With the demands for implementation of the new State
Standards, the need for teacher collaboration and professional development is
imperative. Pontiac Elementary teachers are appreciative of the half
day collaboration days that are
provided to us by our district. Here is a glimpse of how we spent the
half-day collaborating on February 12:
Our Kindergarten team worked on their technology goal, using the SmartBoard software to enhance their classroom instructional units with interactive lessons. These teachers also planned creative ideas for our school Digital Learning Day that will be held in March! Did you know the week of March 2-6 we will celebrate Dr. Seuss? The Kindergarten team used the half day to develop an author study focusing on Dr. Seuss!
First grade students have a field study planned in April to the Challenger Center! After planning the field trip, the teachers in first grade spent the half day with our media specialist, Mrs. Haltiwanger. They reviewed Destiny, our online library catalog, and pulled library books on what the grade level is studying. The goal of the teachers in 1st grade is to guide students to pick out books based on their interest.
Math was the focus for 2nd grade teachers as they reviewed the math pacing guide and developed lesson plans for the upcoming unit. Intervention groups in math were also discussed to ensure students’ academic needs are being met.
The third grade teachers spent the half day with our school reading coach, Mrs. Gina Rodriguez. She worked with the teachers on developing writing prompts and ideas to better prepare students for the upcoming ASPIRE writing assessment.
Fourth grade spent the half day developing a blended learning model for fractions and Westward Expansion. Ask your student to tell you more about blended learning in the 4th grade! They love learning through technology!
Fifth grade spent the first part of our half day discussing our AVID snapshot and visit, and decided which teacher would be highlighted for Dr. Barber’s video. The team then broke into curriculum teams to plan Math/Science and ELA/Social Studies. The teachers were able to look ahead at the standards to see what other big ideas had to be addressed before testing.
