The Group Plan

NOTE: This storybook includes a read-aloud option which is accessible on Google and IOS devices. Catch up with Ellie, Jesse, Molly, and Evan on a field trip to a farm in storybook 2 of the We Thinkers! Vol. 1 social emotional learning curriculum for ages 4-7. What an adventure as they learn what a group plan is and why it’s important to follow the group plan instead of their own individual plans if they want to get important things done as part of a group—like picking apples, collecting fresh eggs, carrying pails of milk—as they work together with Grandma to make a delicious apple pie and fresh ice cream. These young social learners find out that it’s fun and feels good to share thoughts, follow the group plan, and think about others, which makes everyone feel calm and comfortable. Continue building on this important social concept with the fundamental concepts taught in storybooks 3-10, which align with the corresponding teaching units within the related curriculum. Best practice: teach these concepts in order, starting with storybook 1 of 10 while using the corresponding curriculum.

NOTE: This storybook includes a read-aloud option that is accessible on Google and IOS devices. Jesse, Evan, Ellie, and Molly explore the ocean bottom, learn what it means to have your body in the group, and discover why it’s a key element of successful social interactions. In storybook 4 of the We Thinkers! Vol. 1 social emotional learning curriculum for ages 4-7, the four friends observe how some sea creatures like fish, sea turtles, and jellyfish swim in groups—and others, like a big toothy shark—are not in a group. They discover how to find just the right distance between each other to feel comfortable and happy, and when they each keep their bodies in the group, it sends a silent message that they’re interested in the others and are following the same group plan. Yikes! Finding a big shark in a dark cave is definitely not part of the group plan! Continue building on this important social concept with the fundamental concepts taught in storybooks 5-10, which align with the corresponding teaching units within the related curriculum. Best practice: teach these concepts in order, starting with storybook 1 of 10 while using the corresponding curriculum.

"Text first published in 1990 by Children's Press, Inc."

What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in today's high-stakes, standards-based environment? Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have greatly revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K-16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum. Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, this new edition of Understanding by Design offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.

Moira’s afraid her parents might get upset if they find out she invited the whole school to her birthday party... so she just doesn’t tell them. The big day arrives, and grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, annnnd kindergarten all come knocking down her door. Before long, the house is a total disaster and Moira’s parents are going crazy trying to figure out how to get enough pizzas and birthday cake to feed everyone. Just leave it to Moira—she’ll figure it all out, and even get the house cleaned up in the process! A newly designed Classic Munsch picture book introduces this charming tale of the world’s most boisterous birthday to a new generation of young readers.

Effective and practical coaching strategies for new educators plus valuable online coaching tools Many teachers are only observed one or two times per year on average—and, even among those who are observed, scarcely any are given feedback as to how they could improve. The bottom line is clear: teachers do not need to be evaluated so much as they need to be developed and coached. In Get Better Faster: A 90-Day Plan for Coaching New Teachers, Paul Bambrick-Santoyo shares instructive tools of how school leaders can effectively guide new teachers to success. Over the course of the book, he breaks down the most critical actions leaders and teachers must take to achieve exemplary results. Designed for coaches as well as beginning teachers, Get Better Faster is an integral coaching tool for any school leader eager to help their teachers succeed. Get Better Faster focuses on what's practical and actionable which makes the book's approach to coaching so effective. By practicing the concrete actions and micro-skills listed in Get Better Faster, teachers will markedly improve their ability to lead a class, producing a steady chain reaction of future teaching success. Though focused heavily on the first 90 days of teacher development, it's possible to implement this work at any time. Junior and experienced teachers alike can benefit from the guidance of Get Better Faster while at the same time closing existing instructional gaps. Featuring valuable and practical online training tools available at http://www.wiley.com/go/getbetterfaster, Get Better Faster provides agendas, presentation slides, a coach's guide, handouts, planning templates, and 35 video clips of real teachers at work to help other educators apply the lessons learned in their own classrooms. Get Better Faster will teach you: The core principles of coaching: Go Granular; Plan, Practice, Follow Up, Repeat; Make Feedback More Frequent Top action steps to launch a teacher’s development in an easy-to-read scope and sequence guide It also walks you through the four phases of skill building: Phase 1 (Pre-Teaching): Dress Rehearsal Phase 2: Instant Immersion Phase 3: Getting into Gear Phase 4: The Power of Discourse Perfect for new educators and those who supervise them, Get Better Faster will also earn a place in the libraries of veteran teachers and school administrators seeking a one-stop coaching resource.

Three brothers struggle to stay together after their parents' death, as they search for an identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society in which they find themselves outsiders.