Elementary Religion Curriculum Review Committee

Meeting: The first official meeting of our Review Committee will be held at the Chancery on Wednesday, November 6. These 26 committed teachers will review the first draft of the Religion Curriculum, identify gaps, and then create learning targets for the key grade level standards. We have a full day planned, and I am thrilled to welcome my committee members who have graciously offered their wisdom and expertise!

Vision: The Elementary Religion Curriculum establishes the importance of each grade level in preparing our students for high school. As teachers, we seek to ground, enliven and inspire our future citizens of the world with a firm foundation demanding knowledge of our Catholic faith, critical thinking and moral decision making. By the time an eighth grader graduates from our Catholic schools, they will be able to:

• know and understand grade level doctrinal content, each grade level building on the next
• participate fully as active members of the Church through sacraments, prayer and service
• make informed moral decisions promoting ethical citizenship
• live with a missionary zeal!

Check in for an update on our progress!

Religion Networking Day for High School Religion Teachers

This past Friday, October 11, our high school religion teachers from all area Catholic high schools spent the day with Mary Andrade, from the Diocese of Orange, California. Mary substantiated the belief that all teachers teach reading as we consider the new depth demanded by the Common Core State Standards. Those in attendance were given the opportunity to practice a variety of great strategies for close reading, reading for comprehension, and the importance of citing text evidence. I thank Anne Frederick and St. Mary’s Press for this engaging in-service day.

Close Reading Research For Your Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

Hot off the press! The article listed below summarizes research on the emphasis for the close reading strategy. The authors maintain that it is the healthy balance of many tried and true strategies along with close reading that will truly engage all learners. This research brief could be used for a teacher discussion in a staff meeting or in PLCs.

http://www.reading.org/Libraries/lrp...13sept2013.pdf

Next Generation Science Standards

By now, you have all heard that Washington State has adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Jeff Charbonneau, 2013 National Teacher of the Year from Zillah, WA, wrote an editorial for the Seattle Times. I included it for you as it is a great summary for your reference or to quote with parents.

http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion...tgen07xml.html