the task) during our meeting in October.
Please let us know if you have any questions!
Sara (smd94@pitt.edu), Glenn (gln4@pitt.edu), and Tony (tpetrosk@pitt.edu)