2017 Conference
#southland17
Conference Schedule
8:30am - 9:00am - Registration and Light Refreshments (Cafetorium)
9:00am - 9:10am - Welcome To Southland Learning (Cafetorium)
9:15am - 10:00am - Session 1
10:15am - 11:00am - Session 2
11:15am - 12:00pm - Session 3
12:15pm - 1:00pm - Closing and Light Lunch
Session Summary
Scroll down the page to find additional session descriptions and information!
Session1
9:15am - 10:00am
1001 - Curiosity in the Classroom
1002 - "Scratch"ing the Surface of Coding
1005 - Equitable Access to the SMPs through Purposeful Number Talk Progressions
1006 - Google Tips and Tricks for Educators
1010 - MANAGE and CARE using Time to Teach
1011 - 52 Reasons Students Should Play Card Games
1012 - Subtraction Fluency: Moving from Concrete to Abstract
1013 - Maker-centric Learning Experiences
1017 - Breakout EDU - It's Elementary
1018 - WeVideo: See Kiddies Grow
1019 - Vocabulary Formative Assessments:
Session 2
10:15am - 11:00am
1001 - What's the Hype with HyperDocs?
1002 - "Scratch"ing the Surface of Coding
1005 - Culture Matters! Understanding the Needs of English Learners Entering U.S. Schools
1006 - Google Tips and Tricks for Educators
1010 - Innovation in the Classroom
1011 - 52 Reasons Students Should Play Card Games
1012 - Teaching Literacy to Newcomers
1013 - Made from Scratch!
1017 - Breakout EDU - It's Elementary
1018 - Digital Differentiation
1019 - STEMenergy
1026 - Innovative Math Class
Session 3
11:15a - 12:00pm
1001 - Curiosity in the Classroom
1002 - Social Emotional Learning / MTSS
1005 - Flip your Science Classroom
1006 - Digital Differentiation
1010 - Innovation in the Classroom
1011 - Behavior Function: Why Kids Do What They Do
1012 - Subtraction Fluency: Moving from Concrete to Abstract
1013 - Made from Scratch!
1017 - Science is a Verb!
1018 - Improving Parent Communication with Class Dojo
1019 - Partnering with Parents & the Community
1026 - Innovative Math Class
Session Descriptions
52 Reasons Students Should Play Card Games
Jackie McMahon & Darci Van Kalker -
Session 1,2 - Room 1011
In this session, learn card games your students can play during BUILD or center time. Wondering why you should incorporate card games as part of your math block? Playing card games can help improve executive functioning skills, number sense as well as basic math skills.
Behavior Function: Why Kids Do What They Do
Colleen Kapelinski & Jordan Tsoulos -
Session 3 - Room 1011
Do you ever find that you ask yourself Why would they do that?!? Believe it or not, there are only 4 functions of behavior. In this session, you will learn about those four functions and gain some insight into some tools to help you create both proactive and reactive plans to address some of that head scratching behavior in your classroom.
BreakoutEdu -It's Elementary!
Susan Whited & Lindsey Jones - @whited_susan
Session 1,2 - Room 1017
Come Breakout! Hear an elementary teacher and instructional coach talk about their experience facilitating the game where students use teamwork and critical thinking to solve a series of challenging puzzles in order to open the locked box. Games are available for all ages and content areas.
Culture Matters! Understanding the Needs of English Learners Entering U.S. Schools
Barbara Zieba & Nisrin Al-Takriti -
Session 2 - Room 1005
Not all English Learners are the same. The session will talk about understanding the differences between refugee, immigrant, native born, and LEP students. The presenters will share CCSS related ideas and resources to implement in your classroom as well as artifacts from the presenters' teaching experience.
Curiosity in the Classroom
Steve Wick - @WickedEdTech
Session 1,3 - Room 1001
Questions are more important than answers. Inquiry learning connects classroom activities to student voice and choice. An important component of Inquiry learning is curiosity. This session will explore the importance of curiosity and then connect educators to practical resources to inspire a sense of curiosity. Educators will explore, collaborate, and begin to create an activity connected to curiosity.
Digital Differentiation
Joseph Tita - @JoeTweeta
Session 2 - Room 1018
Session 3 - Room 1006
Differentiation is not something that can be downloaded; however, thanks to digital tools like Google Drive and Google Classroom, creating differentiated learning experiences has never been more achievable. Attendees of this session will receive an overview of the basics of differentiation theory and then delve into ways technology tools can support instruction that meets the needs of a diverse audience of learners.
Equitable Access to the SMPs through Purposeful Number Talk Progressions
Anne Agostinelli - @anneagost
Session 1 - Room 1005
Students develop deeper understandings of number and have greater computational fluency when they build from concrete strategies to representational and abstract thinking. We will explore progressions of number talks centered around quantitative reasoning to advance the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs) in our students.
Flip your Science Classroom
Maggie Omiecinski - @Mrs_Omiecinski
Session 3 - Room 1005
This session will provide educators the tools to transform their traditional Science class to an inquiry-based environment. We will discuss the integration of the NGSS cross cutting concepts into your classroom, along with providing cost effective ways to hold quick challenges to foster curiosity.
Google Tips and Tricks for Educators
Kathryn Ringhofer - @KathrynA_Smith
Session 1,2 - Room 1006
Unharness the power of Google to amplify planning, instruction, student engagement, and assessment!
Learn about free and innovative extensions, add-ons, shortcuts, Google Classroom hacks, and a host of tools that will save you time, increase productivity, and take your instruction and planning to the next level!
A Google Presentation with tutorials and links will be provided. Please bring a laptop or other device for hands-on exploration.
Improving Parent Communication with Class Dojo
Kathy Poulopoulos - @KathyPoulo1
Session 3 - Room 1018
In a high poverty district it is always challenging to reach parents in traditional ways. Class Dojo has allowed me to collaborate with parents in a way that I have never done before. In this session you will be exploring different ways to use Class Dojo to improve communication with parents. Work time will also be provided.
Innovation in the Classroom
Emmie Pawlak - @efpawlak
Session 2,3 - Room 1010
How do we define innovation? More importantly, how do we get our teachers to a place where they feel like they have the tools to be innovative and help their kids be innovative? This session will give you some ideas!
Innovative Math Class
Annie Forest - @mrsforest
Session 2,3 - Room 1026
With so many resources available online and technology available to our students, how can we balance what we know about good mathematics instruction with a desire to be innovative? With experience in 1:1 classrooms as a math teacher and instructional coach, I will give you practical ideas to using tech tools to bring out student thinking, plan for instruction, and advance your own professional learning. Go beyond digital worksheets and skill and drill. Become the innovative educator you want to be!
Made from Scratch!
Margaret Nugent , Allison Eifler, Pam Skordas - @margaretn11
Session 2,3 - Room 1013
Add a pinch of coding and a dash of creativity to spice up your curriculum. Learn the basics of Scratch and Scratch Jr. Kindergarten and 3rd grade teachers will share their experiences integrating coding with literacy and math. There will be opportunities for participants to explore the features of Scratch Jr.
Maker-centric Learning Experiences
Sarah Margalus & Jayson Margalus - @SarahMargalus
Session 1 - Room 1013
Teachers will be able to design and facilitate maker-centric experiences for students that directly support learning standards. Teachers will note patterns amongst learning standards that support experiences in making and inquiry. Presenters will share the theory behind thinking through making and how teachers can facilitate these types of experiences.
MANAGE and CARE using Time to Teach
Dr. Lucianne Brown - @docbrown15
Session 1 - Room 1010
You care! That’s the bottom line for every teacher in America. In one session, you will learn effective, up-front strategies and techniques for your classroom that nurture every child.
Yes, you can teach even the hard to reach student. Yes, you can lower disciplinary referrals for administrators. Come to this workshop and learn research-based strategies to reclaim instruction time and reduce discipline problems.
An effective teacher manages a classroom. An ineffective teacher disciplines a classroom. Harry Wong
Fact is: It is time to reclaim instruction time! Do we truly have high expectations when we allow students to act inappropriately? What message are we sending them when we pay students to behave? We can no longer continue going through the motions and expect positive change. We need to take a stand for what is best… high expectations for academics and discipline… it only makes sense! -5 Main (Foundational Beliefs) -Self-Control -Physical Component-Classroom Environment -Teach To’s -Social Component (Rapport) -REFOCUS
Partnering with Parents
Paul Enderle & Larry Fetchko - @PaulEnderle
Session 3 - Room 1019
Join us for a collaborative discussion session to share your best practices in developing and utilizing parents and community resources as partners in education.
Science is a Verb!
Craig Gaska -
Session 3 - Room 1017
Science is a verb, not a noun! Science is something that students do, not the passive acquisition of facts and figures. Carl Sagan, renowned astronomer, stated, Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge. Scientific thinking is at the core of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The goal of this workshop is to help you use the NGSS to invigorate science in the classroom. You will learn how to bring the standards to life by using strategies that integrate the spirit of the NGSS into your current curriculum. Dr. Gaska will present the conceptual changes and balanced, three-dimensional approach to teaching called for in the standards and how to best use the information on the NGSS website for effective lesson planning.
Scratch-ing the Surface of Coding
Michael Abramczyk & Megan Hacholski - @_on11
Session 1,2 - Room 1002
This presentation will be an introduction to coding in the classroom, using Google CS First and Scratch. We will gear the presentation towards educators that have never worked with coding before, beginning with an brief overview of the Google CS First program. Then, we will teach the basics of Scratch coding - ‘say’ and ‘broadcast’ blocks, along with basic motions. This will be the bulk of the presentation. Finally, we will discuss how to integrate coding into the curriculum, with ideas for each subject area. Your life will never be the same.
Social Emotional Learning /MTSS
Okab Hassan -
Session 3 - Room 1002
The actual implementation of an exemplary program of MTSS / Social emotional needs of students and Problem soloving process at Peck.
STEMenergy
Sharon Bird - @TeachingBird1
Session 2 - Room 1019
Using the NEED curriculum and materials to develop STEM activities that allow students to explore ways to utilize alternative energy sources.
Subtraction Fluency: Moving from Concrete to Abstract
Cathy Lindsey & Sheila Lettiere -
Session 1,3 - Room 1012
Many students can use tools to solve facts but fail to make the connection between the tools and the numerical expressions or flash cards. This session will present games and activities to connect concrete materials to the abstract understanding of subtraction.
Teaching Literacy to Newcomers
Angela Goetz & Kelly Fitzgibbon - @angiegoetz_el
Session 2 - Room 1012
This session will feature the Language Experience Approach (LEA) to teaching literacy. This approach is especially useful with new English Learners (ELs) of any age. LEA features a shared experience, and subsequent co-constructed text, which is used to teach reading and writing skills using language the students are familiar with.
Vocabulary Formative Assessments: Using Technology to Promote Vocabulary Acquisition in the Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking Domains of the Common Core State Standards
Caroline Sweiss - @sweissELA
Session 1 - Room 1019
We all know that students generally can use context clues to decode the meaning of unfamiliar words. However, how can we get students to learn these words forever and not merely to decode the meaning of a text temporarily? This presentation will afford educators an opportunity to see and engage in a variety of vocabulary formative assessment tools, mainly through the use of technology. The presentation will begin with a brief overview of the significant research on vocabulary acquisition, followed by a focus on vocabulary formative assessments using technology tools.
As vocabulary is an integral component of the English Language Arts Common Core Standards, the strategies for vocabulary acquisition will support the ELA Common Core Standards. The strategies and tools can be applied to vocabulary acquisition in other content areas, including science and social studies.
WeVideo: See Kiddies Grow
Eleni Vrettos & Student Presenters - @msvrettos
Session 1 - Room 1018
With the online video editing tool, WeVideo, students transform the old literacy of a language arts classroom research paper to a creative opportunity of production that reaches an audience beyond the teacher and reaches students’ needs. This session will explain the tool, its potential use, and then give audience members the opportunity to try it out.
What's the Hype with HyperDocs?
Steve Wick - @rechargeedu
Session 2 - Room 1001
When students are connected they can take ownership of their learning. HyperDocs can serve as a framework for student-centered activities with the teacher as a facilitator of learning. A good HyperDoc provides endless opportunities for critical thinking, collaboration, communication, curiosity, and creativity. This session will provide an opportunity for participants to learn more about HyperDocs and how to utilize them effectively in the classroom for learning, exploring, and collaborating. In addition, participants will be given time to explore, collaborate, and get started on create a HyperDoc to use in their classrooms.