Kitchen Counter Talk: Engaging Students in Academic Discourse at Home
By: Amy Curtis
Academic discourse, simply put, is students talking to each other about what they’re learning about in the classroom. This exchange of ideas includes: explanation, elaboration, evaluation, argument, and questioning; it is the demonstration of critical thinking, evaluating information, and application of new knowledge. By having a dialogue students are able to deepen and solidify understanding of complex topics and clarify misunderstandings. Classroom discourse goes farther than the discussions that I knew as a student which were often just one student raising their hand to answer the teacher’s question, and then the teacher nodding and providing the “right” answer in response.
Discourse is happening in all of the core classes including places that we traditionally don’t think of as places for student talk. One of the most exciting discussion that I got to eavesdrop on happened in Math 8. Students were looking at problems they had solved incorrectly and talking in small groups about what errors they made, how to correct them, and then re-solving the problem correctly to reinforce what they had just learned from their classmates. Students were clarifying their own misunderstanding. Meanwhile in social studies, students are conducting three step interviews to come to a consensus about current issues, and in ELA students are expanding their understanding of author’s techniques in journalism and novels.
I am using what I see in classrooms at Twality to confront the challenge of getting adolescents to talk about their day at home. I know my own 13 year old has developed a wide range of grunts and shrugs to attempt to convey the complexity of learning that has happened during the school day. Right now he is studying the Coriolis effect in science and he doesn’t seem to
understand why, “um, stuff and things” doesn’t fill in the details for me.
Some ideas:
Any topic can be used to start discourse: a video or
movie that was watched together, an article from
current events, or even hypothetical questions.
In my house the more outlandish the hypothetical
question the better i.e. how many goldfish, live or
cracker form, would fit in our kitchen and why would
that be a good or bad idea.
Resources:
Topics we enjoyed: Geckos, Robots that eat Pollution, An Underwater Art Museum, teeming with Life, A Beatboxing Lesson From a Father-Daughter duo, and The World’s Most Boring Television and Why it’s Hilariously Addictive
This is a great starting place as all of the talks are aimed at teens
Topics we enjoyed: Superheroes, Why Isn’t the Sky Blue?, and A Man Who Loved Insects
For local news:
Ways to start a discourse with your student:
Initial Arguments
When it comes to ___ most reasonable/logical/realistic people would agree that…
Recently we have been hearing a great deal about …
Although you think _____, let me help you understand…
Questions:
Did you ever...
When I was a child...
You may have a point...
To a certain extent you may be right but…
I hear you saying …
However ...
But what you haven’t considered is…
But clearly/obviously/ none the less...
On the other hand…
Have you ever considered/ wondered why…
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Math Fact Fluency
Twality recently screened most of the student population in math fact fluency.
"Fact fluency" refers to the automatic recall of math facts. A student’s ability to answer a basic problem, such as 9 x 6, without having to count on fingers is extremely important for success in middle school math. Research shows kids who have high math fact fluency achieve at higher levels in all math concepts.
Our math teachers have noticed that many students struggle with middle school math because they are not fluent in their math facts. We decided to tackle this problem by screening all math students on a one minute math screening tool. We are using this information to identify students who need to master their math facts. After we identify students we will enroll them in an on-line tool called Reflex Math. Reflex Math can be used at home, in math intervention classes, or after school program.
If you would like to know how your student scored on the screening, please contact your student's math teacher or Keri Butler at 503-431-5200.
Smarter Balance Testing (SBAC)
This spring all middle school students will participate in the SBAC test. The SBAC is designed to measure how well students meet the new Common Core state standards. The SBAC measures students progress toward college and career readiness. Students will take the SBAC on a computer. The first part of the test consists of multiple choice questions. The test is untimed. The second part of the SBAC is called "performance tasks." Performance tasks are activities and responses that measure depth of understanding, analysis, research and writing skills. Students will be asked to do an activity. After, they will be given a question or a prompt to respond to. The purpose of this type of assessment is to measure skills that cannot be measured on a more traditional multiple choice test, like analytical and problem solving skills.
How does Smarter Balanced support student needs?
SBAC offers accommodations for students with disabilities and who are English Language Learners. For example, SBAC is offered in Braille and with closed captioning. It is also offered in Spanish, and has a special dictionary section for other languages.
How does Smarter Balanced affect graduation requirements?
Oregon students will continue to have many ways to meet graduation requirements.
If a student does not meet the standards on the SBAC, he or she can meet the requirements on another test or through work samples. Schools work closely with parents and students to make sure that students have every opportunity to
complete their graduation requirements.
Using the SBAC test will allow Oregon students to compare their performance across the state and the nation. For the first time, we'll see how prepared our students are to compete with their peers from around the country.
When will Twality students take the Smarter Balanced Assessment?
- 6th grade students will be taking the test during the weeks of May 8th. 6th graders will take the test in the mornings for a week.
- 7th grade students will take most of the assessment during the week of May 22nd. 7th graders will complete the test in two days.
- 8th grade students will take most of the assessment during the week of May 15th. 8th graders will complete the test in two days.
When will we receive the results?
We anticipate receiving test scores during the summer of 2017.
_____________________________________________Message from Twality Nurse Kathy Najdek:
Flu like symptoms appear to be on the uptick in our school and around the region.
Please read the attached flu information, hand washing and cover your cough flyer.
Our Middle Schoolers will benefit from your reminder to not share drinks or food,
Please read the attached flu information, hand washing and cover your cough flyer.
Our Middle Schoolers will benefit from your reminder to not share drinks or food,
cough into the elbow and the benefit of handwashing.
Thanks for your help.
Thanks for your help.
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Parents of 8th Grade Students:
It's time to visit the High Schools for
Incoming 9th Grade Info Night!
Both high school nights are on Wed., April 5th
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2017 Tigard "If I Were Mayor" Student Contest
Contest Submissions Due by April 17, 2017
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