Doing What Works: Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers
When students build strong writing skills at an early age, they gain an invaluable tool for learning, communication, and self-expression that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
This digital portfolio contains everything—including agendas, PowerPoint slides, facilitator’s notes, multimedia, sample materials, and handouts—needed to conduct two three-and-a-half-hour professional development sessions on how to teach elementary school students to be effective writers.
The professional development draws upon four research-based strategies that, implemented together, create effective environments for teaching, learning, and writing:
- Create an engaged community of writers
- Provide daily time for writing
- Teach foundational writing skills
- Teach students to use the writing process for a variety of purposes
Each workshop provides opportunities for participants to view media, explore sample materials, and perform self-assessments.
Additional Doing What Works Professional Development Packages:
- Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making
- Adolescent Literacy
- Increased Learning Time
- Research-Based Practices for Secondary Schools
- Improving K-3 Reading Comprehension
- Connecting the Dots: Linking Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning
- Research-Based Practices for K-6 Mathematics
Mentoring New Teachers Through Collaborative Coaching Set
What are the best approaches for developing effective mentors and improving the professional growth of new teachers? WestEd’s Kathy Dunne and Susan Villani, who share over 30 years experience in providing teacher induction leadership nationwide, have created a comprehensive approach to content-based mentoring and coaching. The result is a stunningly effective research-based model that benefits mentors and teachers alike—all in the service of students.
Mentoring New Teachers Through Collaborative Coaching: Linking Teacher and Student Learning provides extensive guidance on how mentors can understand the needs of new teachers, build strong relationships with them, and coach them through an ongoing process of improving their teaching practice.
Mentoring New Teachers Through Collaborative Coaching: Facilitation and Training Guide provides activities, agendas for multiday trainings, and other resources to help facilitators design and implement effective mentor professional development.
Professional developers, teacher leaders, mentor and/or teacher induction program coordinators, building- and district-level administrators, and faculty from institutions of higher education can all benefit from both the book and its companion guide.
Engaging in Professional Learning using Transitional Kindergarten(TK)/ Kindergarten–Grade Three English Language Development (ELD) Videos
The California Department of Education (CDE) Multilingual Support Division, with the support of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center at WestEd, hosted a series of five webinars highlighting the CDE Integrated and Designated English Language Development (ELD) Video Series.
This archived webinar is the firth of a 5-part webinar series designed to support educators incorporate the California Department of Education’s English Language Development Video Series in professional learning settings.
This webinar provides examples of how to incorporate the videos into professional development designed for teachers of TK through grade 3.
Access additional archived recordings from the series.
Learn more about the ELD Video Series online at the CDE ELD Standards web page.
Supporting Integrated English Learner Student Instruction
The Regional Educational Laboratory West and the Region 15 Comprehensive Center developed this guide to help district and school site leaders assess the professional learning needs of elementary school teachers to implement research-based recommendations for the instruction of English learner students. It comprises two tools—the Teacher Self-Reflection Tool and the Classroom Observation Tool—and outlines a 10-step process to help districts align their professional learning decisions with the data collected from these tools.
The guide is designed to help district and school site leaders collect information about their elementary school–level teachers’ confidence and competence in implementing the four research-based recommendations in the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Practice Guide Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School.
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Force & Motion for Teachers of Grades 6-8, Teacher Book
Published in collaboration with NSTA Press.
Proven through more than a decade of rigorous research to be effective with both teachers and students, Making Sense of SCIENCE helps teachers gain a deep and enduring understanding of tricky science topics, think and reason scientifically, and support content literacy in science, thereby increasing student achievement.
The materials presented in this book help teachers gain a solid understanding of tricky science concepts and common misconceptions, support productive and worthwhile professional learning communities, and prepare teachers to implement standards-based science curriculum. Topics are central to the Next Generation Science Framework and aligned with the Common Core State Standards in literacy.
This book guides teachers through investigations of motion, changes in motion, force, and the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration, and features:
- Hands-on experiments with easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations
- Clear explanations of tough science concepts
- Examples of classic misconceptions
- A bank of formative assessments
- A CD containing reproducible black line masters
- A guided protocol for evaluating student work in professional learning communities
Note: The complete Making Sense of SCIENCE for Teachers of Grades 6-8 professional development package contains the Teacher Book, plus a Facilitator Guide and additional CD. The Facilitator Guide includes extensive support materials and detailed procedures that allow science educators and staff developers to successfully lead a Making Sense of SCIENCE course for teacher learning.
Also available as part of this course is a set of wall charts that serve as a focal point for teacher learning during the course.
Facilitation Academies, designed to prepare staff developers, district science leaders, and other teacher educators to effectively lead Making Sense of SCIENCE courses, are also available.
Teacher Courses offer five days of engaging and worthwhile learning that help teachers implement science and literacy standards and boost student achievement in science.
Making Sense of SCIENCE: Energy for Teachers of Grades 6-8, Teacher Book
Published in Collaboration with NSTA Press.
Proven through more than a decade of rigorous research to be effective with both teachers and students, Making Sense of SCIENCE helps teachers gain a deep and enduring understanding of tricky science topics, think and reason scientifically, and support content literacy in science, thereby increasing student achievement.
The materials presented in this book help teachers gain a solid understanding of tough science concepts and common misconceptions, support productive and worthwhile professional learning communities, and prepare teachers to implement standards-based science curriculum. Topics are central to the Next Generation Science Framework and aligned with the Common Core State Standards in literacy.
This book guides teachers through investigations of energy, potential energy, heat energy, conservation of energy, and energy in ecosystems, and features:
- Hands-on experiments with easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations
- Clear explanations of tough science concepts
- Examples of classic misconceptions
- A bank of formative assessments
- A CD containing reproducible black line masters
- A guided protocol for evaluating student work in professional learning communities
Note: The complete Making Sense of SCIENCE for Teachers of Grades 6-8 professional development package contains the Teacher Book, plus a Facilitator Guide and additional CD. The Facilitator Guide includes extensive support materials and detailed procedures that allow science educators and staff developers to successfully lead a Making Sense of SCIENCE course for teacher learning.
Also available as part of this course is a set of wall charts that serve as a focal point for teacher learning during the course.
Facilitation Academies, designed to prepare staff developers, district science leaders, and other teacher educators to effectively lead Making Sense of SCIENCE courses, are also available.
Teacher Courses offer five days of engaging and worthwhile learning that help teachers implement science and literacy standards and have been proven to boost student achievement in science.
Visit the Making Sense of SCIENCE website for more information about Making Sense of SCIENCE for Teachers professional development books and Facilitation Academies.
Promoting Inclusion and Engagement in STEM Learning: A Practical Guide for Out-of-School-Time Professionals
Participation in out-of-school time (OST) programs, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), has been shown to be beneficial for youth, particularly youth who are underserved. These benefits include promoting academic success, health and well-being, and identity development. Many OST programs and educators seek support for how to promote STEM learning with specific youth audiences, such as Indigenous learners, emergent multilingual learners, and learners experiencing differing physical and/or sensory abilities.
This guide is designed to provide practical strategies and guidance for OST professionals—including educators, program directors, administrators, curriculum developers, professional learning providers, and education researchers—who provide STEM learning activities to youth outside of a formal classroom setting. This guide reflects the collaborative work of WestEd and Northern Arizona University (NAU) through the Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering, Technology, and Science (PLANETS) program, with support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Engaging in Professional Learning Using Grades Four Through Six English Language Development (ELD) Videos
The California Department of Education (CDE) Multilingual Support Division, with the support of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center at WestEd, hosted a series of five webinars highlighting the CDE Integrated and Designated English Language Development (ELD) Video Series.
This archived webinar is the fourth of a 5-part webinar series designed to support educators incorporate the California Department of Education’s English Language Development Video Series in professional learning settings.
This webinar provides examples of how to incorporate the videos into professional development for teachers of grades four through six.
Access additional archived recordings from the series.
Learn more about the ELD Video Series online at the CDE ELD Standards web page.
Engaging in Professional Learning Using Grades Nine Through Twelve English Language Development (ELD) Videos
The California Department of Education (CDE) Multilingual Support Division, with the support of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center at WestEd, hosted a series of five webinars highlighting the CDE Integrated and Designated English Language Development (ELD) Video Series.
This archived webinar is the second of a 5-part webinar series designed to support educators incorporate the California Department of Education’s English Language Development Video Series in professional learning settings.
This webinar provides examples of how to incorporate the videos into professional development designed for teachers of grades nine through twelve.
Access additional archived recordings from the series.
Learn more about the ELD Video Series online at the CDE ELD Standards web page.
Engaging in Professional Learning Using Grades Seven Through Eight English Language Development (ELD) Videos
The California Department of Education (CDE) Multilingual Support Division, with the support of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center at WestEd, hosted a series of five webinars highlighting the CDE Integrated and Designated English Language Development (ELD) Video Series.
This archived webinar is the third of a 5-part webinar series designed to support educators incorporate the California Department of Education’s English Language Development Video Series in professional learning settings.
This archived webinar provides examples of how to incorporate the videos into professional development for teachers of grades seven and eight.
Access additional archived recordings from the series.
Learn more about the ELD Video Series online at the CDE ELD Standards web page.