Elementary Education
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Morning Session – 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Lunch – 11:15 a.m. – 11:4 5a.m.
Afternoon Session 1 – 11:50 a.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Afternoon Session 2 – 1 - 2 p.m.
Pre-K – Thomas Komp, Principal, Boulevard School, GESD
The Pre-K program for the conference day will include a
discussion of the various educational programs that are
currently being used throughout our BOCES.
Each
participant should bring his/her teacher manuals and/or program
literature so we can share and discuss what is currently being
used.
Kindergarten – Anne Christiano, Principal, Warren Street, GJSD
Share kindergarten screening materials from all districts and
discuss kindergarten report cards.
Each participant should bring his/her screening materials and
report cards.
First Grade – Alicia Henry, Principal, Fonda-Fultonville
Elementary School, FFSD
Overview of the Voyager Universal Literacy System at first grade
and the use of effective station activities to support reading
instruction. Time will be spent sharing ideas for station
activities to add to current reading programs.
Second Grade – Steve Pavone, Principal, Park Terrace Elementary
School, GESD
4 - 25 min. sessions on Using Read Alouds, strategies and
techniques for fact memorization, writing to read, overview of
Tiny Tigers/Zero Tolerance.
Third
Grade – Virginia Nyahay, Principal, East Hill Elementary, CCS
The 3rd grade session will focus on learning from each other and
sharing best practices. The morning will begin with a
conversation about reading programs and daily instruction.
Participants will be divided into small groups and the
facilitator will share a list of discussion questions. The
morning will also touch on topics that include math, science and
social studies instruction as well as report cards.
All
3rd grade teachers are asked to bring a copy of their district's
report card.
Fourth Grade – Rob DeLilli, Superintendent, WUFSD
Fourth grade teachers will share their expertise and a favorite
lesson from their repertoire. Ultimately, each participant will
leave with a resource bank of ideas covering ELA, science, Math,
and Social Studies provided by their HFM colleagues.
Fifth Grade – Roger Bowley, Principal, Harry Hoag Elementary,
FPCSD
All 5th grade teachers will be divided into small groups to
participate in sessions on math (pre-March topics; state
assessment preparation methods), ELA (state assessment
preparation methods; instructional methods for struggling
readers and writers), science, and social studies. Teachers
should be prepared to share a math pre-March lesson, one lesson
on reading or writing, and methods/lessons for state assessment
preparation. Teachers should bring their science textbook, if
one is used.
Sixth Grade – Quinn Sitterly, 6th Grade Teacher and Tracy
Ringer, Teacher Assistant, PleasantAvenue, Laura Lakata, Teacher
Assistant, Warren Street, Karen Raspanti, Teacher Assistant,
Glebe Street, GJSD
Teachers will learn how to create an excellent and exciting
review game for any subject area with PowerPoint Jeopardy.
Students will be motivated and eager to participate in class.
1. Academic Intervention Services – Christine Brown, Title I
Teacher, NCSD and Carla Williams, AIS Teacher, NCSD
This interactive round table discussion is designed to share AIS
strategies that work, both for academic and non-academic issues.
2.
Arts in Ed and Exploratory Enrichment Round Table – Anne Niles,
4th Grade Teacher, Boulevard School, GESD
This session will provide an opportunity for educators to share
their experiences with various Arts in Education programs.
Teachers will share programs that have been effective in helping
students attain the state learning standards through an
alternative method. The website https://artsineddirectory.org
will be demonstrated. Teachers will learn the difference between
using Arts in Education and Exploratory Enrichment in order to
receive BOCES aid for field trips and presentations. Teachers
who are experienced AIE users and those who are novices are
welcome to attend.
3. Aspergers-Autism in Your Classroom – Patti Muselbeck and
AnnaMarie Neri, Special Education Teachers, HFM BOCES
Children on the autisum spectrum frequently have difficulty
transitioning, attending, focusing, organizing and appropriately
processing/interpreting sensory information. The purpose of this
workshop is to provide strategies including the use of social
stories, sensory stories, visual schedules and choice boards to
name a few. After a brief overview, the session will focus on
practical ways to minimize behaviors and improve attention to
task so as to increase learning.
4. Authorfest Planning – Member of the GESD Authorfest Committee
Want to really help your students understand "author's purpose"?
Introduce them to the author! Learn how to bring noteworthy
authors and illustrators to your district, and how to organize
and publicize an event that will meet ELA standards in an
unforgettable way.
5. Brain Research – Stephen Dana, Secondary Curriculum Director,
GFCSD
“A penny for your thoughts," the old cliché goes. For an
educator, having access to a student's thoughts would be
priceless: To search the depths of their memories, the
significant events in their lives, their interests, fears, and
perspectives on life. Such information would surely guarantee
academic success for all students. Thanks to modern-day scanning
technologies, today's scientists are peering into the human
brain and unlocking the mysteries of how the brain functions.
The implications for educators and society in general are huge.
In this session, participants will learn how the human brain
processes information to make sense and meaning. We will also
explore the latest research regarding gender differences, brain
development, and factors that contribute to effective classroom
instruction.
6.
Breakfast Club and the Periodic Pageant: Creative Programs for
Intermediate Students – Nancy Lisicki, 4TH Grade Teacher, Warren
Street Teacher, and Quinn Sitterly, 6th Grade Teacher, Pleasant
Avenue, GJSD
Breakfast Club
Keeping up with homework has its benefits for Nancy Lisicki's
fourth grade students. At Warren Street ES, Nancy started the
"Breakfast Club" which rewards students who have completed their
homework for the entire month. Come and learn about Nancy's
experiences and how you might start a similar program with your
class.
Periodic Table of Elements Pageant
Science in sixth grade really is fun! At Pleasant Avenue ES,
students in Quinn Sitterly's science classes participate in a
Periodic Table of Elements Pageant. Each student chooses an
element, creates a costume to represent their element, and then
competes for the honor of being crowned, "Mr./Miss Element".
Interested?? Come and find out more details.
7. Classroom Management – Mike Ponticello, Principal, McNab/Meco
Elementary Schools, GESD
One of the critical areas in facilitating teaching and learning
is good classroom management. We will be looking at this topic
from the perspective of the organization of routine tasks, as
well as the proactive use of discipline. This will include how
to establish efficient routines for all daily tasks and needs,
preparing materials in advance, as well as organizing classroom
space efficiently. Further, we will identify and evaluate
behavior enhancement techniques and skills that begin with the
awareness of the activities in the classroom, anticipating
potential problems, understanding the context of the behavior,
and addressing the behaviors when they occur. We will emphasize
the need for balance in classroom activities to promote student
motivation.
8.
Data 101: Finding the Useful Information, Stacy Ward, Data
Analyst, HFM BOCES and Frank Pickus, Data Coordinator, GESD
Teachers are invited to work with the data from the 2006-2007
NYS English Language Arts assessments. This session is a
hands-on experience and district specific data will be available
for all teachers who register. Participants will review and
interpret assessment results in order to better inform
instruction. We will work together to identify regional student
trends and discuss curricular implications.
9.
Drop-Out Prevention Begins with You - Cobleskill-Richmond School
District
Dropping out is not just a high school issue. Come learn how
prevention can begin at the elementary level. Presenters from
Cobleskill-Richmond School District will share practical
strategies and information during this session.
10. Dyslexic Learner: Strategies to Help Children with Learning
Disabilities or Dyslexia – Susan Naple, Training Specialist,
SETRC, HFM BOCES
Practical strategies to increase the achievement of students
with learning disabilities will be the focus of this session.
Participants will be actively involved in hands on
demonstrations of various techniques and supports for students
who struggle. Daily instructional activities will be emphasized
and staff will receive supportive documentation and resources
for follow-up.
Limit: 25 Participants
11. Generational Poverty in Your Classroom – Greta Smith,
Retired CSE Chairperson, FPCSD
Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D. is well known for her book, A Framework for
Understanding Poverty. This workshop will provide an overview of
how living in a culture of poverty impacts students' ability to
learn. Participants will take part in a "Make-and-Take Workshop"
where they will collect strategies that can help these students
learn how to learn. Materials that can be used with students at
all age levels in both general and special education programs
will be developed. Participants will be given information about
the cognitive learning process that can be used effectively with
all students.
12. Gifted & Talented Enrichment – Sherry Dixon, Retired Gifted
& Talented Teacher, MCSD
Students with high ability are often rewarded with additional
supplementary work or independent study rather than being
challenged with better and more interesting work that encourages
curiosity and a love of learning. This workshop is designed to
present teaching strategies that provide these talented and
gifted students with course work and activities that equally
motivate and interest them. Learning centers will be used to
provide an array of challenging math experiences that are fun
and valuable.
13. Guided Reading – Paula Malagisi, Literacy Coach, McNab-Meco
Elementary Schools, GESD
After this session, participants will be able to define “guided
reading” and identify critical features of effective literacy
instruction with the Guided Reading Center. As part of this
process, we will explore a variety of tools that facilitate the
success of this program.
14. Handhelds in the Classroom – Francis Kwiatkowski, 5th Grade
Teacher, WUFSD
The participants will each have a handheld to use during this
technology integration session. Handheld's (Palm's, PDA's) can
be used for more than keeping appointments. Word processing, art
work, learning games, e-books, Internet and interactive lessons
can be used on this versatile, cost-effective technology. Learn
how this tool can motivate students.
Limit: 25 Participants
15. Head Games: Using Fun Activities to Build and Assess
Students’ Brain Power, Rob Mark, SETRC Coordinator, HFM BOCES
Students can be hard-to-reach, hard-to-teach, and
hard-to-understand. Changing the instructional repertoire can
help address these barriers. Participants in this session will
view and experience games, activities, and resources that, in
the hands of a teacher, will interest and educate more students,
more often. The ideas demonstrated, many of which require
minimal preparation and can be used again and again, will
include examples for the high-tech, the low-tech, and the
no-tech teacher.
16. Home and School Communication – Paul Cuttica, Teacher and
Vanessa Sheppard, 2nd Grade Teacher at Pleasant Avenue, GJSD
This session will present practical ideas and samples of ways to
increase home and school communication. Geared to elementary
grade teachers, fostering an atmosphere of openness and honesty
between home and school will be stressed.
17. iMovie in the Classroom – Shawna Fleck, AIS Teacher,
Edinburg School and Randy Teetz, Superintendent, Edinburg School
Producing movies and documentaries can be an exciting and
engaging activity for your students! Tips for working with
students, as well as student-produced examples of integrating
iMovie into daily instruction will be shared.
18. Increasing Parental Involvement – Rich Capel, Principal,
Barkley Elementary, GASD
We all know that parent involvement helps students achieve in
school. Research shows that children benefit when parents
actively support their education. We will explore “what works”
in regard to parental involvement. Discussion will focus on
elements of effective practice, ten ideas that work in
increasing parent/family involvement, and parent centers.
Building and sustaining better relationships among schools,
parents and the community means rethinking parent involvement;
paying careful attention to who becomes involved, why they
become involved, and how to reach the parents who don’t usually
become involved.
19. Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom – Brain DiPasquale,
4th Grade Teacher, Boulevard School, GESD
Interactive whiteboards (also known by their brand names as
SMART Boards, ActivBoards or Mimeos) are an incredible tool to
use in the classroom. Interactive whiteboards include a
"touch-sensitive projection screen" with which you can navigate
the computer rather than using a keyboard or mouse. Come learn
how this tool has been successfully integrated into an
elementary classroom at Boulevard ES with sample lessons and
best practices.
20. Managing Literacy Learning Centers – Jane Parsons,
Principal, and Rosanne Plumadore, Building Reading Coach,
Kingsborough Elementary, GESD
This interactive workshop will include:
• Setting up productive centers
• How to manage student behaviors during independent center time
• Assessing student learning
The
presenters will contact participants prior to the workshop to
see where interests and needs lie for the group as a whole in
order to formulate guided discussion questions. A
bibliography/packet will be available for participants after the
workshop.
Limit: 40 Participants
21. Meeting Individual Needs in the Classroom – Dr. Brooks,
Retired Administrator
What really works in student learning – Helping ALL students
achieve. This workshop will identify the key variables that
account for student learning. It will help you find practical
ways to utilize these variables to assist your students in
achieving higher learning standards.
22. Non-Fiction Books – William Crankshaw, Principal, Glebe
Street, GJSD and Barbara Germain, Director, Johnstown Public
Library
“Just the Facts, Ma’am”
Learn how the public library in your community can help you to
help your students with Non-Fiction reading comprehension. Ideas
for creative cooperation between public library and public
school will be presented using appropriate illustrations of
non-fiction materials that will really spark your student’s
enthusiasm and success for reading and comprehending
non-fiction.
23. PowerPoints for the Primary Grades – Peg Snyder, 3rd Grade
Teacher, McNab School, GESD
It is difficult for most elementary teachers to find the time
for science instruction in the midst of all the time that is
required to teach ELA and math. This session will show teachers
how to use PowerPoint slide shows to deliver science education
that is targeted directly at the standards using an effective
method in a limited amount of time.
25. Reading First Strategies – Shannon Loveland, Reading First
Coordinator, Curie Institute of Engineering and Communications,
GASD
This presentation will include information and visual
demonstrations of what current research shows to be the best
practices in teaching the five main components of literacy. The
five main components are phonemic awareness, phonics,
vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The discussion will
provide information on how to use small groups to differentiate
instruction and how to use centers to support whole group
instruction. Center ideas and clips of teachers demonstrating
lessons will also be provided.
26. Reading Fluency –Lisa Ianuzzi and Mandy Szwarnowicz, Reading
Specialists, Tecler Elementary, GASD
Learn how to help your students become more confident, fluent
readers by using Readers’ Theater.
27. Response to Intervention – Thomas Komp, Principal, Boulevard
School, GESD
Learn what RTI is and isn’t. We will discuss how RTI can be
implemented in your building and classroom and how to use
consistent formative assessment to improve instruction. This
session is meant for classroom teachers, reading specialists and
administrators.
28. Sputnik and Bugs: Real World Science – Museum Educator,
Schenectady Museum and Planetarium
Did you know that 2007 is the 50th anniversary of Sputnik? Come
learn what the Schenectady Museum and Planetarium is doing to
celebrate this milestone. In addition, learn about one of their
most popular programs for first through third grade students:
Wow... Bugs! In this hands-on program, students create a bug
that teaches them about basic insect biology and adaptive color
schemes.
29. Teach Smarter – Cheryl Miller, Middle Special Education
Teacher, NCSD
Want to teach smarter? Want to increase motivation and
comprehension with active learning? You will receive ready to
use ideas to motivate and encourage your students. This workshop
will provide information based on the brain research by Dr. Eric
Jensen.
30. Throughout the Ages: An Innovative Web-Based Social Studies
Tool, Julie Daniels, Coordinator of Educational Programs, NYS
Archives
Come learn about Throughout the Ages, the NYS Archives'
web-based visual document resource. This teacher-created portal
has over 400 digital images that are easily accessible and
geared for Pre-K through 6th grade classrooms. An innovative
component of this web resource is the "Build Your Own Worksheet"
tool. Teachers are able to select documents and determine the
exact information to accompany the image, including the ability
to write individualized captions, historical background
information and questions. This is a rich resource that you will
be sure to find immediate use for in your classroom.
31. Vocabulary Round Table – Greg Pace, Principal, BP
Intermediate School, BPSD
Word knowledge is among the most critical pieces of language
development. Children who develop a substantial vocabulary are
often able to think more deeply, express themselves better, and
learn new things more quickly. In addition to being successful
at learning to read, they are more likely to read at or above
grade level throughout their school years (Canizares, 2007).
The
book, For the Love of Words, focuses on the importance of
developing a robust vocabulary, the developmental aspects of
vocabulary learning, understanding approaches to teaching
vocabulary, and a framework and strategies for direct
instruction. It also includes effective ideas on planning for
incidental learning experiences, creating a customized word
list, deciding when and how to introduce new words, and
assessing students’ progress. The book shows how to tailor
instruction to various grades and features a comprehensive
reference list of essential words students should master to meet
K-6 content and learning standards. Elementary teachers will
find this research-based resource brimming with systematic
guidance for helping students understand word meanings,
developing strategies for acquiring new vocabulary, and passing
on the “love of words.”
Teachers are asked to bring best practices/lessons of student
vocabulary development.
32. Writer’s Workshop – Teresa LaFountain, Principal, BP Primary
School, BPSD
Writer’s workshop is a developmental writing approach which
seeks to make writing a lifelong habit for children. This
workshop approach motivates students to write. Student’s writing
is supported through planned/intentional teaching and authentic
writing.
Session A (11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m.): Nuts and Bolts of a
Writer’s Workshop (Novices)
This session will cover the fundamentals of Writer’s Workshop,
structuring and managing the workshop and using children’s
literature as mentor texts.
Session B (1-2 p.m.): Building Your Writer’s Workshop Program
(Anyone)
This session will provide an opportunity to meet with grade
level teachers to plan units of study, design mini-lessons and
discuss how to confer with writers.
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