Upper Dublin Teachers Spend Summer Gearing Up for New Educational Offerings

It is unlikely that most Upper Dublin students spent their summer thinking about their classes, but many Upper Dublin teachers have been involved with classroom-related activities: participating in curriculum review and writing, engaging in professional development opportunities, training with new technology and digital learning platforms, and delving deeper into current learning models. This has been an exciting summer for many teachers, and that excitement will grow when they share what they have learned with their student come September.

Discovering What It Means to be a Writer through WBC

Upper Dublin teachers committed to expanding the writing skills of their students, embarked on their own writing journey this summer as they participated in a program that allowed them to experiment with and apply the writing techniques that will be used in the classroom.

Writing Based Curriculum (WBC) is a bold, action-oriented method designed to help students develop strong writing skills. It is the brainchild of former Arcadia University professor Dr. Leif Gustavson. Upper Dublin teachers at every grade level have been incorporating the method into their differentiated instruction plans. WBC engages students in the writing process by encouraging them to focus on what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like to be a writer. At the program’s core is a learning environment where students and teachers write reflectively, creatively, analytically, and interactively. Teachers work with WBC coaches during the year to refine the process and apply it in the classroom.

This summer, Upper Dublin teachers were among 50 participants who spent several days taking the method to a more advanced level in a week-long WBC workshop. The workshop examined how to weave grammar and structured coaching into writing and encouraged the participants to incorporate writing based practices into interdisciplinary projects. Participants learned techniques for encouraging and refining the writing process, acquired valuable resources, and developed curriculum to put into place in the fall.

Over the Moon with Expanded Science Opportunities

Summer learning opportunities extended beyond writing and were, in fact, out of this world. At the end of August, District science teachers had an opportunity to learn more about space as the District expanded its collaboration with NASA and the Goddard Space Flight Center. This is an exciting time for the District’s planetarium. Because of the District’s relationship with the Goddard Space Flight Center, resources and information about the exploration of Pluto, the International Space Station, the Kepler Mission, and more will be available to students.
This summer, while Planetarium Director and Science K-12 Coordinator Kimberly Small has been exploring ways to use her affiliation with NASA to expand science opportunities, she has also been involved in the process of aligning the District’s science curriculum with the next generation science standards.
In the upcoming year, students can look forward to innovative learning concepts and skills that relate to space, earth, and physical science at all grade levels.

New Ways to Master Math Has Teachers Saying Eureka!
As some teachers counted stars, others accrued new ways to foster student mastery of math concepts. Eureka Math: A Story of Units for grades K-5 was first introduced in the District in September 2014. This unique program tells the story of mathematics and emphasizes development, manipulation and relationships between units, which are the basic building blocks of arithmetic. Teachers are starting to see successful results in the classroom as students learn there are multiple ways to model a math problem. Several third- and fourth grade teachers are even piloting Zearn, a digital platform that supports a blended approach to learning. Professional development is key to continued success.

This summer, several instructors participated in the Eureka Math Institute that was held in Philadelphia to gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum and become proficient in the latest instructional strategies.
When Upper Dublin schools open on September 1, students will arrive refreshed and ready to learn. Thanks to the efforts of Upper Dublin teachers this summer, there will be many exciting opportunities awaiting students when they return to school. “Teachers are excited about the numerous projects and activities that they have been involved with during the summer and are eager to introduce them to their students,” said Upper Dublin Superintendent Deborah Wheeler. “The teachers’ enthusiasm is contagious and I look forward to a productive year.”

PHOTO CAPTION: Ron Hillman of UDHS English department takes people through his 60 steps in creating a writing-based unit.