Newsletter: August 2020

Newsletter: August 2020

Jaclyn Siano

Welcome to Inspired Instruction’s monthly newsletter. We share the most relevant articles, blogs, videos, and classroom resources related to all aspects of education.

If you like these newsletters, forward this email to share with your fellow educators. Subscribe here.

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For Administrators

As schools consider a hybrid model, we need to ensure purposeful planning and teacher training.  Check out EdWeek’s article on creating a balance of in-person and remote instruction.  Our newest PD offering, Best Practices for Transitioning to Blended Learning, supports teachers as they plan for rigorous instruction no matter where the learning takes place.

A big challenge for administrators this summer will be addressing unfinished learning. The Council of the Great City Schools has provided guidance for administrators as a starting place. Inspired Instruction has expanded on this and created the Starting September Strong series, which focuses on how to address unfinished learning in ELA and math, including best practices for teaching the critical standards.

“Inspired helped me think of ways to develop that sense of community with in-person and remote learning”...Bordentown Regional High School
students in a virtual classroom


For Teachers

This summer will be an opportunity to assess the distance learning experience and engage in purposeful planning for September.  Inspired Instruction can help with virtual teaching resources like hyperdoc templates and other virtual editable resources that we’ve developed as we have also shifted to a blended learning approach.

To continue professional learning on your own schedule, check out our website for recorded webinars on topics like using Google Apps, creating rigorous virtual lessons, and creating a supportive at-home learning community for your students.

Make getting ready for back to school easier with these great resources which were modeled after the book The First Day of School by Rosemary and Harry Wong.  We’ve started you off with our own First Day of School Ice Breaker that can be used virtually or in-person!  With a few quick tweaks this could even be used for a staff icebreaker!

School Spotlight - Louise A. Spencer School

Bordentown Regional High School recently partnered with us to provide our “Connection and Communication: SEL during Distance Learning” workshop where they discussed how to address students’ emotional needs proactively, and create a supportive virtual classroom community.  One participant stated: ”With the transition to remote learning, I felt that it was often difficult, almost impossible, to continue that sense of inclusivity and community that I developed with my classes. Inspired helped me think of ways to develop that sense of community with in-person and remote learning”

questions to Elicit Emotions
how to deal with emotions

Could your staff benefit from a greater sense of community with remote students?  Just email Michele.Regan@inpsiredinstruction.com to get started!

Reimagining Schools for September Virtual Summit

Did you miss our Virtual Summit on Reimagining Schools for September on June 21st? Don’t stress! You can download all of the key takeaways from our breakout sessions here.

At Home Learning Evaluation

To help you gather and synthesize data about last year’s at home learning process, we have specifically created our free At-Home Learning Evaluation Tool (that can be sent to your teachers via Google Forms) to collect important data about critical focus areas for September, including student preparedness, effectiveness of teaching practices, open-ended feedback on what worked and didn’t during at-home learning.

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What’s Next?

We’d love to learn more about your most pressing priorities.  We are helping teachers and administrators minimize learning loss and determine the best way to provide differentiated support for students.  As a strategic partner, we work with and alongside administrators to help identify areas to maximize impact.   Contact us for a free Needs Assessment. Email Jaclyn.Siano@inspiredinstruction.com to schedule yours today!

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