For the third consecutive summer, the Department of Curriculum and Instruction will offer summer professional learning for ACPS teachers K-12. Course offerings will provide teachers with the knowledge, skills and materials to meet the needs of our students. A major focus in all sessions will be differentiation strategies for diverse student populations. All courses are aligned to the goals outlined in the ACPS 2020 Strategic Plan and provide participants with skills and tools to ensure that Every Student Succeeds.
To view all offerings or to sign up for courses, please log into the PLMS website.
This week’s highlighted courses:
Family Life Education Teacher Certification Course: Human Sexuality
Are you interested in gaining useful skills and content knowledge that will help you effectively teach the Family Life Education (FLE) curriculum? ACPS teachers who will be delivering FLE content to students are required to take the Human Sexuality for Educators course. This course will take a closer look at FLE materials and resources with a goal of building participant confidence and knowledge-base when delivering this sensitive but meaningful content. It will be taught by the Human Growth and Development Department Chair, Stephanie Ghent, who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. #14239
Elementary Economics Institute
This in-depth institute enables teachers to experience methods for teaching elementary economics Standards of Learning in a manner that is hands-on, effective and differentiated to meet the needs of diverse learners. Designed to strengthen and deepen a teacher’s understanding of these concepts, it also provides a variety of resources ready for use in the classroom, including lessons, simulations and demonstrations linked to children’s literature.
Essential Question: What is an economic way of thinking? How can we teach social studies standards through an integrated, interdisciplinary approach?
Participants will:
- Explore and demonstrate knowledge of essential understandings and key concepts in economics
- Develop interdisciplinary connections for instruction in social studies, mathematics, and literacy
- Apply economics strands to children’s literature and develop integrated social studies and literacy lessons.
#14924
Numbers, Problem Types and Math Stories Oh My! (Grades K-2)
How can manipulatives, models and representations support deep understanding of mathematical concepts when working with primary students? How does the use of multiple representations help engage diverse student populations in mathematical practices? Participants will be able to identify and create examples of the problem types identified by the Virginia Department of Education. They will support students in engaging in learning around computation through developmentally appropriate math problems. Teachers will explore strategies and formats such as CRA (Concrete, Representational, Abstract) to model and represent math concepts that support all populations. #14925
ACPS K-5 Comprehensive Literacy 101 Content Academy
Essential Questions: How can K-5 teachers use the ACPS Comprehensive Literacy Framework to help their students reach high levels of literacy? How can they meet the diverse literacy needs of their students while still teaching grade-level standards?
During this full-day session, participants will learn the key components of the ACPS K-5 Comprehensive Literacy Framework. Through model lessons, exemplary videos and lesson plans they will explore:
- Focus lessons
- Interactive read aloud
- Shared reading
- Small group differentiated reading instruction/independent reading
- Collaborative and independent workstations
- Word study and writing workshop.
This session will be especially useful for new teachers or teachers new to ACPS literacy instruction who want to start the year strong. By the end of the session, teachers will be able to state how they will use the ACPS Comprehensive Literacy Framework to meet the Tier I needs of all students, including students identified as TAG, SPED or EL. #14934
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