Nicole Zdeb

Senior Director of Academic Services for the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA)

K-12

English Language Arts Alignment and the Common Core

What does alignment to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) mean for an English Language Arts classroom? How do you evaluate if a curriculum is aligned to the spirit as well as the letter of the standards? In this workshop, we’ll dive into the three major focus areas for ELA instruction: reading to build knowledge; reading like a “detective;” and regular practice with integrated literacy and challenging texts. We’ll also explore the multi-dimensional aspects of alignment to better understand how student engagement, higher-order thinking skills, challenging texts, and an integrated model of literacy is achievable in every ELA class.

Nicole Zdeb

Senior Director of Academic Services for the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA)

K-12

Text is Foundation

For strong alignment to the Common Core in ELA, choosing appropriate texts is foundational. In this workshop, we’ll analyze the Common Core model of text complexity and how to apply it when choosing texts that offer challenging learning opportunities. We'll cover sequencing texts to build knowledge, using features of complex text to advantage, and practice using a rubric to evaluate texts.

Nicole Zdeb

Senior Director of Academic Services for the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA)

K-12

Scaffolding So All Students Achieve

The Common Core State Standards are intended to guide curriculum and instruction that challenges all students to succeed. Some students need intentional scaffolding, or instructional support, that is more intensive in order to achieve the Core. This workshop focuses on key ELA scaffolding techniques, especially direct instruction in academic vocabulary, that will help all students so that they are engaged in higher-order thinking skills while growing as readers.

Marwa Al Samsam

Education Consultant, Oxford University Press

Kindergarten

Asking Critical-Thinking Questions with Kindergarten Students

Through hands on activities and group discussions, we will explore different ways of using higher order thinking skills (HOTS), to encourage more text interaction and engagement for inquiring young minds

Paul Woodfall

Training Coordinator, Oxford University Press

K-5

Craft and Structure in Reading Standards for Literature and Informational Texts

How do we effectively use readers in class to promote independent student-centered learning? This question will be answered in a practical, hands-on workshop. Participants will experience and reflect upon the implementation of extensive reading techniques for both fiction and non-fiction texts with a unifying theme; the weather.

Julia Hedges

Envision, Managing Director

6-12

Vocabulary and Structure Integrated

This session will focus on the two more advanced tiers of language development (cognitive academic language and high frequency words). This is the academic or "school" language, which our students need to acquire in order to be successful in higher education. This session will focus some on the theory behind learning vocabulary, while looking briefly at the three systems to teaching reading (meaning, syntax and visuals).

The majority of the workshop will include teachers exploring different ideas for facilitating vocabulary lessons in a more inductive way. The facilitator will also model a pre-write and collaborative writing activity to illustrate that having students work in groups is a great way to build their academic language. Through this mini lesson, teachers will see myriad ways to naturally reveal new words by using strategies such as rephrasing and collating groups' responses, so that students can discover lexical items from one another. There will also be a slight focus on complex and compound sentence formations (grammar) but in a very natural and integrated way.

Ultimately, teachers should leave this professional development session with a few ideas for helping their students acquire the more robust vocabulary and higher order thinking skills needed for higher education and specifically more decontextualized texts.

Dr. Sudha Govindswamy Sunder

6-12

The role of evidence-based writing in aligning to the ELA standards:

The ELA standards recognizes that forms of writing in k-12 based on student experiences and opinions alone will not prepare students for the demands of college, career, and life. One of the key shifts the ELA standards thus calls for is the emphasis of students being able to use evidence from texts to present careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information. Through a hands-on-activity, this workshop will provide participants effective and practical classroom strategies to improve students' ability to inform and persuade through careful evidence-based textual analysis.

Sarah Toa

American School of Dubai

K-8

Conferring and Note Taking

K-12

Conferring is a way of reaching every student. It is a way of looking at where students are in relation to standards and nudging each student forward within their zone of proximal development. In this workshop teachers will recognize the concept of conferring and identify effective parts of a conference before thinking about how to apply conferring techniques to their students. Teachers will also look at the various ways and uses of note taking and investigate conferring tool kits.

Sarah Toa

American School of Dubai

2-8

Interactive Read Aloud with Accountable Talk

In this Workshop Teachers will discover how interactive read aloud fits into balanced literacy and how it supports literacy in multiple areas of ELA Common Core. Teachers will learn the importance of getting students to talk and think about texts in different ways, and how to take their ideas and grow a class conversation.

Sarah Harger

American School of Dubai

6-8

How do I incorporate the speaking and listening standards into the reading and writing workshop model?

In this workshop, participants will learn about how to incorporate the speaking and listening standards into their classroom, whether they are using the reading and writing workshop or not. Students love to talk; they especially love to talk about things they like. By allowing students to talk about books that they loved reading, you are not only getting them to carefully choose books and read more of them, but you are also having them work on their presentation skills in a more comfortable way. Speaking in front of their peers can be a scary endeavor for middle school students. Many of them freeze up or have panic attacks. Book talks and writer studies let students worry less about doing research and preparing information and focus more on their speaking and listening skills. Additionally, by using a standards-based rubric, students can focus on specific skills for each subsequent presentation.

D. Nickie Manja

Curriculum Coordinator, North American International School

6-12

Building bridges between 6+ Traits and ELA Common Core in middle school writing

Teachers will understand how the 6+ Traits and Common Core ELA standards are aligned and complementary. This workshop will focus on Writing to Persuade.

Joseph Manja

Higher College of Technology

6-12

ELA Writing Standards and the ESL Learner

The majority of the students in many classes in Dubai are second language learners and require explicit teaching to gain mastery of writing standards. The workshop will focus on using ELL teaching strategies for assisting high school ELL students in the regular classroom to meet the Common Core ELA writing standards through explicit teaching of writing skills and standards.

Alison Burrows

KDSL

K-5

Take a Close Look at Close Reading

What is close reading? The Common Core reading anchor standards ask for students to read text closely. This session will explore and explain the close reading technique and how to implement it in the classroom. Teachers will leave this session ready to help students interact more deeply with text.

Dr. Norman L. Webb

Wisconsin Center for Education Products and Services

Depth-of-Knowledge Workshop

A workshop on the Depth-of-Knowledge language system will be provided for mathematics and reading. In the workshop, small groups of participants will go over in detail the DOK definitions for either mathematics or reading. Then these definitions will be applied to analyzing objectives and assessment items. The workshop will conclude with some discussion on aligning curriculum standards and assessments.

Kevin Simpson and Janet Bailey

KDSL and Collegiate American School

K-8

Common Core Math: Now Watch me Shift

What do the Common Core mathematics shifts look like in action? This is one of many questions that will be explored in the session. Participants will focus on the 6 shifts in mathematics teaching and learning and implementation of the mathematical practice standards.

Michael Guttormson

Head of Mathematics, Greenfield Community School

6-10

Striking a balance between the Mathematical Content and Practice Standards

From this workshop you can expect to take away some examples of how the content and practice standards have been used together to create balanced, inquiry based lessons and assessments.

Pierre Atallah

Training and Integration Manager, Pearson Education

K-5

Problem Based learning as a tool to connect to content and practices.

Participants will engage in activities that enhance their knowledge of problem-based instruction as they explore how it develops conceptual understanding in elementary students. Participants will walk away with effective strategies for using problem-based instruction to enhance students' learning and tools to engage students in interactive learning. This will be in the context of enVision Math 2.0, the latest Common Core K-5 program from Pearson.

Dr. Norman L. Webb

Wisconsin Center for Education Products and Services

Depth-of-Knowledge Workshop

A workshop on the Depth-of-Knowledge language system will be provided for mathematics and reading. In the workshop, small groups of participants will go over in detail the DOK definitions for either mathematics or reading. Then these definitions will be applied to analyzing objectives and assessment items. The workshop will conclude with some discussion on aligning curriculum standards and assessments.

Dr. Sudha Govindswamy Sunder

K-12

The Role of Crosscutting Concepts in unpacking the Next Generation Science

Unpacking the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) requires looking at/understanding scientific processes and engineering practices in a conceptually engaging way. This requires scaffolding of student learning from the factual to conceptual levels and working towards integration of thinking at the conceptual level. This workshop will provide participants the tools and strategies by understanding one of the important components of the NGSS - the Crosscutting Concepts. Participants in this workshop will also learn classroom strategies in enabling learners to progress from the factual to the conceptual domains of learning, while aligning to the NGSS. This workshop is recommended for teachers and curriculum leaders.

Steve Kellett

Dubai American Academy

K-12

Implementing NGSS

This session will detail why the NGSS is such a huge leap forward, and present the steps needed for a school or individual teacher to take in order to effectively adopt the NGSS in their class or school. We will focus on our school's top 5 tips for success.

Dr. Craig Gabler

KDSL

K-12

Crosscutting Concepts – How The Heck Do I Implement Them?

We will take a close look at the Crosscutting Concepts (CCC), their origin, their purpose and their usefulness in developing student understanding. Participants will engage with some CCC classroom strategies and tools.

Dr. Craig Gabler

KDSL

K-12

Exploring 2 science & Engineering practices - Developing models & constructing explanations

We will engage in a hands-on activity leading us through the development of an initial thinking model of a puzzling phenomenon to constructing a final explanation.

Amine Kamal Hamdan

Focal Point Management Consultancy

K-12

CREATIVITY: Application and Assessment

The session will approach teaching science and math from the perspective of creativity and its relation to inquiry based learning. The teachers must be “Out of Their Minds” to attend this session. This means they need to be open minded to think about methods they might not have used before. These methods include means of teaching such as Inquiry Based Learning, teaching outside the textbook where the book becomes a reference and not the curriculum, also accepting unexpected answers from their students and build on it to deliver knowledge.

The session will engage the audience with different activities and ideas they can carry back with them to class. It will highlight the teaching of science in general and NGSS in particular, in a way that can affect students’ attitude towards science positively. It will also shade the light on the 21st Century skills.

Ms. Cory Wilkerson

State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education

National Coalition for Core Arts Standards

K-12

A Framework for Learning: Exploring the newly released Core Arts Standards

How do the core arts standards components create a framework for learning with and through the arts? This session will offer an overview of the components of the new National Core Arts Standards along with a tour of the features of their interactive home. The presentation will focus on unpacking the structure and framework of the standards to explore potential impact on teaching and learning in and through the arts. Session will include an overview of the history of the creation of the standards, their connections with 21st century skills and their philosophical underpinnings in higher order thinking skills to align with Common Core.

Ms. Cory Wilkersonn

State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education

National Coalition for Core Arts Standards

K-12

Connecting Points: Structuring Teaching and Learning in Art and Arts Integration using the Core Arts Standards

How can the national core arts standards connect with my classroom and help guide goals for student learning in and through the arts?

Through dialogue and hands on activities, participants will discover opportunities for using the core arts standards for teaching and learning in arts instruction or arts integration. The sessions will guide participants through a mini-review of the standards; followed by an analysis and connection exercise using a unit planning tool. Participants will analyze the standards for connecting points to the Common Core standards in ELA and Mathematics; and identify particular standards as learning goals considering their own work. The session finishes with a time to share ideas that emerged.

Libby Kokemoor

Hale Education Group

9-12

Navigating the US College Admissions Process: Success Strategies for the Personal Statement

This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to the US college admissions process, in particular focusing on the personal statement. Participants will be given tools to enhance their descriptive writing skills and craft a personal statement in order make their application more competitive. At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to write a compelling personal statement.

Patricia Mezu

Professional Minds LLC

Kindergarten

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood: Let’s Apply It!

This session is designed for early childhood teachers and leaders. It will focus on understanding the essence of developmentally appropriate practice (‘DAP’) and building this concept into daily activities in the classroom. Participants will explore a practical lesson and discuss the significance of developmentally appropriate lesson plans.

Christine Nasserghodsi

Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, GEMS Wellington International School

K-12 teachers and administrators

Making the most of the Year of Innovation

How might we make our schools more innovative places in which to learn and work? This workshop will address strategies and programs that can help to create an innovation culture within the classroom and the school community. Participants will leave with five practical, low to no cost, ready to roll ideas for their respective schools.

Melody Traylor, Robert Haag, Nate Menard, Janet Bailey, Michelle Haag

Collegiate American School Middle School Team

Travails and Triumphs of Creating Integrated PBL Units for Middle School

Learn from our story of how we used the Common Core, NGSS and AERO standards to shape integrated curriculum in grades 6 7, and 8. We are using backwards mapping from a combined culminating project to "unpack" the standards for each subject area and grade. We have lots of setbacks and successes and can provide you with a template and anecdotes and you can help us as we guide our students through these units of inquiry.

Scott Farber and Alonzo Sherman

A-List Education

9-12

The Alignment of Common Core Standards with the SAT and ACT: How To Teach Beyond the Test

This session will focus on the alignment of Common Core Standards with the SAT and ACT. As educators increasingly look to identify content and skills necessary for students to succeed in secondary schools and higher education, it is essential to develop an understanding of how the SAT and ACT can serve as guides for implementing rigorous coursework that goes beyond simple test preparation.

Highlighting specific overlaps of the Common Core with these exams, the session will cover relevant aspects of college readiness and an interdisciplinary approach to instruction incorporating individualized student data with broader curriculum objectives.

The presentation will draw on our extensive professional development and teaching experience to offer suggestions for implementing best practices while respecting the need for educators to make use of materials in ways tailored to the needs of their own students.

Sue Z. Beers

Director, Mid-Iowa School Improvement Consortium

Renovating the Curriculum: Unit Planning / Instructional Planning for the CCSS

Designing instruction that aligns with the CCSS will necessitate more than a tweaking of the current curriculum. Using a thorough understanding of what the standards demand of instruction and learning, units of instruction and lessons should be renovated to align with the rigor, intent, and content of the CCSS.

Examine multiple unit templates that might be used to design instruction that tightly aligns with the CCSS.

Sue Z. Beers

Director, Mid-Iowa School Improvement Consortium

Connecting CCCS and 21st Century Skills: Maximizing and Deepening Student Learning

"Fewer – Higher – Clearer": These are the hallmarks of the new CCSS. Becoming truly college-and career-ready requires that students deeply understand and can apply both the CCSS and the 21st century skills of critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration. In this workshop, participants will examine a model for integrating the literacy CCSS, content standards and 21st century learning skills into a comprehensive instructional plan that raises learning expectations for all students.

Jae Baik, Sarah Harger and Jason Shulha

American School of Dubai

Deconstructing The Common Core Standards: The Path To Creating And Using Formative And Summative Assessments Effectively

All teachers know that both formative and summative assessments are essential for student learning. The question is: How do we know we are creating effective assessments (both formative and summative) that truly show us what students have learned and what they are still struggling with in our curriculum? One essential process involved in creating and using more effective assessments is deconstructing standards to create learning targets that students can understand. Our standards vary in complexity and clarity, and we need to spend time breaking them apart to better understand the learning required to master these standards. When we deconstruct the standards, providing clear learning targets for our students and us, we can better navigate the learning that is happening in the classroom and where students need more support in order to achieve ultimate learning. If the roadmap for instruction isn’t clear, even the best teachers are less effective in the classroom. In this workshop, we will investigate the different kinds of learning targets, how to make them clear to everyone (including students), and how these deconstructed standards create a foundation for quality classroom assessments, both formative and summative.

Loretta Sanders

ADNOC Schools of Abu Dhabi

Developing A Curriculum For All Student Abilities Using Common Core

In this workshop, curriculum leaders will be given 10 steps to follow for developing a common core curriculum that will suit many diverse student abilities. Curriculum leaders will be given a case study on a student population. From this study, they will brainstorm and write realistic benchmarks and skills to meet the common core standards but also take into consideration the students abilities

Dr. Adrienne Walton

Bridge to Student Success

Leadership and the Common Core

The presentation will focus on the importance of steady and consistent monitoring of the instructional process to ensure the proper implementation of common core standards.