Are you struggling to find complex texts for your science or social studies class?  The Common Core states that students should be reading complex texts, but how do you know whether or not you have chosen a challenging or complex text?  Typically when people hear “complex texts” they think of choosing a text with a higher readability level, however, there are various other factors to take into consideration when choosing an appropriate complex text for your students.


1.       Choose a text with both challenging or unfamiliar domain-specific words as well as academic vocabulary.  Typically the domain-specific words found in science and social studies texts are complex, so you may need to focus more on finding a text with unfamiliar academic terms.

Jamie Edwards, the Spanish Teacher at Hinsdale, engages her 8th through 12th grade students in their own learning by utilizing a Voicethread account, a Voicethread App and ipads for each student.  Her project-based Learning approach allows each student to research and present their own project about a Spanish-speaking country.  Mrs. Edwards also puts her lessons, and other visual materials, on Voicethread...recording her voice as well as using the “ipevo” camera for capturing her instruction. She also uploads images and Powerpoint slides.  This enables differentiation of instruction and help for individual students as they list their concerns and questions on their “Pasaporte” exit slip at the end of the day.  The teacher can find the resource she needs at a moment’s notice and review any information the student was unsure of.

Some comments I heard from students were:

 “the ipad turns on quickly so there no waste of instruction time.”

“This research has expanded my Spanish vocabulary and showed me places I have never seen before.”

“This is more hands-on and a better study tactic.”

By:  Maggie Jensen, Staff Specialist Media

October 25th was a different kind of Superintendent’s Day for the teachers at Cattaraugus-Little Valley High School (CLV).  Instead of traditional meetings, teachers participated in a Technology Summit, where they were able to discover and test out new pieces of technology in which the District and Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES had invested.

Starting with an opening presentation on technology in education, Brian Crawford, Program Manager of Learning Resources at BOCES, and Scott Michienzi, Director of Technology at CLV, framed the day for the teachers, explaining how they would have three one-hour sessions in the morning, during which they could select from targeted workshops.  These workshops included “Using Google Docs to Track Data” by BOCES Staff Specialist Mark Carls, “Web 2.0 Tools and Streaming Video” by Brian Crawford, “New and Cool Updates in PowerSchool” by Scott Michienzi, beginner and intermediate sessions on utilizing iPads in classrooms by Erie 1’s Rob Miller, and “Highlighting Apex Learning and Adobe Connect” by CA BOCES’ Betsy Hardy.

Have you ever searched and hunted a listserv for the SED memo you knew existed at one point in time?  Well, we're trying to take the hunt out of your search.  Feel free to access our list of 2013-14 NYSED memos at the following link:

1.  Visit: http://www.caboces.org/iss
2.  Click on "2013-14 NYSED Memos"
3.  Enjoy.

The CABOCES Learning Resource Team would like to share a few resources your teachers may find useful about the upcoming Olympics. Please forward this to those teachers you feel it may be applicable to in your building.  

1.  We are mailing out today a DVD with several clips about the Olympics to each school library.   

2.  Be sure to check out Learn 360 for some great video resources too.  Learn 360 can be accessed by our schools via our website:  http://caboces.org/iss/resources-new 

3.  Here are our choices for The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: