ALWAYS FREE

Issue # 35

COHORT CORNER

D.C. REGION FOREIGN LANGUAGE / MARCH 28, 2011

Action Items
EMAIL RECENT ASSESSMENT RESULTS
Remember to send your students’ most updated exam
results to my gmail address.
SEND SUBSTITUTE PLANS
I’m adding a “sub plans” page to to DCFL. Please share
whatever you’ve used in the past to my gmail address!

Announcements
PD OFFICE HOURS

When: Sunday, April 3rd from 1-5:30pm

Where: Starbucks (3107 14th St NW, right off the

Columbia Heights metro stop)
UPCOMING PDS

When: Saturday, April 9th, Members of our cohort pose on the roof of Excellence Boys during

Where: Gallaudet University classrooms visits at Uncommon Schools

Resource Spotlight
SPANISH 1 AND 2 LP RESOURCES
Team Shout Outs


Save yourself time and get some new ideas for ways to Fareed Mostoufi: for allowing Michael Rabin: for sharing out


introduce content by downloading a zip folder of Michael me to stay with him after grad his awesome food unit


Rabin’s Intro/Spanish 1 Food Unit Resources or checking school. I can never repay him for resources!--Sasha


out what CMs have sent in for the Spanish 2 the stress and sleep that saves me


Shopping Unit AND for letting me print from his Tori and Meredith: for sharing
computer! --Sasha such great clothing unit and
SPANISH 1 FOOD UNIT PROJECTS fashion show resources! --Sasha


Looking for a fun way to reinforce Unit 4 content? Check Cambell Glenn: for always


out Sasha’s Menu project, Maria’s La Tasca project being so positive!--Corinne Maria Ramirez: for her share


(includes

some fun extra credit opportunities), and Liz out during PDS about paired


Stitzel’s FoodBook Profile project. Sasha, Indira, CJ, Trent, matamoscas. My kids LOVED it
SPANISH 2 CLOTHING UNIT PROJECTS Maria, Meredith A., and and were so invested in winning


Help students practice their writing skills and channel Joaquin: for an awesome PD day that they really nailed the


their creativity with Sasha’s LookBook Project (includes a at Uncommon in NYC - loved objective. GRACIAS!!--Campbell


helpful rubric) or help facilitate a memorable Spanish 2 seeing some amazing schools


fashion show with Meredith and Tori’s awesome together and loved the cohort Dan Minot: for always sending


resources (includes rubric and an alternative project) bonding time. - Campbell me a steady stream of awesome
TFANET MINI-VISIT Spanish 1 and 2 resources and for
Katie Tomlinson: for planning collaborating with Marylin around


Watch this TFAnet mini-visit to learn how Betsy an awesome field trip opportunity how to make his students’ trip to


introduces some strategies that have helped her students to a restaurant for her students so Costa Rica happen in 2012. His


improve their comprehension of passages in Spanish that they can practice using their latest batch of resources cover


(Vimeo version is viewable here) Spanish to order food. This is a the following topics; food and
CLASS CULTURE SURVEY great way to reinforce speaking drink preferences/frequency


Interested in gauging student investment and class culture? practice and build student words, Gustar/Encantar speaking


Pull questions from Lisa Stone’ survey to learn more investment in making use of the and writing practice, and clothing


about your students’ investment in college, your course, language.--Joaquin with conjugation in the preterite.


and more. --Joaquin
NEW DCFL VIRTUAL VISIT Kat, Meredith R., Tori, and


Watch how Indira uses a fun, kinesthetic drill to spiral old Marylin: for coming out last


content and provide students with fast-paced speaking Thursday night to support Betsy’s


practice. trip during her Happy Hour
Fundraiser at RFD. It was a great
BEYOND THE STANDARDS opportunity to connect with Please see SHOUT OUTS,


Go beyond the standards and teach students important everyone outside of the classroom next page


study skills, how to set personal goals, the importance of and also support a great cause.--


civic engagement, and how they can advocate for their Joaquin


education.
 SHOUT OUTS
continued from front page
Campbell Glenn: for spearheading an effort
to introduce a school-wide management plan at
EEJust that she picked up during our visits to
Uncommon Schools. Her ability to push
through school-wide changes is a testament to
the positive working relationships she has
cultivated at all levels of her school, by taking
what her principal refers to as a “team player”
approach.--Joaquin
Morgan Harcrow for her huge help for my
classroom and quality of life. To demonstrate
my appreciation: http://bigassmessage.com/a103
--CJ
Sasha Guevara: for successfully using
Virtual Visit to Morgan’s
‘positive framing’ to reinforce the student
behaviors she wants to see. This quick
execution adjustment has led to improvements
in student investment and class culture. Also,
thanks to Sasha for consistently sharing her
great resource finds with the cohort on our
cohort FaceBook group!--Joaquin
Cullen White: for helping his students
succeed with higher-order thinking and writing
skills through his introduction of a document-
based essay. He has also helped to make his
content come alive by planning and taking his
students to various sites throughout the
Capitol. --Joaquin
Meredith Ackerman: for sharing her
glogster project!--Sasha
Meredith Rosenberg: for receiving an offer
to teach Spanish at DC Prep and to be a CMA
at Institute! Both opportunities are a testament
to the tremendous effort and time she has put
into taking her teaching to the next level during
her 2nd year.--Joaquin
Amanda Gewirtz: for consistently and
effectively implementing a new clipboard system
with her most challenging mod to hold them
accountable to high expectations for behavior.
Making this mid-year addition has led to a
visible turnaround in classroom management.--
Joaquin
Hillary Coleman: for successfully launching
our cohort’s first-ever novel study unit with her
native speakers and for sharing all of her
Spanish 2 and 3 grammar resources with our
cohort for topics like preterite v. imperfect and
stem-changers. Notably, one of our region’s ELA
PDs was so impressed by her most recent
novel study lesson that she said it ‘rivaled the
best ELA-style lesson that she has seen all year.’
Her planning success is a product of the extra
hours she has put into learning an entirely new
style of lesson planning, which she has
undertaken to scaffold her students’
development of essential literacy skills that they
will need in college and beyond.--Joaquin
Betsy Leach: for going beyond the
curriculum to teach her students the
importance of self-advocacy and working hard
Top 10 Most
to teach her students important reading
comprehension strategies that are helping them
them break down the meaning of texts in Viewed Videos
Spanish and English. Check out a quick TFAnet
mini-visit of her teaching her students one set
of reading strategies, and also check out the
shout out she received in TFAnet’s FL content
community for her dedication to teaching her
students important literacy skills through a
foreign language!--Joaquin
Indira Cruz: for quickly implementing new
strategies and techniques that she observed in
excellent teachers’ classrooms during our
cohort’s recent trip to Uncommon Schools in
Brooklyn. Her application of one Spanish
teacher’s “Repaso Oral” drill has already
inspired several CMs in our cohort to try this
strategy in their own classrooms.--Joaquin
1.
Classroom
CJ Libassi: for doing whatever it takes to
take his teaching to the next level. Recently,
he filmed himself to get quick feedback and
2. Sr. Minot Introduces
Writer’s Workshop
also reflect independently on his teaching,
overhauled his scope and sequence for
elementary students, and worked with me to 3. The Joy Factor with Ms.
refine his lesson and unit planning skills. His Cruz
focus on improving is going to pay dividends
by the time he reaches June and when he plans
for a strong start to his 2nd year. --Joaquin
4. Ms. Earnshaw’s Strong
Management and Culture
Marylin Rodriguez: for reaching out to a
first year with advice on how she has used
stations to differentiate her instruction, readily
5 .100 Pe rc e n t ( T LAC
sharing advice to CMs who are interested in
resource)
taking their students abroad, and for
volunteering to spearhead a teacher video- 6. Do Not Engage (TLAC
sharing initiative at her school that she hopes resource)
will drive teacher development at her school.--
Joaquin
7. Keys to Engaging Lessons
Paul Stewart: for strategically monitoring
student understanding during guided practice, 8. High Expectations for
addressing those misunderstandings with Behavior
individual students, and then remediating for
common student errors before he transitions
into independent practice. Doing so allows 9. J-Factor (TLAC resource)
him to address students’ content gaps before
they complete their independent work. He has
also done a fantastic job of implementing
10. No Opt Out (TLAC
individual consequences with greater resource)
consistency and uses the target language
throughout his lessons, which increases the
rigor level of his class.--Joaquin
Maria Ramirez: for firing on all cylinders
with regard to execution during my most
recent observation. She facilitated strong
transitions, implemented consequences with
impressive consistency, addressed off-task
students with a firm but non-abrasive tone,
and refused to engage with protesting
students. These actions led to two visible
wins: 100% do now completion by her 6th
graders and strong student participation
during her speaking activity.--Joaquin