Pathways
A Weekly Collection of Information, Thoughts, Reflections and Accolades for the
Reading Public School Community
September 18, 2016
Upcoming Dates
 Sept. 19 – Camp
Bournedale Trip –
Eaton & Barrows
Grade 5; (6:30 p.m.)
Michael Fowlin
presentation in the
Endslow PAC; (7:00
p.m.) School
Committee Meeting
in the
Superintendent’s
Conference Room
 Sept. 20 - Camp
Bournedale Trip –
Eaton & Barrows
Grade 5; (7:00 p.m.)
RMHS Guidance
Financial Aid
Presentation in the
Endslow PAC
 Sept. 22 – (6:00
p.m.) RISE Preschool
@ RMHS Open
House; (6:30 p.m.)
RMHS Back to School
Night
 Sept. 23 – RMHS
Football vs.
Winchester (Arts
Spirit Night)
 Sept. 26 – (7:00
p.m.) School
Committee Meeting
in the
Superintendent’s
Conference Room
 Sept. 27 – (3:30
p.m.) RTA General
Meeting in the
Endslow PAC
 Sept. 28 – Grade 6 –
12 Early Release;
(District PLC
Meetings (Elem –
Volume 3, Number 3
October 18th Override Ballot Question Information
Background
The Town of Reading is currently considering a 7.5 million dollar override ballot question
which will be voted on by the community on October 18th. In the first year of the override
funding, the town would allocate $2,960,000 to the school department and $1,540,000 to
the municipal budget. The amount allocated to the school department will rectify the
identified 2 million dollar structural deficit in next year’s school department budget—and
will restore or address several other high priority areas which the district has been unable to
effectively address due to budget reductions over the last few years. If the override is
approved, the Reading Public Schools will receive an additional $2,960,000 in FY18 and a
total of $5,000,000 from the override over the next several years. This document provides
information as to what the outcome will be if the override is approved by the voters and
what the outcome will be if the override is not approved. For a more detailed breakdown of
the data and the information, please refer to the Override section on the Town of Reading
website and the School Committee budget section on the Reading Public Schools website.
If the Override is Approved
The Reading Public Schools has been meeting with the community for the last several
months to identify the challenges and needs for the School District. Through that process,
specific areas and challenges were identified and included in the amount that the school
department will receive if the override is approved. On August 28th, the School Committee
voted on a prioritized list that would be funded if the override is approved. Most of the
funding will be used to sustain current levels of service by addressing the current $2 million
deficit, and the remaining $960 thousand will support those identified challenges (see the
below list). Although this funding will not solve long term challenges such as educational
space and tuition-free full-day kindergarten, it will help the district immediately address
other important areas—such as remaining competitive with other towns in hiring and
retaining qualified staff, restoring health education at the middle schools, restoring high
school teaching positions that were eliminated this year, providing support for struggling
students, and providing curriculum and special education leadership to better support
teachers and strengthen our programs. In this way, the below table is not a wish list; rather
it is a list developed in a year-long discussion with staff and community about priorities for
our schools, and it represents resources that are common in comparable towns and districts.
It is well recognized that our staff is a dedicated and hard-working group that prides itself in
doing what is in the best interest of our students. The resources below will support teachers
and administrators, continue to improve our schools, keep the district comparable with
other towns, and provide support for our students.
1:15 p.m.; HS & MS
– 1:30 p.m.)
 Sept. 29 – (after
school) Elementary
Building Meetings;
(6:30 p.m.) RCASA
Annual Meeting in the
Endslow PAC
 Sept. 30 – (8:00
a.m.) Mentor
Training; Football vs.
Lexington
 October 1 – (8:00
a.m.) SAT Testing –
RMHS is a test center
Resources Needed to Address Challenges and Structural Deficit
Area
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Structural Deficit (.7% Budget Increase in FY18)
Salary Adjustments
Middle School Health Education
High School Program Improvement
Additional Supports for Struggling Students (Tutors, BCBA)
Maintain School Transformation Grant Funded Positions-Grant Funded through
FY19(Data Analyst/Coach, Administrator for Social Emotional Learning)
7. Curriculum Supervision Leadership
8. Special Education Leadership
TOTAL
Funding
Needed
$2,000,000
$360,000
$140,000
$110,000
$107,000
0
$195,000
$48,000
$2,960,000
If the Override Is Not Approved
If the override does not pass, approximately $2,000,000 would need to be reduced from the
FY18 school department budget. Below is an overview of the impact that such reductions
would have on the Reading Public Schools. Since the school department has been making
personnel and non-personnel reductions for the last three years, the majority of the reductions
would be personnel in order to total 2 million dollars. Some non-personnel expenses (perhaps
10-15% of the total reductions) could be made as a one-time cut for FY18 only; however, many
of these would most likely need to be restored the following year. Without the input of the
entire budget process that we go through each year with the community, staff, and School
Committee, it would of course not be appropriate to determine specific positions or programs
that would be impacted. On the next page however is a potential list in general terms of the
types of cuts that would be necessary to reach a total of $2,000,000 in reductions to the FY18
budget (including approximately 30-35 FTE in personnel or 5% of total staff).
It should be noted that while the below table does not attempt to quantify the specific impact
on student outcomes, such large reductions on any school system may also impact students in
ways that are not easily projected. Based on current financial and enrollment information, the
below examples would total approximately $2,000,000 in budget reductions for next year.
Impact to School Department Budget if Override is Not Approved
Level
Reduction
Impact Information
Elementary
School
4-5 FTE Classroom
Teachers
Elementary
School
12-13 FTE Support
Staff
Middle School
10-11 FTE
Classroom Teachers
High School
3-4 FTE Classroom
Teachers
 Classroom Teacher reductions at this level for second
year in a row
 Increase in average class sizes, with some classrooms
increasing up to 26 students in Grades K-2 and 28
students in Grades 3-5 (Based on current enrollment
projections)
 Would not be able to conform to School Committee
class sizes guidelines established in 2005.
 Elimination of non-mandated classroom personnel or
support staff.
 Level of support currently being provided to both
teachers and students would be significantly decreased.
 Increase in class sizes
 Elimination of programs and/or course offerings
 Would cause a change in the middle school
interdisciplinary model and impact vertical course
opportunities/pathways as students enter high school
 Classroom teacher reductions at this level for second
year in a row
 Increase in class sizes
Kudos and Accolades
 Congratulations to boys
and girls soccer, boys
and girls cross country,
swimming, golf, and
volleyball for wins this
week.
 Special thanks to the
Parker, Coolidge, Wood
End and RISE at Wood
End staffs for holding
successful
curriculum/back to
school nights.
 Kudos to the RMHS
Guidance staff for the
informative Parent
Financial Aid
presentation
 Congratulations to the
RMHS Football Team,
under the direction of
Head Coach John Fiore,
on its first victory of the
season, a 34-14 win over
Acton Boxborough
Regional High School.
 Congratulations to the
RMHS Marching Band,
under the direction of
Joseph Mulligan, who
came in first on Saturday
in the NESBA Marching
Band Competition held
in Medford.
 Elimination of specific programs and/or courses (for
instance AP offerings and/or electives).
 Impact on current RMHS Graduation requirements
 Reduced course access for some students due to
scheduling limitations and/or number of course
sections
 Potential negative impact on some students’ college
acceptances
District
1-2 FTE District
All levels
Curriculum funding
All levels
Building per pupil
budgets
 Reduced support for administrators, teachers, and
families
 Further increase the workload of the building
principals and school-level staff
 Impact on continuing implementation of the Science
curriculum and alignment with the recently updated
Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Science &
Technology/Engineering
 Years 2 and 3 of Science/Engineering implementation
will depend on Finance Committee and Town
Meeting’s support of Free Cash allocation
 Reduction of materials and supplies for classrooms
and teachers.
All levels
Professional
development
 Less training for teachers and a delay in professional
development plans for instructional practices aligned
with new curriculum.
All levels
Technology
 Delayed replacement of computers and less
availability of technology for students in Grades K-12
Conclusion
Our community has been very supportive of our schools through their investment of time
and funding. Unfortunately, the projected revenue forecasts indicate that the FY18 budget
will result in reductions for both Municipal Government and the School District. The funding
provided by an approved override will avoid additional cuts in programs and services—and
help address the challenges that our district is facing. We have seen firsthand the
commitment that our community has made to education over the last several years because
our citizens value the importance of education and the role that it needs to play in a
community. There is no question that a major indicator of the quality of life for everyone in
a community can be measured by the quality of its schools and by a community’s
commitment to its children. In this way, the quality of a school district affects every single
person in a community, and the Town of Reading is no exception. We welcome your
questions and comments regarding the information presented in this document. Please do
not hesitate to contact the Reading Public Schools at 781-944-5800.
A Different Way of Thinking About Differentiation
What is the problem to which differentiation is the solution? asks Kim Marshall in
this article in Phi Delta Kappan. “Clearly it’s the fact that students walk into school with a
wide range of differences in prior knowledge, vocabulary, reading proficiency, fluency in
English, attitudes toward school, mindset about learning, tolerance of frustration and failure,
learning-style preferences, special needs, and distracting things on their minds.” Wholegroup instruction for a classroom of students with even a few of these differences is likely to
leave many students bored or confused, so differentiation would seem to be a moral
imperative. Carol Ann Tomlinson, a leading expert in this area, makes a compelling case for
“effective attention to the learning needs of each student… getting to know each student
and orchestrating the learning environment, assessments, and instruction so all students
learn what’s being taught.” Tomlinson and other proponents suggest that teachers
differentiate by content (what is taught), process (how it’s taught), and product (how
students are asked to demonstrate their learning).
For all its obvious appeal, differentiation is not without its critics, and they have
raised a number of concerns:
 Can a teacher realistically tailor instruction to 20-30 different students?
 Is differentiation inherently exhausting, leading to teacher burnout and attrition?
 Can differentiation result in lowered expectations for students who are behind?
 Does it spoon-feed students, undermining self-reliance and initiative?
 Does it balkanize classrooms, sacrificing group cohesion and collective experiences?
 Is it effective?
Mike Schmoker is a leading critic, asserting in a 2010 article that differentiation is based
“largely on enthusiasm and a certain superficial logic” and describing what he has seen in
classrooms around the country: teachers trying to match each student’s or group’s
“presumed ability level, interest, preferred ‘modality,’ and learning style… In English, creative
students made things or drew pictures. Analytic students got to read and write… With so
many groups to teach, instructors found it almost impossible to provide sustained, properly
executed lessons for every child or group.”
Tomlinson and David Sousa responded to Schmoker’s critique, conceding that trying
to customize worksheets and coloring exercises to students’ supposed learning styles was
“regrettable and damaging.” They agreed on the importance of clear objectives, high
standards, and frequent checks for understanding, and stoutly defended differentiation’s
track record – students learn better, they said, when the work is at the right level of
difficulty, personally relevant, and appropriately engaging.
This hardly settled the issue, and three other experts have been heard from in recent
years: John Hattie’s comprehensive meta-analysis, Visible Learning, ranked individualization
100th out of 138 classroom methods, with an effect size of only 0.23. Cognitive psychologist
Daniel Willingham debunked the idea of catering instruction to students’ individual learning
styles. And PD guru Jon Saphier believes that differentiation is a “low-impact strategy” that’s
not the best target for professional development if other fundamentals aren’t in place. The
debate continues, leaving many educators scratching their heads about the best approach to
the day-to-day challenge of teaching students with many different needs.
Marshall suggests stepping back and analyzing the differentiation challenge from a
broader perspective. Consider the following classroom scenarios with two questions in mind:
Which is the most and the least differentiated? And in which is the most learning taking
place?
 A college professor gives a lecture to 700 students.
 A 6th-grade class discusses a bullying incident.
 A group of 2nd graders does an experiment with batteries and bulbs.
 First graders sprawl on a rug engrossed in books they chose.
 High-school biology students work individually or in groups on a “layered” unit,
choosing whether to do one set of tasks for a C, additional work for a B, or higherlevel work for an A.
 Eighth graders watch a film about the Holocaust.
 Seventh graders read the same article on climate change at five different reading
levels, using the website NewsELA (https://newsela.com).
 Fifth graders use a computer program that adapts the level of difficulty to their
responses.
 A Reading Recovery teacher tutors a struggling 1st grader for 30 minutes a day.
 A middle-school physical education class does stretching and aerobic exercises in
unison.
 Kindergarteners paint with watercolors with encouragement and feedback from the
teacher.
Quote of the Week….
The best way to predict
the future is to create it.
– Abraham Lincoln
 A docent at a city art museum teaches visiting 10th graders about a Renoir
masterpiece.
On the first question, differentiation runs all the way from zero in the college lecture hall to
100 percent with one-on-one tutoring and a personalized computer program. On the second
question – well, it depends. “Even one-on-one tutoring can be off-track on the curriculum
and produce bored, confused, and alienated students,” says Marshall. “But handled skillfully,
each scenario has the potential for high levels of appropriate learning” – even the college
lecture (in the hands of a brilliant and charismatic professor) and the phys. ed. class (aerobic
exercise has an especially beneficial impact on ADHD and overweight students). The
conclusion: trying to assess a teacher’s work asking, Is it differentiated? runs the risk of
missing the forest for the trees. Better, says Marshall, to ask two broader questions (tip of
the hat to Rick DuFour):
 What are students supposed to be learning?
 Are all students mastering it?
“Embedded in these questions,” says Marshall, “are all the variables that research tells us
will produce high levels of student learning: appropriate cognitive and noncognitive goals for
the year, the curriculum unit, and the lesson; a positive classroom culture; instructional
strategies that will best convey the content; the right balance of whole-class, small-group,
individual, and digital experiences; frequent checking for understanding; a clear standard of
mastery (usually 80 percent); effective use of assessment data to fine-tune teaching; and
follow-up with students below mastery.”
With these two questions in mind, teachers’ work (and principals’ support and
evaluation of that work) falls logically into three phases – a different way of thinking about
content, process, and product that is more in synch with the day-to-day work of schools:
• Phase 1: Planning units and lessons – Good unit plans, ideally crafted by samegrade/ same subject teacher teams, focus on standards and have clear statements of what
students will know and be able to do; a pre-assessment; likely misconceptions; essential
questions to guide students to the key understandings; periodic assessments; and a lessonby-lesson game plan. Good lesson plans build in multiple entry points, using the principles of
Universal Design for Learning to make learning accessible to as many students as possible,
and have clear goals; thoughtful task analysis; chunked learning; teaching methods
appropriate to the content; links to students’ interests and experiences; checks for
understanding; and accommodations for students with special needs. “All students learn
more,” says Willingham, “when content drives the choice of modalities.” Teachers also need
to put well-chosen visuals on the classroom wall – essential questions, examples of student
work, rubrics, worked problems, word walls, anchor charts, graphic organizers, mnemonics,
and other helpful visual aids.
Phase I is where there is the greatest danger of teachers overthinking, overworking,
and burning out, says Marshall, and points to several critical success factors:
 Sharing the work of unit and lesson planning among team colleagues;
 Using efficient, well-thought-out templates to streamline unit and lesson planning;
 Tapping into Internet resources;
 Saving and sharing good unit and lesson plans for future years;
 Knowing when enough is enough – not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.
• Phase 2: Delivering instruction – “Lessons are where the rubber meets the road,”
says Marshall, “and a major factor in student success is a set of in-the-moment moves that
effective teachers have always used, among them effective classroom management;
knowing students well; being culturally sensitive; making the subject matter exciting; making
it relevant; making it clear; taking advantage of visuals and props; involving students and
getting them involved with each other; having a sense of humor; and nimbly using teachable
moments.” But equally important is checking for understanding – dry-erase boards, clickers,
probing questions, looking over students’ shoulders – and using students’ responses to
continuously fine-tune teaching. Critical success factors in Phase 2 are:
Disney Tweet of the Week
Although we're
different, deep inside us,
we're not that different
at all.
–Kala (Tarzan)
 Being sharp and fresh every day for energetic and sensitive lesson execution
(another reason for not working too long and hard on lesson planning the night
before);
 Managing student behavior so the teacher is able to move around the room
delivering appropriate support and help;
 A classroom culture in which students are comfortable asking for help and helping
each other;
 Ways of checking the whole class’s understanding and following up;
 Resisting the urge to do too much for students.
• Phase 3: Following up after instruction – “No matter how well teachers plan and
execute,” says Marshall, “some students won’t achieve mastery by the end of the lesson or
unit. This is the moment of truth – if the class moves on, unsuccessful students will be that
much more confused and discouraged and fall further and further behind, widening the
achievement gap.” Timely follow-up with these students is crucial – pullout, small-group
after-school help, tutoring, Saturday school, and other venues to help them catch up. Critical
success factors in Phase 3 are:
 Time for same-grade/same-subject teacher teams to meet and look at student work;
 Having prompt access to data from well-crafted common assessments;
 Analyzing what material students had problems with and why;
 Organizing effective help for struggling students;
 Honestly assessing teaching techniques in light of the results.
If these factors aren’t in place, the “professional learning community” process can result in a
cycle of repeated failure.
In all three phases, another priority is building students’ self-reliance and not doing
too much for them. “Among the most important life skills that students should take away
from their K-12 years,” says Marshall, “is the ability to self-assess, know their strengths and
weaknesses, deal with difficulty and failure, and build a growth mindset. Student self-efficacy
and independence should be prime considerations in planning, lesson execution, and followup so that students move through the grades becoming increasingly motivated, confident,
and autonomous learners prepared to succeed in the wider world.”
“Rethinking Differentiation – Using Teachers’ Time Most Effectively” by Kim Marshall in Phi
Delta Kappan, September 2016 (Vol. 98, #1, p. 8-13), available for purchase at
http://pdk.sagepub.com/content/current . Reprinted from Marshall Memo 652.
On-the-Spot Assessment Tools
In this AMLE Magazine article, Ohio district administrator Bryan Drost recommends
eight free digital tools to check for understanding and maximize student involvement:
• Padlet www.padlet.com is a virtual wall on which students can express thoughts on
a topic. It’s also possible to embed audio and video and have students join a threaded
discussion.
• Recap https://app.letsrecap.com is a video-based assessment tool that allows
teachers to pose a question, have students respond with a short video recorded on a cell
phone, and then get feedback.
• Today’s Meet https://todaysmeet.com allows students to engage in live
“backchannelling” while a classroom activity or video is taking place.
• Active Prompt http://activeprompt.org allows teachers to upload any image and
ask students a question about it; students move a dot on their device to indicate their
answer.
• Flubaroo www.flubaroo.com is a plug-in for Google Sheets that allows teachers to
quickly score student quizzes.
• Zaption http://zaption.com allows teachers to take already-made videos (like a
YouTube clip), publish interactive lessons, and track student understanding.
• Nearpod and Pear Deck www.nearpod.com and https://www.peardeck.com allow
teachers to embed interactive assessments into a slide deck and get student responses via
their cell phones.
• Quizlet Live http://quizlet.live allows students to practice teamwork and
communication skills while the teacher checks for understanding.
“8 Digital Formative Assessment Tools to Improve Motivation” by Bryan Drost in AMLE
Magazine, September 2016 (Vol. 4, #2, p. 42-43); Drost is at [email protected]
Reading Public Schools Happenings
Retired Teacher Jane Merrill Visits Parker Grade 6 Classes
Parker Grade 6 students had a treat last week when retired Joshua Eaton Teacher
Jane Merrill came to Parker to visit two sixth grade English classes and read The Man
Who Walked Between the Towers in honor/remembrance of 9/11.
Wood End Celebrates Years of Teaching Experience for Staff
At last week’s K-2 and 3-5 Wood End Open House Nights, Wood End Principal Joanne
King Highlighted the over 460 years of teaching experience for the Wood End Staff.
Below is a picture of the staff with the number of years that they have been
teaching.
Contact Us
The Pathways newsletter
is published weekly for
the Reading Public
School Community. If
you have anything that
you would like to share,
please email your
information to John
Doherty at
[email protected]
Spanish Exchange Students Visit Reading and RMHS
Last week, students from the San Miguel Arcangel School in Madrid, Spain arrived in
Reading and will be staying with RMHS families until September 21 st. Below is a
picture of the students who visited classes last week. Special thanks to RMHS
Department Chair Joanne Alvarez for coordinating their visit.
Scenes from the Fall Street Faire
On Sunday, September 11th, the Reading Community held its annual Fall Street Faire.
The Reading Public Schools was very visible at the Faire at several booths including
the Understanding Disabilities, Bail for Jail fundraiser. Reading Police, including
School Resource Officer Michael Muolo, were very involved in the September 11 th
parade and ceremony. Thank you to all of the Reading Public School staff that
participated in the Fall Street Faire activities.
Killam Staff Participate in UD Jail for Bail Fundraiser
Reading Police Color Guard (School Resource Officer Mike Muolo on Far Right)
Stepping Stones…
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Our thoughts and prayers go out to Killam teacher Holly Gallant on the recent
loss of a loved one.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Wood End paraeducator Leslie Smith on
the recent loss of a loved one.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Retired Barrows School
Psychologist Dick Crump, who passed away after a long illness.
Congratulations to Parker Office Paraeducator Virginia Anderson, who retired
on Friday from the Reading Public Schools. Ginny has worked at the High
School, Coolidge, and Parker during her career which spans over 30 years.
We welcome the following new staff to the Reading Public Schools:
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Nicholas Kaempf, Regular Ed. Tutor, Coolidge
Patrick Dailey, Social Studies Teacher, RMHS
Dara Tye, Learning Center Teacher, Joshua Eaton
Darlene Abramovich, Special Education Paraeducator, Birch Meadow
Sherilla Lestrade, Special education Paraeducator, RMHS
Victoria Binns, Kindergarten Teacher, Killam
Lynne Upton, Regular Ed. Paraeducator, Wood End
Joshua Pappas, LTS Wellness Education Teacher, Coolidge
Kat Paradis, Extended Day Student Helper, Birch Meadow
Dahni Cenci, Extended Day Student Helper, Wood End
Mackenzie Gibson, Extended Day Site Coordinator, Birch Meadow
Jack Cote, Extended Day Student Helper, Wood End
Michael Keogh, Extended day Sub. Head Teacher, Barrows
Kayleigh Lupa, Extended Day After School Head Teacher, Killam
Griffin Scarpitto, Extended Day Head Teacher, Birch Meadow
Timothy O’Sullivan, Extended Day After School Teacher, Killam
We have posted a new position. If interested, please visit
https://reading.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx to view the job detail
Home Service Educator Hours
https://reading.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=163
Team Chairperson-Reading Memorial High School
https://reading.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=164
Blazing Trails….

Teacher Reflection: Why I Put My Students on Stage
Sydney Chaffee, a ninth grade humanities teacher at Codman Academy Charter Public
School in Dorchester and the 2017 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, has all of her
students participate in the national Poetry Out Loud competition each December and all
of them take to the stage the following spring. Here's why:
On September 2, I stood in the middle of a circle of new ninth graders and pretended to
wait for a bus. I checked my (imaginary) watch, paced, sighed heavily, and acted like I
didn’t notice my students' nervous giggles and dramatic eye rolling.
This was just the beginning of a year of “Huntington days,” biweekly theater work that is
an integral part of my ninth grade humanities course. Over the course of this year, my
students will build literacy skills and become more confident public speakers through a
unique partnership with amazing educators from Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company.
In May, every ninth and tenth grader will perform on stage as a capstone project.
Each year, I put my students on stage, because bringing a text to life requires careful
analysis and close reading. Theater work helps them practice collaboration and
compassion, and, with the right supports, theater is accessible to all kinds of learners.
Students confront their own self-doubts and prove to themselves that they can do more
than they believed possible; the pride and triumph they feel after performing is
authentic and exhilarating. At Codman, theater is a tradition; every year, ninth and tenth
graders at our school go through these theatrical rites of passage, and the older students
cheer them on, knowing the journey well.
I’m lucky to benefit from my school’s partnership with the Huntington, but you don’t
have to have a formal connection with a local theater company to give your students
these kinds of powerful learning experiences. If you're interested in infusing learning
with some healthy “drama,” you can:
 Sign your class up to participate in the national Poetry Out Loud competition
(www.poetryoutloud.org). Students will choose, memorize, and recite great poetry,
becoming better readers and speakers along the way.
 Have students mount a mock trial based on a historical controversy, encouraging
them to fully inhabit their characters. (See a great example here:
http://zinnedproject.org/materials/people-vs-columbus/.) Bringing history to life
helps it “stick” and encourages more thorough research.
 Put a novel or short story “on its feet” by using Readers Theater techniques; turn the
text into a script that can be read aloud by students (or have students do the work of
turning the text into a script).
There are so many more ways to bring theater into our classrooms to maximize student
engagement and learning. Share your favorites on Twitter using the hashtag
#Top3fromESE.

Did You Know?: Constitution Day was September 17
Constitution Day/Citizenship Day, which commemorates the signing of the U.S.
Constitution, is September 17. Congress has mandated that every educational institution
that receives federal funds hold an educational program about the Constitution, and
the National Archives and Records Administration has several resources, including "The
Constitution at Work" matching game and the "Exploring the U.S. Constitution" eBook.
Other resources are available from the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for
the Humanities, and the U.S. Senate.

What We're Reading: Know Your Students
We know it isn't the first week of school anymore, but you might still find Rick Wormeli's
article on "What to Do in Week One?" in the September issue of Educational Leadership
an interesting read. His suggestions for building a positive teaching-learning dynamic
include ways to get to know your students. He also includes some entertaining examples,
such what students wrote when asked to compose a letter to their teacher about
themselves while posing as their parents.
Have a Great Week!