Beauty Amidst the Bytes_ Unearthing Unexpected Advantages of the Digital Wast...
Session3a
1. What Digital Resources Are
Available to Support STEM?
Teacher Effectiveness Academy
Library Information Services and Instructional Technology
2. Participant Outcomes
Participants will:
• Increase awareness of how to access digital content that
supports the Common Core State Standards for ELA and
Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical
Subjects.
• Cite a least two ways to utilize trans-disciplinary BCPS
Online Research Models to engage students in STEM
investigations, research, inquiry, and problem solving.
3. Why focus on digital content now?
• The CCSS for English Language Arts and
Literacy calls for students to be able to:
▫ Read texts of increasing complexity;
▫ Read and use exposition, including literary
nonfiction;
▫ Read a wider range of reading materials;
▫ And use reading, writing, speaking and
listening, language skills and strategies across all
subject areas
• in order to be prepared for college and the
workforce.
4. Reading
Critical Communicatio
Thinking & n
Problem
Solving
Research Investigations Writing
Creativity &
Collaboration Innovation
Speaking &
Listening
5. Increase in Text Complexity: Grades 2-3
Lexile Ranges
Aligned to
CCR
Expectations
Old
Lexile
Ranges
Typical 450 -
450 - 790
Reader
Lexile
Scores
725
140 -
700
6. Increase in Text Complexity: Grades 4 - 5
Lexile Ranges
Aligned to
CCR
Expectations
Old
Lexile
Ranges
Typical
770 -
645 -
Reader
980
Lexile
Scores
845
445 -
910
7. Where can you find a wide range of
expository texts (including literary
nonfiction) of increasing complexity
about all subjects?
13. Why focus on digital content now?
• The CCSS for English Language Arts and
Literacy calls for students to be able to:
▫ Read texts of increasing complexity;
▫ Read and use exposition, including literary
nonfiction;
▫ Read a wider range of reading materials;
▫ And use reading, writing, speaking and
listening, language skills and strategies across all
subject areas;
• in order to be prepared for college and the
workforce.
16. Review objectives
• How has your awareness of how to access digital
content to support the Common Core State
Standards for ELA and Literacy in History/Social
Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
increased?
• Cite at least two ways to utilize trans-disciplinary
BCPS Online Research Models to engage
students in STEM
investigations, research, inquiry, and problem
solving.
Editor's Notes
Welcome to today’s Educator Effectiveness Training on the digital resources that are available to support STEM. As is true of all the trainings, you may choose to present this training as a 30 minute session to your school staff, or (based on your evaluation of what your teachers already know and are able to do) you may choose to use the Extension activities built-in to the training. We strongly encourage you to co-present the digital resources training with your library media specialist as he or she has received extensive training on each of the digital resources.
Soon after the CCSS were adopted in June, teams of educators from across that state began working on a gap analysis by comparing the State Curriculum Standards with the Common Core State Standards. In English Language Arts, there were several key “take-aways”: Text complexity must be evaluated and students must read more complex texts in all subject areas. There must be an emphasis on reading informational texts.
SIRS Discoverer contains a wide range of expository texts (including literary nonfiction) of increasing complexity about all subjects. Click the SIRS Discoverer icon to start the screen cast.
How does BrainPop provide access to a wide range of expository texts (including literary nonfiction) of increasing complexity about all subjects? It’s simple; turn on Closed Captioning. Click the BrainPop icon to begin the screen cast.
Defined STEM is a collection of digital resources designed to promote effective and relevant connections between STEM classroom content and STEM career pathways, thus providing learning opportunities for students. Defined STEM provides teachers a resource where they can access highly effective media content, literacy tasks, and related support materials – all aligned to the Common Core English Language Arts and Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects. These resources and materials allow teachers to prepare students for entry into the 21st century global market place, where students must excel in science, math, technology and engineering to become a contributor to the marketplace. Click on the Defined STEM icon to view the screen cast.
Soon after the CCSS were adopted in June, teams of educators from across that state began working on a gap analysis by comparing the State Curriculum Standards with the Common Core State Standards. In English Language Arts, there were several key “take-aways”: Text complexity must be evaluated and students must read more complex texts in all subject areas. There must be an emphasis on reading informational texts.
The Online Research Models (ORM), developed by Baltimore County Public Schools, represent an exciting way to guide student research toward higher-level thinking that fully utilizes digital resources. The research models will help teachers meet the CCSS’s increased demand for research by providing the scaffolding and a key collaborator: the school’s library media specialist. The ORM are designed as web pages that present students with a clear research structure, including a research scenario, a learning task, rubrics and scoring tools, directions for use of various media resources, links to useful web sites, creation of a product or presentation, and reflection. Students who use the self-guided online research lessons are challenged to employ thoughtful reading, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information to create answers, not just find them.
Click the Schoolyard Habitat icon to view the screen cast.
