SCMSA 2012

Shake, Rattle, & Roll

Session # I
CEU # 1212
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Time: 10:45-11:30
Room #: 208

Looking for a way to motivate your students, improve learning, and promote literacy across the curriculum? Join us as we share our experience with creating interdisciplinary units! Interdisciplinary teaching is said to increase student motivation and improve learning when utilized correctly. In conjunction with the Center of Excellence in Middle-Level, Interdisciplinary Strategies for Teaching (CE-MIST) Program at the University of South Carolina-Aiken, the 8th grade team at Busbee Corbett Elementary Middle School is working to do just that. We will discuss the benefits of interdisciplinary teaching, our work with the CE-MIST program at USC-Aiken, the process we used to create our interdisciplinary unit(s), and the unit(s) we've created. We will provide detailed handouts for participants. It is our hope that teachers leave with a better understanding of interdisciplinary units and how to implement them in their schools.

Presenters:

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Links:

Shake, Rattle, & Roll Presentation
Grade 8 Shake Rattle & Roll Unit Plan, Lesson Plans, & Resources
Busbee Corbett Elementary Middle School
Center of Excellence in Middle-level, Interdisciplinary Strategies for Teaching (CE-MIST)

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RAFTing with Raptors: Using Informational Text to Connect Science and ELA and Meet Common Core Standards

Session # III
CEU # 1244
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Time: 12:45-1:30
Room #: 208

Silent flight, a curved, hooked beak and sharp, powerful talons are some of the adaptations that enable birds of prey to survive at the topof the food chain. In this session, participants will get an up-close look at several raptors, including owls and hawks, as we compare and contrast their physical characteristics and adaptations. We will handle wing and talon specimens and use field guides to analyze information, make logical inferences, and cite specific evidence to support conclusions drawn from the text. We will show how using a RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) strategy encourages creative thinking and demonstrates a thoughtful, in-depth understanding of a topic in a nontraditional yet informational written format. Participants will receive access to examples of Life Science/Language Arts connections, samples of several Interdisciplinary RAFTs, and a RAFT rubric. This session is sponsored by the South Carolina Center of Excellence in Middle-level Interdisciplinary Strategies for Teaching (CE-MIST) . The purpose of CE-MIST is to develop and model state-of-the-art in-service and pre-service teacher training programs that concentrate on interdisciplinary curriculum development and implementation at the middle school level. CE-MIST is made possible under a grant from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education under the auspices of the Education Improvement Act (EIA) Teacher Education Centers of Excellence Grant Program.

Presenters:

Deborah McMurtrie
Jennifer Craig
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Links:

PowerPoint Presentation
Handout with Activities and Rubric

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Medieval Times: An Interdisciplinary Unit

Session # IV
CEU # 1258
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Time: 1:45-2:30
Room #: 206

Join us as we share our experience with creating a "Medieval Times" interdisciplinary unit that increases student motivation, improves learning, and promotes literacy across the curriculum.

Presenters:
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Links:
Grade 6 Medieval Times Unit Plan, Lesson Plans & Resources
Busbee Corbett Elementary Middle School
Center of Excellence in Middle-level, Interdisciplinary Strategies for Teaching (CE-MIST)

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Technical Writing in Mathematics

Session # V
CEU # 1272
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Time: 2:45-3:30
Room #: 204

Participants will work with math standard 8-5.6 (accuracy and precision with measurements) in conjunction with the 8th grade Common Core standards for technical writing.

Presenters:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Links:

Busbee Corbett Elementary Middle School
Center of Excellence in Middle-level, Interdisciplinary Strategies for Teaching (CE-MIST)