Teachers tell me that when they begin using Jump they are surprised to discover that what they were teaching as one step may contain as many as seven micro steps. Breaking things down this finely allows a teacher to identify the specific point at which a student may need help. “No step is too small to ignore,” Mighton says. “Math is like a ladder. If you miss a step, sometimes you can’t go on. And then you start losing your confidence and then the hierarchies develop. It’s all interconnected.”
Mighton saw that if he approached teaching this way, he could virtually guarantee that every student would experience success.
Author Archives: old town academy
Junta Informativa para Padres de Familia * 22 de Marzo, 6:30 p.m.
Old Town Academy K-8 Escuela Charter
22 de Marzo, 6:30 p.m.
2120 San Diego Avenue
San Diego 92110 Continue reading
Knowledge Compensates for Five Years of Reading Ability: The Core Knowledge Blog
by Robert Pondiscio, March 2nd, 2011
One of the principal arguments for a coherent, content-rich curriculum is that background knowledge — knowing something about the topic you’re reading about – compensates for weak reading ability.
But how great is the effect? A tantalizing article by… Continue reading
Link to Old Town Academy K-8 Enrollment Applications
Considering Old Town Academy K-8 Charter School for your child? Please click on the Enrollment | Inscripcion Tab to:
- Learn more about Old Town Academy Enrollment Windows & Procedures;
- Download and submit an Application for your child or children (we’ll need a separate application for each child).
Enrollment Deadline is Thursday, March 31, 2011!
Why NAEP science scores were so low-Wash Post
By Valerie Strauss
What is surprising about the newly released science scores in the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly known as the nation’s report card, is that anybody is surprised that they were, on average, so low.
First some basics on the test and the results: Continue reading
Test-Taking Cements Knowledge Better Than Studying, Researchers Say
Taking a test is not just a passive mechanism for assessing how much people know, according to new research. It actually helps people learn, and it works better than a number of other studying techniques.
via Test-Taking Cements Knowledge Better Than Studying –NYTimes.com.
Testing kids is an effective way to help lock in skills and we do it all the time in our Core Learning Lab (with programs like IXL Math); but students also need to learn to make their own tests (an open-notes reading exam where they can use their own Concept Maps is a great way to teach that skill). After they leave school nobody is going to hand them a test as they try to master new knowledge or skills.
The research, published online Thursday in the journal Science, found that students who read a passage, then took a test asking them to recall what they had read, retained about 50 percent more of the information a week later than students who used two other methods [like concept mapping.] Continue reading
Old Town Academy Sample Core Knowledge® Learning Sequence: K-8 History
Old Town Academy K-8 History Curriculum Sequence:
(All Core Knowledge Sequences are Correlated with CA Standards — note the
“spiraling”: repetition of the same themes at higher levels of difficulty)
History Grades K-2 (click image to enlarge)
History Grades 3-5 (click image to enlarge)
History Grades 6-8 (click image to enlarge)
To read the complete Core Knowledge® K-8 Curriculum visit: www.books.coreknowledge.org
Go Old Town Academy Charter “Seahawks”!
What Kind Of Bird Is A Seahawk?
A young seahawk soaring over the bay
A Seahawk is but one of many nicknames for the awesome Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). This large, long-winged bird of prey cuts a striking figure, dark chocolate brown above and white below with a strong black line through its eye. This color scheme is obviously a bit more understated than the blue, teal, and chartreuse palette favored by the football Seahawks, but seems to work well for the raptor.
Old Town Academy K-8 School Charter Petition is Approved!
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Last night the San Diego Unified School District BOARD approved our petition to open a new K-8 public school in San Diego. The vote was 4-0 in favor!
Click to download the OTA – Charter Petition- Final.
For those not familiar with Charter Public Schools, the idea is that in return for freedom to innovate, these schools make concrete promises about what they intend to accomplish academically in their first five years. If they keep their promises the school’s Charter is renewed by the governing school board, if not … Continue reading