With the pause created by the Covid 19 pandemic, the Learning Resources department is, now more than ever, responsive to our districts needs. 

By: Alex Free, CA BOCES Learning Resources

By: Clay Nolan, CA BOCES Learning Resources

When I took this photo, I had no idea that school would be closed and the world would be suffering a pandemic. My thoughts were centered on capturing the vision of growing leaders that Friendship Central School strives to achieve.  The district believes that each person involved in the school has unique gifts and talents.  Teachers, students, staff members and the school community have many opportunities to use their talents and grow into the person they are meant to become.  In my mind, that’s the mission of education and it happens by becoming a lifelong learner. 

​Throughout this pandemic, I have had the unique opportunity to watch teachers transform their teaching from a face to face environment where daily interactions with students are the norm to a virtual and remote world.  The challenges of living in a rural area where internet and cell service are often labeled “unstable” or “not available” can be overwhelming.  However, future leaders saw this an opportunity for growth.

At Friendship Central School, teachers model a life of caring for others and giving of self to better the world.  They demonstrate this value on a daily basis evidenced in classroom communities.  Students are taught to give a little piece of their heart each day because it brings joy to self and others.  Now, in the uncertainty of a crisis, Lindsey Weaver, Kindergarten teacher at Friendship, continues to model selfless service by growing her knowledge and sharing it with others. 
​
In the district, Lindsey was instrumental in showing teachers the possibilities available when moving to an online platform.  Leadership is about being brave and taking risks when faced with a challenge.  Friendship Central School allows each member the opportunity to take a risk by creating a safe environment where risk-taking is valued.  Lindsey’s willingness to be vulnerable during a crisis gave many other teachers the courage to try new ways of communicating with students and families.  In just a few short weeks, Lindsey presented ideas to the Cattaraugus-Allegany region as well as in specific local districts.  She has inspired joy and creativity between teachers, students, and families. 
Even though we are in unprecedented times, Friendship Central School is still truly a place where its members are invited to learn and grow.  All it takes is the courage to move in that direction.  

By: Michelle Rickicki, CA BOCES Professional Development

"Far too many students come to school with small vocabularies. This is a big deal: the size of a child's vocabulary is an accurate predictor of academic achievement and even upward mobility over the course of a lifetime (Hirsch, 2013)." - 101 Strategies to make Academic Vocabulary Stick.
​
March left districts tackling unprecedented times as they worked to transition from  classroom environments to creating work packets and delivering instruction online. As  teachers navigate this unknown territory, this article means to highlight three ways to  incorporate vocabulary instruction utilizing the video conferencing tool Zoom. While  determining which vocabulary to focus on keep in mind the following information, according to  the New York State Education Department principles of effective vocabulary instruction  include:   

• Use of content-based, thematic unites of study that include rich text.
• Choosing a small set of academic vocabulary words to teach.
• Using multiple modalities, formats and methods.
• Unlocking language by developing word-learning strategies.
• Organizing thematic units within an instructional cycle.

In 101 Strategies to Make Academic Vocabulary Stick, Sprenger speaks to the three  stages of the Memory Process. The stages include Encoding, Storage and Retrieval. Encoding  is the first stage of building long term memory and the author notes that vocabulary  instruction at this stage is meant to pique the students interest, motivate and engage them.  Here are three strategies (adapted from ​101 Strategies to make Academic Vocabulary Stick)   that focus on the Encoding process and can be incorporated within a Zoom session.  

Encoding Strategies:
    ● Story Impressions
○ This is a pre-reading activity meant to spark curiosity. This  will make reading the upcoming content more meaningful and  help students with comprehension. 
○ Choose keywords from a story or chapter, keeping them in  the same order in which they appear.   
○ Provide the list visually (word doc, whiteboard, etc.) for  students by sharing your screen during a zoom lesson. 
○ Go over brief definitions/descriptions and then either whole  group, small group (breakout sessions) or individually have students use the  words in a made-up story with a beginning, middle and end. 

● Word Up 
○ This strategy helps students hone in on their  listening skills and highlight important vocabulary.   
○ Zoom participants would be placed in Gallery View, so  everyone could be seen at the same time (think Brady  Bunch).   
○ Identify 1-2 words you would like students to write  separately on a piece of paper or an index card.   
​○ While you are reading aloud, whenever the students  hear the appropriate word they would lift the paper  or index card.  ​

● Word Expert Cards 
○ Before beginning new content, create a vocabulary list, including the page  number where each word appears or online resources for them to access.   
○ Divide your class so that there are 3-4 students in a group.   
○ Give each group 2-3 vocabulary words. Students in each group are responsible  for learning those words and then teaching them to the other groups.   
○ Using the breakout group feature, have students with the same words discuss  the best student created definition, its part of speech, the sentence from the  text where it appears, illustration, and a made-up sentence by the group. 
○ Move from group to group to check on accuracy. Then switch breakout groups  and have those ‘word experts’ teach their words to other members of the class  that had different words.   
○ This will take planning ahead to determine the best breakout groups and  movement by the teacher throughout the groups to encourage participation and  on-task behavior. 

Let's work together to help increase our students' vocabulary and ultimately have a positive impact on 'academic achievement and upward mobility over the course of a lifetime.'

For additional vocabulary strategies or questions, please reach out to jessica_rose@caboces.org or tessa_levitt@caboces.org.

By: Jessica Rose, CA BOCES Professional Development

Resources: 
Hallmark 4 of Advanced Literacies Instruction: Academic Vocabulary and Langauge 
http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/nov-8-nys_brief-6-of-8_-summer-2017_-hallmark-4-vocab _final_2.pdf-a.pdf  

Sprenger, M. (2017) 101 Strategies to make Academic Vocabulary Stick. ASCD