📚 Teacher Directions Unit 2 Week 1 (Do Not Publish)

Welcome to the ELA Digital Resources

Lesson Scope and Sequence:

Each module was developed to focus on priority English Language Arts standards  for 3rd grade, and uses the McGraw Hill resources as a tool to teach each standard. The scope and sequence of these modules was developed  to begin after the first two weeks of school to allow teachers the opportunity to establish routines while utilizing the Smart Start resources or other instructional material. The modules are outlined to follow the sequence of McGraw Hill lessons beginning with Unit 1 and ending with Unit 6. Each unit includes material for week 1 through 6. If followed in sequence for the 2020-21 school year, week 6 will fall on short weeks. Lessons are designed to build on each other from week to week, and teachers should be cognizant that skipping or rearranging lessons may impact students' understanding. 

Getting Started With Digital Content:

1. Pull the Unit and Week module from the commons. It is recommended that you publish one day/week at a time. 

2. Each day, a variety of lessons and tasks have been developed to teach each component of English language arts. Lessons and tasks were developed using a combination of Nearpod lessons and Canvas assignments.

• Nearpod Lessons: Under this assignment type, you will find an embedded preview link that will take you directly to the lesson in the district Nearpod library.  Preview the lesson, and add it to your library.  Follow the below steps to embed it into external tools on your Canvas template. 
• Canvas Assignments: Canvas assignments and assessments will be directly copied to your Canvas page when you copy the module from the commons. 

 

Embedding Nearpod Lessons:

1. Use the teacher "preview link" under each assignment or go to the Nearpod district library and add the lesson to your personal library.
2. Once the Nearpod is in your library go to your Canvas assignment and follow the directions to add the Nearpod as an external link (this will allow it to sync with Speed Grader).

• • • • • Open the Canvas assignment and click edit
        • Delete all items above the red text, leaving only the student directions. 
        • Change “submission type” to external tool
        • Click the “find” button and then scroll to choose Nearpod.
        • Select your desired Nearpod lesson from you library.
        • Select student paced lesson. Your lesson is now linked
        • Remember to set a due date and make any other adjustments to submission requirements.
        • Select Save

What to Know About Each Area of Literacy:

Vocabulary: Each week will include lessons focused on both vocabulary acquisition and the weekly vocabulary strategy.  Two new vocabulary words will be introduced each day, and students will be given an opportunity to use these newly acquired words in speaking, writing, or reading.  Mini-lessons will be included to explicitly teach vocabulary strategies and students will have the opportunity to apply this skill within the weekly text. Formative checks are built in throughout the Nearpod lessons and a vocabulary assessment is included as a part of the weekly assessment on Day 5. 

Comprehension: Each week includes explicit instruction and scaffolded student practice that is aligned with McGraw-Hill units and weeks.  Please note that these weeks are focused around priority standards and may not meet all objectives that would normally be taught in a regular setting.  The comprehension lessons are structured around three texts for the week that best help support the priority standard.  Each week is designed to be completed in order starting with Day 1, which helps students build background knowledge, access the text, and build upon their learning throughout the week.  Formative checks are built into the daily lessons throughout the week.  The week ends on Day 5 with a comprehensive assessment of the weeks' standard.      

Phonics: Each week includes two explicit phonics lessons, one multi-syllabic word lesson, and one challenge spelling lesson. These lessons are designed to be completed in order, as the skills they learn on Day 1 build throughout the week.  Each lesson includes a phonological awareness warm-up, a mini-lesson video, and opportunities to apply skills in multiple ways through reading and writing.  Formative checks are built into the Nearpod lesson throughout the week, and a Day 5 phonics assessment is included.   

Fluency: Each week, a component of reading fluency will be focused on.  Students will view a mini-lesson on Day 1 introducing  the focus skill, and then engage in a variety of repeated readings (i.e. echo reads, partner reads, etc) across the week to practice and refine. On weeks that rate and accuracy are the focus skill, students will also be asked to do a Cold Read as part of their Day 1 activities.   The lesson will conclude with an assessment at the end of the week in which students will record their reading within Nearpod, and teachers can use the fluency rubric for grading.  

Fluency skills taught are: 

• Expression and Volume
• Phrasing
• Pacing (rate)
• Accuracy
• Intonation

 Writing: The writing lessons in this course are focused around priority standards and follow the DSD Elementary Scaffolded Writing Guide for Third Grade Links to an external site. (click link to access this guide).  They are structured to explicitly teach and model essential parts of writing.  There are formative checks and assessments throughout a module that can be used to measure student success.  We have separated writing from comprehension to allow teachers to rearrange writing lessons easily to meet their own students' needs.  We recommend doing a writing pre-assessment during SMART Start to know where your students are in terms of writing proficiency. 

Other Things to Consider

Writing Paper: Part of your students work in  phonics word work, comprehension and writing will ask them to write on paper and then take a picture and submit in Canvas or Nearpod. How might this best work with your class? Do you need to send home a journal or notebook to make sure students have the materials they need? 

Pacing:  Be aware of your students'/class' stamina and be cognizant of pacing when reviewing lessons.  You may or may not need to allow students to have multiple days to complete a task.  Be sure to review materials before assigning them to your class.  

Materials: Some lessons ask for students to create their own graphic organizers or take notes.  What procedures could you teach at the beginning of the year to prepare your students to keep their materials safe and organized?

Student Needs: We have tried to keep all materials as accessible as possible for all learners.  However, some materials (like the weekly assessment) are meant for students to complete on their own and do their own reading.  Be aware of your students' needs and plan accordingly to have access to immersive reader tools, McGraw-Hill read aloud tools, etc. if needed.   

Technology Tools: Be aware of what technology tools your students may need to learn before beginning these modules.  Consider how you could use Smart Start to help you set up the expectations, procedures, and tools.  We recommend you become familiar with the tools and choosing specific tutorial videos to add to your Student Directions page based on the technology devices your students will be using.