Instructional Coach Newsletter- Vol.

2
September 2016

3-2-1 Blast Off!!!

We are swinging into September
and with this new month comes the
implementation of Close Reading!
All of August you participated in
professional development to prepare
you for this very moment! Now it
is your time to shine and your
students time to GROW!
Remember: Close reading is one
strategy that we are being
intentional about using in our
classrooms DAILY! We want
Harper students to be analytical
readers and deep comprehenders!
Keep in mind the process for
gradually releasing responsibility to
the students. Our goal during this
introductory period is to model,
model, model! We want to show our

Kim Williams
williamsak@tcitys.org

Standards are the Standard

Here at Harper, we teach the
standards! The Georgia
Department of Education has
spelled out exactly what Georgia
students are expected to know and
what Georgia teachers are expected
to teach. This is the foundation on
which we plan our lessons and the
compass that directs the activities
we choose for the students.
Teachers, please be sure to have
your standard posted on your
bulletin board. A learning target
alone is not sufficient. An observer

in the classroom should be able to At Harper, the goal is to be Standards

compare the posted target to the
Conscious! We want to be teachers who
posted standard and see the
use the standard/target to plan activities
connection! Also, Mr. Hugans is and learning experiences that will lead our
asking that teachers indicate the
students to achieve that goal. Remember:
connected standard on student
Textbooks are merely resources to teach
work. This is work that is placed in the curriculumthey are not the
notebooks, taken home for
curriculum!
homework, or posted in the
building on display!

TKES Talk!

Teacher Keys Effectiveness System or

TKES is your teacher evaluation tool!
You are rated on 10 performance
standards each semester. Those
standards are 1.Professional
Knowledge, 2.Instructional Planning,
3.Instructional Delivery,
4.Differentiated Instruction,
5.Assessment Of and For Learning,
6.Assessment Uses
7. Positive Learning Environment
8. Academically Challenging
Environment,
9. Professionalism 10.Communication
The expectation is that teaching and
learning is taking place in your
classroom. Teachers are not to be
sitting at a desk. Direct Instruction to
the whole group or to a small group of
students is what should be happening
on a consistent basis!
TKES evaluations by Mr. Hugans start
this month.

Katie Rush
Mrs. Rush has taught 7 years. All those years have
been in a Kindergarten setting!

Her favorite quote is,

"When one teaches, two learn."

~ Robert

Heinlein.

Educational Websites
Coolmath.com or Coolmath4kids.com
Timeforkids.com

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

http://www.funbrain.com/
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/

http://www.teacherstryscience.org/home.html

Students can play online math games that help them with addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, money and more.
From the publishers of TIME magazine, TIME for Kids is loaded with
interesting articles, photos and videos. Politics, the environment,
entertainment, sports and health are just some of the topics covered.
Watch animal cameras, learn interesting tidbits about animals, see
and share photos of nature, learn about different countries and try
science experiments.
Math, reading, online books and learning games are just some of the
site's many treats.
Science News for Kids helps kids stay up-to-date on scientific trends.
Written in an accessible way, the articles can help kids understand
topics
Try Science is a great first stop on your science journey. There are
dozens of experiments in areas such as chemistry, biology, math and
engineering, many of which can be done on and offline