MOTIVATION OF COLLABORATORS: Susan Norman, classroom teacher, approaches Mandy Dempsey, elementary school llibrarian, in the librarian's office at their elementary school. Susan has come to talk to Mandy about the need for materials and lesson ideas to do an activity for finding similarities and differences for her fourth grade students. Susan teaches both social studies and language arts. She would like to be able to use a Thanksgiving/pilgrim theme, but doesn't have any materials or lesson ideas. Susan wants to know if Mandy has an idea/materials/resources for identifying similarities and differences. Susan would also like to have help in developing a rubric to grade her students and would like to incorporate technology. Her class has done some work with Webspiration, and would like to capitalize on this by possibly incorporating Webspiration into the lesson somehow. Mandy has shared at the faculty meetings that she would love to start collaborating more with the classroom teachers, and has shown some Web2.0 tools to the staff. School librarians like Mandy LOVE classroom teachers like Susan!
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS and STANDARDS:
Grade level: 4th Grade Content area(s): Language Arts and Social Studies
Initial goal: Susan (classroom teacher) approaches Mandy (librarian), looking for more resources, needed lesson activity ideas, etc. Initial objectives: Use technology and multiple resources to Identify similarities and differences across texts. I expected to see some TEKS and some AASL indicators here.
Schedule for Future Planning sessions:
Chat One: Thursday, 11-19-09, Chat 11-22-09; Chat 11-25-09; Chat 11-27-09
Chat 11-30-09; Chat 12-2-09; Chat 12-04-09; Chat 12-07-09; Chat 12-09-09; Chat, 12-11-09; This is an excellent plan. Brava for integrating the use of technology tools into your planning sessions. This frequency of contact may be too lofty for your K-12 actual practice. How are the BB chats going? Can you recommend them for Group Office Hours?
Strengths brought to partnership by Person A (that will be Susan):My strengths are that I’ve taught as a classroom teacher in grades K, 2, 4, and 5. I also hold my Reading Specialist certification and a master’s degree in Reading and Language Arts, Curriculum and Instruction. As a reading specialist, I’ve worked with all grade levels at the elementary setting. Also, I’ve been an ESOL specialist for the past two years. The above are your credentials. These are your strengths: I also worked one year as a Language Arts Curriculum Specialist for my district, actually writing curriculum for the district’s automated curriculum system. As a consequence of all these experiences, I have a firm understanding of students in the elementary setting.
Strengths brought to partnership by Person B (that will be Mandy): Mandy's strengths in lesson planning and educating children are derived from her nine years of teaching experience, Reading Specialist certification, and a being a member of the Language Arts Curriculum Writing Team for three years. Mandy's learning objectives are aligned with state mandated curriculum and 21st century standards. The above are your credentials. These are your strengths:
Mandy's strength in lesson planning involves incorporating various student activities and a wide variety of student resources that ensure active participation from ALL students. Each lesson planned with Mandy includes numerous opportunities for teacher modeling and provides immediate student feedback for optimal learning. How the administrator has been informed of the collaborative planning in process: Mandy, the librarian, has worked all year with our principal to share her goal of becoming an integral part of helping students to achieve success in their curriculum. After she is approached by Susan, Mandy goes to the principal's office to go over the lesson planning she plans to be doing with Susan, and ensures the principal that she will be invited to the actual library lessons. In addition to this meeting, Susan and Mandy both indicate on their weekly lesson plans the collaboration between Susan's fourth grade class and the library. Mandy explains that she wants the principal to understand what the collaboration process looks like between the librarian and classroom teacher, in the hopes that the principal will advocate with the staff for more of this collaboration. Brava for a focus on informing the administrator throughout the planning process as well as the implementation of the lesson. If district policies allow, school librarians should always be evaluated while coteaching. One of the most important roles a principal plays is instructional leader. Many principals understand that fostering job-embedded professional development opportunities for teachers can make the greatest impact on their instructional reform efforts. Bravo to principals who encourage instructional partnerships!
MOTIVATION OF COLLABORATORS: Susan Norman, classroom teacher, approaches Mandy Dempsey, elementary school llibrarian, in the librarian's office at their elementary school. Susan has come to talk to Mandy about the need for materials and lesson ideas to do an activity for finding similarities and differences for her fourth grade students. Susan teaches both social studies and language arts. She would like to be able to use a Thanksgiving/pilgrim theme, but doesn't have any materials or lesson ideas. Susan wants to know if Mandy has an idea/materials/resources for identifying similarities and differences. Susan would also like to have help in developing a rubric to grade her students and would like to incorporate technology. Her class has done some work with Webspiration, and would like to capitalize on this by possibly incorporating Webspiration into the lesson somehow. Mandy has shared at the faculty meetings that she would love to start collaborating more with the classroom teachers, and has shown some Web2.0 tools to the staff.
School librarians like Mandy LOVE classroom teachers like Susan!
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS and STANDARDS:
Grade level: 4th Grade
Content area(s): Language Arts and Social Studies
Initial goal: Susan (classroom teacher) approaches Mandy (librarian), looking for more resources, needed lesson activity ideas, etc.
Initial objectives: Use technology and multiple resources to Identify similarities and differences across texts.
I expected to see some TEKS and some AASL indicators here.
Schedule for Future Planning sessions:
Chat One: Thursday, 11-19-09, Chat 11-22-09; Chat 11-25-09; Chat 11-27-09
Chat 11-30-09; Chat 12-2-09; Chat 12-04-09; Chat 12-07-09; Chat 12-09-09; Chat, 12-11-09;
This is an excellent plan. Brava for integrating the use of technology tools into your planning sessions. This frequency of contact may be too lofty for your K-12 actual practice.
How are the BB chats going? Can you recommend them for Group Office Hours?
Collaborative Planning Form
Strengths brought to partnership by Person A (that will be Susan): My strengths are that I’ve taught as a classroom teacher in grades K, 2, 4, and 5. I also hold my Reading Specialist certification and a master’s degree in Reading and Language Arts, Curriculum and Instruction. As a reading specialist, I’ve worked with all grade levels at the elementary setting. Also, I’ve been an ESOL specialist for the past two years.
The above are your credentials. These are your strengths:
I also worked one year as a Language Arts Curriculum Specialist for my district, actually writing curriculum for the district’s automated curriculum system. As a consequence of all these experiences, I have a firm understanding of students in the elementary setting.
Strengths brought to partnership by Person B (that will be Mandy): Mandy's strengths in lesson planning and educating children are derived from her nine years of teaching experience, Reading Specialist certification, and a being a member of the Language Arts Curriculum Writing Team for three years. Mandy's learning objectives are aligned with state mandated curriculum and 21st century standards.
The above are your credentials. These are your strengths:
Mandy's strength in lesson planning involves incorporating various student activities and a wide variety of student resources that ensure active participation from ALL students. Each lesson planned with Mandy includes numerous opportunities for teacher modeling and provides immediate student feedback for optimal learning.
How the administrator has been informed of the collaborative planning in process: Mandy, the librarian, has worked all year with our principal to share her goal of becoming an integral part of helping students to achieve success in their curriculum. After she is approached by Susan, Mandy goes to the principal's office to go over the lesson planning she plans to be doing with Susan, and ensures the principal that she will be invited to the actual library lessons. In addition to this meeting, Susan and Mandy both indicate on their weekly lesson plans the collaboration between Susan's fourth grade class and the library. Mandy explains that she wants the principal to understand what the collaboration process looks like between the librarian and classroom teacher, in the hopes that the principal will advocate with the staff for more of this collaboration.
Brava for a focus on informing the administrator throughout the planning process as well as the implementation of the lesson.
If district policies allow, school librarians should always be evaluated while coteaching.
One of the most important roles a principal plays is instructional leader. Many principals understand that fostering job-embedded professional development opportunities for teachers can make the greatest impact on their instructional reform efforts. Bravo to principals who encourage instructional partnerships!