Modesto Afternoon Focus
Group
Assessment and
Accountability
October 20, 2004
In attendance:
Dave Moll
Ginger Ernst
Margaret Santiago
Eric Anderson
Melissa Schexnider
Becky Rasmussen
Rhonda Tinley
James Tinley
1. English/Language Arts
The group reviewed the
summary of suggestions from the home group. They would like us to pour through
them and come up with additional suggestions.
The following are the
suggestions:
Reading
- If
itıs a remedial intervention we might have two kinds of curriculum suggestions.
One for students above and one for students below grade level. Letıs try
to relate a learning style grid onto it too. They can be kinesthetic or
tactile.
- What
kind of activities could we add? Ginger suggested accelerated reader.
They could also do star reading.
- Listen
an audio prompt for writing. They could listen to a poem or an old radio
program to help them link writing to earlier times in history.
Historical
speeches are great too.
- Readerıs
theatre and oral interpretation are also great form of language arts.
- Perhaps
higher cognitive level discussion about any debating topic.
- Role
playing characters is great for bringing books to life.
Grammar/Mechanics
- Daily
oral language and daily bite where you answer various questions including
grammar. Gum is another one. Color the nouns red, verbs blue, etc. to
show the right parts of speech.
Spelling
- Spelling
games. Twist-it spelling games. Scrabble, word search, spelling
challenge, group spelling, box of 365 activities to do with spelling.
Writing
- Daily
sample of writing is a great way to stimulate writing.
- Write
your own biography could be added.
- Writing
and rewriting is how you learn.
Curriculum Suggestions:
- Draw-write
now by modern curriculum press is a great program. Itıs a kindergarten
first grade program.
- Online
writing programs like on-line writing programs.
Vocabulary Suggestions.
- English
from Greek and Latin roots books are great for vocabulary.
- Vocabulary
builder.
2. Math
The following are suggestions
from the group:
K-8 grade
- Placement
tests diagnostics assessments
- Drills,
flash cards, wrap-ups
- Twist-it
math games
- Leap
frog math games
- Computer
software - Math blaster and other computer games.
- Timed
tests.
Algebra
- Placement
tests diagnostics assessments
- Word
problems
- Battleship
games with the coordinate plane.
- Geo-boards
and tangrams for geometry, origami
- In
word problems to emphasize the wording and what it means.
Curriculum Suggestions:
K-3
- Math
U See
- Saxon
- Math
Their Way
- Modern
Curriculum Press
4-8
- All
of the above
- Pathways
publishers
- Odysseyware
Other suggestions:
Geometry
- Merrill
Geometry
- Keys
to Learning (Geometry and Algebra)