Copy
January 2020 Middle School Math Newsletter
Hello Math Community,

Happy Lunar New Year! Between starting a new semester and time off to celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Lunar New Year, January has been a full month. We hope it has also been a good one for you and your communities.

Read on for information about: 

  • Upcoming Professional Development
  • Core Curriculum News
  • Featured Strategy and Resource
  • Upcoming Opportunities
  • Recent Activities
This information (and more!) is also provided on the SFUSD Math website at www.sfusdmath.org, and you can follow us on Twitter: @SFUSDMath.

Thank you for all that you do!

The Math Team

image of children rolling an "earth" ball. Quote "Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility."

Upcoming Math Professional Development

 

Spring Collaboration Days


Spring Collaboration Days are underway!  We have learned so much with our 6th grade and K-8 colleagues through cycles of inquiry using formative assessment and reengagement to support all students’ learning. We look forward to seeing and collaborating with our 7th and 8th grade colleagues next month.
  • Math 7 Collaboration Day: February 13th; Cabrillo Multipurpose Room
  • Math 8 Collaboration Day: February 20th; Cabrillo Bungalow 2.
Contact person: Vriana Kempster


Problem Solving Cycle

 

Problem Solving Cycle Teacher Leader Preparation (TLP)

The next Teacher Leader Preparation (TLP) day, TLP 2-2, will be on February 25th, at Cabrillo, Bungalow 2. 

Contact Person: Alisa Brown


Complex Instruction Program

 

Teacher Facilitators (T-facs)

The next T-Facs meeting will be on February 4th, at Mission High School.

Contact person: Angela Torres
 

For a calendar of all middle school math professional development activities, visit the Math Department website. You may also refer to this Overview of our Middle School Professional Development Structures

Core Curriculum News

Spring District Assessments

 

Scores for the spring District Assessment (from Unit 6.5, 7.7, or 8.6) should be reported by March 6th. This year, each District Assessment Milestone has focus questions to be reported instead of reporting the whole Milestone. You can see which questions are focus questions by viewing the Milestone rubric online. You can access the Math Core Curriculum online through the portals.

District Assessment materials should have already arrived at your site. Please check with your school’s testing coordinator for distribution of materials. For more information about District Assessments, please see information on AAO’s website: https://sites.google.com/sfusd.edu/aao/mmt-sub-pages/ms-mmt-administration.

All curriculum materials are available online through the portals.

Contact person for Grades 6–8 Math Core Curriculum: Vriana Kempster

Featured Strategy and Resource

 

Participation Quiz

 
Participation Quiz example 1
Participation Quiz example 2
How are your collaborative groups working? Are groups getting off to a quick start, reading aloud, and sticking together to get the benefits of each other's thinking? One helpful strategy for supporting students in collaborating powerfully is a Participation Quiz.

A Participation Quiz is a strategy to help establish or reinforce norms for group work in a cooperative environment. While students work together in their group on a math task, the teacher takes public notes—on a document camera, white board, chart paper, or overhead projector—about the quality of their group work (social moves) and the quality of their mathematical discussions (math moves). The posters above show the types of group behaviors that might be recorded during a Participation Quiz. 

You can read more about this strategy on our SFUSD Math Website: www.sfusdmath.org/participation-quiz--groupwork-feedback.html, and share this description from the Math Teaching Toolkit with your colleagues. 
 

Nate Pinsky, a former SFUSD math teacher, developed an online Participation Quiz (shown above). You can try out the PQuiz app at pquiz.app, and you can create an account if you want to save and manage multiple participation quizzes. And yes, it's free! You can record strengths and questions by group, and you can also create customizable observation categories. If you have used an older version of Nate's PQuiz, you will see that the new version allows you to make the Participation Quiz full screen and to name your quizzes. 

After you try out this new version, feel free to send any ideas for new features or feedback to contact@pquiz.app. A huge thank you to Nate for supporting teachers with this wonderful resource! 

Upcoming Opportunities for Students

 

Middle School Math Circle at Lowell

Spaces are still available for the San Francisco Math Circle's spring term. The SF Math Circle is an extracurricular math enrichment program that gives students an opportunity to develop their mathematical thinking skills in a supportive, collaborative, and fun environment. SF Math Circle promotes positive attitudes towards math and learning through engaging, hands-on puzzles and games that involve both creativity and critical thinking. For more information about the SF Math Circle, please visit https://www.sfmathcircle.org.

  

Upcoming Opportunities for Educators


Joint Social with CCSF Math Faculty this Friday

Celebrate the beginning of your weekend with math educators from SFUSD and CCSF! This is a no-host, casual get together. We'll meet at the Broken Record this Friday, January 31st, at 5 PM. 
 

2020 STEM Symposium at San Francisco State

The Center for Science and Mathematics Education at San Francisco State is hosting its first annual STEM Teacher Symposium on March 7th, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Educators from the Bay Area will be teaching workshops, and leading panels and discussion groups about best practices and innovative techniques to further equitize science and mathematics teaching in grades K–12. Come and join us for a day of learning! The first 150 attendees will be guaranteed a $50 honorarium for attendance, or professional development hours for in-service teachers. Lunch will be provided for all registered attendees. Download the poster to share and register for the Symposium online.  

Please consider giving a workshop or talk at the STEM Symposium! Teachers who present a workshop or panel will receive an honorarium. The deadline to apply to present is February 7th: https://csme.sfsu.edu/call-presenters.
 

CPM Academy of Best Practices: New Math Teacher Institute

CPM is holding an Academy of Best Practices: New Math Teacher Institute from August 3 to August 7, 2020 at beautiful Seattle Pacific University! This 5-day institute is designed to help new math teachers (with 5 or fewer years of experience) develop into future leaders, to aid their professional growth both in the classroom and in the field of education, to increase their resources, and to form a countrywide network of teacher support. CPM supports teacher participation by providing travel to and from Seattle as well as the room and meals at Seattle Pacific University. Participants have the option to purchase graduate credit. Please share the flyer with your newer teachers. The deadline for applications, including references, is May 1
 

2020 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a K–12 mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Awards alternate each year between elementary (K–6) and secondary (7–12) teachers, and this year awards go to elementary teachers! Anyone -- principal, teacher, parent, student -- may nominate exceptional K–6 mathematics and science teachers who have taught for at least 5 years. Visit www.paemst.org to nominate a teacher or to download an application for yourself! The nomination period is open until March 1st and the application must be completed by May 1st.

 

NCTM Grant for Enhancing Student Mathematics Learning through the Use of Tools and Technology

NCTM members are eligible to apply for this grant that encourages the innovative use of technology and other tools. For 2019–20, grants with a maximum of $3,000 each will be awarded to persons currently teaching mathematics in grades Pre-K–12. Materials may include, but not be limited to, books, calculators, tablets, computers, or related equipment as well as professional development in the use of the designated tools and technology.  The focus of the proposal should be on the mathematics being taught and innovative uses of the tools and technology. Proposals must include a plan for evaluating materials and the anticipated impact on students' learning. Applicants are encouraged to seek matching funds from internal and external sources. The deadline for submitting a proposal is May 1st.
 

San Francisco State Master's Degree in Education Program

San Francisco State is seeking K–12 teachers who want to earn a Master's Degree in Education with an emphasis in Mathematics Education. They plan to accept a new cohort for Fall 2020. This two-year program is jointly run by the Departments of Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Mathematics. For more information, email Professor Judy Kysh: jkysh@sfsu.edu or Professor Maria Zavala: mza@sfsu.edu


San Francisco Math Teachers' Circle (SFMTC)

The San Francisco Math Teachers’ Circle is a professional community of teachers and mathematicians who love solving fun, challenging math problems. The SFMTC offers monthly Saturday meetings for math teachers interested in exploring accessible, exciting topics in mathematics. All teachers are welcome to attend. Meetings include lunch, which is complimentary. The next meeting is on Saturday, March 7th, from 9:30 AM to noon at the Proof School. Check out the SFMTC website for more information and to register.
 

LWEA (Living Wage for Educators Act)  

Your 18 Paid Professional Development Hours for Educators (known as Prop G or LWEA) are available to all paras and teachers in SFUSD! LWEA PD Hours are meant to differentiate, enhance, or customize learning for each individual (to extend, not replace site PD). For detailed information, including what qualifies as PD, how to utilize your hours, and a link to the Passport, see 18 Paid PD Hours for Educators.
 

Discounts for Teachers at Liholiho Yacht Club

The SFUSD parent and chef-owners of Liholiho Yacht Club, a fun Hawaiian and Asian-inspired restaurant on Nob Hill, love SFUSD! To express their gratitude for all you do, Liloliho has a special offer: please enjoy 50% off all food, for up to 4 guests, at all times (until further notice). This offer is good for any employee of SFUSD (proof of employment required). It is also honored in Gen-Gen Room (their little cocktail bar with food hidden below Liholiho). To book: Liho Reservations or Gen-Gen Reservations 

If you know of other upcoming opportunities for math teachers or students, please let us know.

Contact person: Sarah Gleason

Recent Activities

 

Problem Solving Cycle Teacher Leader Preparation Day

Problem Solving Cycle Teacher Leaders came together for the first Teacher Leader Preparation Day of the Spring Semester, TLP 2-1, on January 9th. Teacher Leaders worked within and across sites and grade levels to: revisit/revise their site learning questions; to reflect on the work and impact of the PSC; to plan a lesson with a focus on closure, and to design and rehearse their upcoming site PSC workshops. 

teachers collaborating at PSC TLP 2-1
Teachers collaborating at PSC TLP 2-1
Teacher Leaders reflected on their take-aways after experiencing a math activity with a focus on closure,

Complex Instruction Follow-Up Day

On January 15th, CI Cohort 11 came together for the second course follow-up day. This group of elementary, middle school, and high school math teachers thought together about how to help students recognize their brilliance and the brilliance of others by assigning competence. Teachers left with big ideas around how they can plan to assign competence, and how it is their responsibility to shine a light on the strengths that students don't always see in themselves and their classmates... yet! 

CI Cohort 11 teachers.
Happiness is thinking deeply with elementary, middle, and high school colleagues about how to recognize and build on the mathematical brilliance of all of our students!

Thankful for you and all that you do!

Twitter
Facebook
Website
This email was sent to << Test Email Address >> 
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 
SFUSD Math Department · 750 25th Ave · Curriculum and Instruction · San Francisco, CA 94121 · USA 






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
SFUSD Math Department · 750 25th Ave · Curriculum and Instruction · San Francisco, CA 94121 · USA

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp