1. MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES
Some of the Answers to your Questions
but were afraid to ask!

2. Questions about next Year?
Please write
any BURNING
question that you have about next year.
Please be specific!

3. WHAT IS COMING ON THE HORIZON?
BRAND NEW SOCIAL STUDIES TEKS
READINESS STANDARDS
8TH GRADE STAAR TEST
WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ALL STUDENTS
BUDGETARY CONCERNS

4. YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT? SERIOUSLY? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

5. And if that is not enough!

6. TEKS 2011-2012-HANDOUT READINESS TEKS (STANDARDS)
They are essential for success in the current grade or course.
They are important for preparedness for the next grade or course.
They support college and career readiness.
They necessitate in-depth instruction.
They address broad and deep ideas
EXAMPLE:
History. The student understands the causes of exploration and colonization eras. The student is expected to
(A) identify reasons for European exploration and colonization of North
America;
Readiness Standard (STAAR tested every time)

7. TEKS 2011-2012-CONTINUED SUPPORTING TEKS (STANDARD):
Although introduced in the current grade or course, they may be emphasized in a subsequent year.
Although reinforced in the current grade or course, they may be emphasized in a previous year.
They play a role in preparing students for the next grade or course but not a central role.
They address more narrowly defined ideas.
EXAMPLE:
History. The student understands the causes of exploration and colonization eras. The student is expected to
(B) compare political, economic, religious, and social reasons for the
establishment of the 13 English colonies. Supporting Standard supports Readiness standard;

8. Process Skills will be embedded in questions.
Example:
Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
(A)  use social studies terminology correctly;
(B)  use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, and proper citation of sources;
(C)  transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using computer software as appropriate; and
(D)  create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information.

9. STAAR TEST FOR 8th GRADE!!!!! LONGER MORE RIGOUROUS UNTIMED
PAPER AND PENCIL
REPORTING CATAGORIES NOT OBJECTIVES
SKILLS EMBEDDED IN QUESTIONS; NOT TESTED ALONE
HIGHER “MEETS EXPECTATION” STANDARD
WILL BEGIN “COUNTING” IN SPRING 2014!

10. Is This How you Feel?

11. CAMPUS FOLDERS
Each campus will be given a folder that will have a hard copy of each of the templates that will be placed on online in the:
P Drive-ETR FOLDER-MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES

12. Writing Across the Curriculum
Writing Across the Curriculum! P Drive-ETR FOLDER-MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES
Strategy: GIST Generating Interactions between
Schemata and Texts
Strategy: Introducing a Famous Person
Strategy: Learning Logs
Strategy: List-Group-Label
Strategy: Micro-themes Writing Summaries
Strategy: Cornell System - Note taking
Strategy: QAR - Question-Answer Relationship
Strategy: Quick Writes
Strategy: RAFT – Role, Audience, Format, and Topic
Strategy: Reading Response Journal
Strategy: Skimming and Scanning
Strategy: Strip Stories - Story Board Graphics
Strategy: Summarizing
Strategy: Thinking Maps to Outlines
Strategy: Word Bank Writing
Strategy: Process Writing
Form/Format: Essay Writing

13. Strategy: Word Bank
Writing from a word bank is a strategy used from the earliest grades. Students write a paragraph utilizing words that the teacher has pre-selected.
How to implement:
The teacher selects a set of related words. Then students use the word bank to create a paragraph which summarizes what they have learned and connects the words in a meaningful way.
What does it do?
Requires students to use the concepts and ideas around which the lesson was built. Using a defined set of words assists students to make connections while focusing on the vocabulary of the unit of study.
elevation
oxygen
mountains
altitude
climate
atmosphere
The Andes
adapt

14. MAKE A SENTENCE USING THE WORDS BELOW AND WRITE IT ON THE WALL.
elevation
oxygen
mountains
altitude
climate
atmosphere
The Andes
adapt

15. Strategy: List-Group-Label
Using their texts or a selected reading, students list words important to a topic, then students group and label words.
2. Using their lists, students work in cooperative teams to group words together that have similar characteristics (e.g., revolutionary leaders).
What does it do?
3. Each cooperative team then shares their groupings with the class by explaining their decisions.
Assists students with moving from specifics to concepts or big ideas by looking for similarities in words on the word list and deciding where to place words.
4. Come back together as a class and put one group on the board with the title. The rest of the students add to and exhausts the list.
How to implement:
1. Students generate a list of words important to a topic. This should be done as a class or in small cooperative teams.

16. Let’s Do It! 6th grade-Black Death 7th grade-Texas Oil Boom
8th grade-Slavery

17. How do you pull out all the stops to help kids learn?
BRAINSTORM
How do you pull out all the stops to help kids learn?

18. What do you know about and how much do you use Differentiation?
One finger: “I know nothing. Never heard of it.”
Two fingers: “I know a little something but never have done it.”
Three fingers: “I throw it in every now and then when it works out.”
Four fingers: : “I do it pretty often, but could use some ideas.”
Five fingers: “I am an expert, I do it all the time, in fact sit down Linda and let me handle this.”

19. Differentiation Getting us all on the same page so
we don’t expect all students to be on the same page at the same time!

20. Why do we differentiate?
Access to learning
Motivation for learning
Efficiency of learning
The expectation that ALL students will be successful
25%-37% of students learn in spite of us
15%-25% of students are identified as having some exceptionality and receive additional resources
The largest group, 37%-50% learn because of the teacher’s skills and efforts and because appropriate instruction and assessment are aligned with targeted standards

21. So you do Make a Difference!

22. On a note card, collaborate with your group and write a group definition of Differentiation.

23. Differentiation is…
a philosophy that enables teachers to plan strategically in order to reach the needs of the diverse learners in classrooms today.
a way of teaching in which teachers proactively modify curriculum , teaching methods, resources, learning activities and student products to address the needs of individual students and/or small groups of students
Students to maximize the learning opportunity for each student in the classroom.
means starting where the students are!
a way of thinking about teaching and learning that seeks to recognize, learn about, and address the particular learning needs of each student. To that end, teachers use varied approaches to curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

24. What Differentiation is NOT:
Limiting instruction and content by teaching to the average or MIDDLE student.
Focusing on student weaknesses and ignoring student strengths.
Multiple activities that ALL students will be able to do
Creating more work for the kids who get done early
Just modifying grading systems and reducing work loads – more work for “good” students and less and different work for “poor” students

25. THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL!
Write your group’s definition of differentiation on the wall!
DIFFERENTIATION IS………………………

26. BREAK

28. Three general, guiding principles of differentiation:
Respectful and fair tasks
Flexible grouping
Ongoing assessment and adjustment

29. Respectful Tasks
The teacher ensures that students’ learning is respected by
Assessing the readiness level
Expecting and supporting continual growth in ALL students by providing challenging curriculum at an appropriate degree of difficulty.
Offering students tasks that are equally interesting, important and engaging.
Not assigning work so that everyone is busy and quiet.

30. Flexible Grouping The key word is FLEXIBLE – flex·i·ble (flks-bl) adj.
Responsive to change; adaptable.
Do not create tracking in your classroom.
Students can be grouped for a variety of reasons – knowledge of a subject, ability to perform a task or skill, interests, etc.
Use both homogenous and heterogeneous groupings.

31. Ongoing Assessment and Adjustment
Throughout units, use assessments to adjust instruction.
Assessments need not be formal “tests.”

32. Golf Activity! Creative Grouping

33. What does Golf have to do with my classroom?

34. Differentiate
Content (input)
Process
Product (output)

35. Differentiate the Content
Materials at different levels
Based on readiness (Pretest?)
Based on interest
Based on learning profile
Auditory, visual, kinesthetic
Input method (On tape?)
Reading buddies
What goes in? How does it get there?

36. Differentiating Content
When we differentiate content, we provide different content to meet the varying needs of students.

37. before modifying content, unless specified in an IEP.
All students must meet the minimum standards of the
TEKS
before modifying content, unless specified in an IEP.

38. Differentiate the Process
What will the students do?
How will they process the information?

39. Differentiating Process
When we refer to process, we mean the activities that help students make sense of, and come to own, the ideas and skills being taught.

40. Differentiating Process
By varying instructional strategies and activities, more students learn content and develop necessary skills.
Differentiate process by targeting diverse intelligences and learning styles – KNOW your students and their needs.

41. Differentiating Process
Part of differentiating the process is considering a student’s
Readiness
Interests
Learning profile
P Drive-ETR FOLDER-MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES

42. Differentiating Process
We can differentiate process through:
Tiered assignments
Learning centers
Multiple intelligences assignments
Graphic organizers
Compacting
Contracts
P Drive-ETR FOLDER-MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES

43. Differentiating Process
We can differentiate process through:
Learning logs
Cubing
Think Dots
Cooperative learning
Adaptation for varied learning styles
P Drive-ETR FOLDER-MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES

44. Differentiating Process
We can differentiate process through:
Independent study
Inquiry
Problem-based learning
K-W-L-U
Choice boards
P Drive-ETR FOLDER-MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES

45. Differentiating Process
We can differentiate process through:
RAFT activities
Simulation-Experiential Exercises
Depth and Complexity
P Drive-ETR FOLDER-MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES

46. Differentiate the Product
What will students produce to prove they have learned the content?
Do the product options offer students an appropriate way to show what they know?
How might changing the product help meet student needs?

47. Differentiating Product
When we refer to product, we mean the culminating projects that allow students to demonstrate and extend what they have learned. Not necessarily a formal test.
Products reveal whether students can apply learning beyond the classroom to solve problems and take action.

48. Differentiating Product
Provide various opportunities and choices for learners to show what they know – see product choices chart
Not all tasks require a product.

49. Look at the person next to you.
Identify who will be Partner A and who will be Partner B for this Think-Pair-Share.

50. One of the 3 main ways to Differentiate
Content
Process
Product

51. Partner A will talk; B will listen . . .
Think for 15 seconds.
Then talk for 30 seconds about:

52. Partner A listens. Partner B,
Think for 15 seconds.
Then talk for 20 seconds about …

53. LUNCH 11:30 – 1:00

54. Feeling Overwhelmed?
Pick one strategy and jump in.

55. JIGSAW ACTIVITY
Using the folder on your table, open it and you will be assigned as a group a differentiation activity. Please prepare one of the following:
an instructional skit
Lecturette or mini lesson
Poster
Make sure explain how the activity can be used in social studies topic in your grade level.

56. SHOW TIME!

57. Differentiation Discussion

58. Climate
Relationships, Respect, Safety, Responsibility, Voice, Engagement
Teachers have to give up some of their ideas of “control” (everyone doing the same thing, being busy and quiet) – Differentiation is often a three-ring circus – organized, engaged chaos

60. Knowing the Learner P Drive-ETR FOLDER-MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES
Multiple Intelligences
Verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, musical/rhythmic, bodily/ kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist
Examine lesson plans for opportunities for students to use their various intelligences
Learning Styles
Auditory learners, visual learners, tactile learners, kinesthetic learners, tactile/kinesthetic learners
Examine lesson plans for multiple ways of processing information
P Drive-ETR FOLDER-MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES

61. A word about GT students 
They should be offered different work, not additional work.
Raise the rigor for ALL by using universal themes and generalizations.
Use the “DIG –It” (P Drive) tool to differentiate your lessons for GT students.
Try for project ideas.
Raise the rigor for ALL by adding depth and complexity (Kaplan’s model or components of it).

63. Depth and Complexity Model – The 11 Elements
Language of the Discipline
Details
Patterns
Unanswered Questions
Rules
Trends
Ethics
Big Ideas
Complexity
Across the Disciplines / Interdisciplinary Relationships
Changes over Time
Different Perspectives
With your group choose a “fun” topic and work through the table of 11 elements.

64. Comal ISD Differentiation Template

65. P Drive – ETR Folder- Differentiated Learning Template
Plan a lesson using the template for a Differentiated Lesson.

66. Final Thoughts
The fact that students differ may be inconvenient, but it is inescapable. Adapting to that diversity is the inevitable price of productivity, high standards, and fairness to kids.”
Theodore Sizer

67. Final Final Thoughts!