We've Moved!

Dear Readers:

We have moved our blog onto our new website, acoecore.org.  Please click on this link be directed to the blog section of our website.

Thank you, and happy reading!

The ACOE Core Learning Team

8 Books Worth Picking Up!

If you are looking for good reading over the holiday break consider supporting the work of these amazing authors, educators and culture keepers! They range from poetry, fiction, history, women's solidarity, youth empowerment and even an Indigenous coloring book. 

1. Waterhummingbirdhouse: A Chicano Poetry Codex 

by Israel Lopez

(Black & White VERSION) This is an experimental Chicano poetry codex. This work explores border politics and linguistic borders through the use of a multitude of poetic forms, images and bilingual antics. The poems move from english, spanish, nahuatl and Chicano imagery to convey the rupture, the mending, the re-constructing, re-membering of chicano poetics and a visual landscape that reconsiders the codices left behind by olmeca, tolteca, azteca and mayan ancestors.

2. BloomingFlower, Shooting Star by Yaocihuatzin PhD

Blooming Flower, Shooting Star is semi-fiction, there is some non-fictional history of Indigenous icons, traditions, and rituals incorporated. The book involves two characters, Citlali and Flor. Citlali is an undergraduate at New York University and was a former ward of the court in California. Flor is a senior in high school in Oakland, California and is still in the foster care system. After not being in contact for three years, they begin to e-mail each other and discuss many of the issues that young adults/teens are dealing with today. They write to each other about issues ranging from love, history, traditions, boyfriends, pregnancy, feminism, gangs, military, and share their daily lives with each other the way best friends or sisters do.

3. Revengeof the "Illegal Alien": A Mexican Takes on the Empire by Cesar A. Cruz

Mexican poet Cesar A. Cruz takes on the Empire with a powerful collection of poems, short stories and political bullets. Author Luis Rodriguez (Always Running) describes Cesar's writings as filled with "fierce insight and righteous rage." The book has received praise from Godfather of Chicano Studies, Rudy Acuna, political activist Yuri Kochiyama, former Black Panther Shaka At-thinnin, rapper Paris, and many others. Mr. Cruz dispels the myth of the so-called "Illegal Alien" in North America and stands up for all human beings seeking to change the world. Library of Congress Control Number: 2008901057, ISBN #978-0-6151-5299-8

4. IncarceratedParadise: A Journey from East Oakland to Puerto Rico by Ramas Crew

Youth from East Oakland undergo a cultural, political journey to Puerto Rico to learn about the countries' freedom fighters and their struggle for independence. Book includes poems, short stories and powerful biographies from freedom fighters desde Boriken. An OaklandLEAF.org, Ramas Crew, production. Proceeds of sales will go to Oakland LEAF.

5. YouthWisdom by Homies Empowerment

"Youth Wisdom" is a Homies Empowerment production, created by teens, ages 14-19, from Oakland, CA. based out of Arise High School. In this book, they express life lessons bringing forth hope and a vision for a new way to live. Proceeds of sales will go to Homies Empowerment.

6. DEERSONGS: A CHICANO CODEX COLORING BOOK 2014 by Israel Lopez

This Chicano Codex Coloring book is for both children and adults. This codex reflex on the deer and the medicine of the deer. The codex coloring book series are recalling, exploring and expanding the codices left behind by our ancestors. The imagery found in these texts are inspired by azteca, maya, toltecs, yaqui images but inspire the individual to continue to create not simply copy ancestral work. If we are to continue to thrive, identify and redefine the imagery and meaning left behind by our predecessors we have to re-evision, adapt and create new codices.

7. Norteños/Sureños:Time to 'Bang' For Freedom, Brief History of Mexican Mafia & NuestraFamilia by Cesar A. Cruz

This powerful book details the history of Norteno & Sureno gangs and how their split came about. It serves as an empowering historical tool for young people caught up in gangs. Includes sections on the Brown Berets, Young Lords and many freedom fighters.

8. Waterhummingbirdhouse: A Xikano Codex Coloring Book by Israel Lopez

This chicano art coloring book is 52 pages and examines neo-mayan,neo-aztec,neo-chicano glyphs. It is for both children and adults alike. This meditative work allows the viewer to explore visual metaphors that draw from what sometimes gets deemed as "lost cultures" and become inspired to create new visions for the next seven generations.  Centered around the reality that these images and cultures are here and now and continue to thrive.

Works suggested by:

cesar a. cruz

Doctoral Candidate & Founder of Homies Empowerment Program

Harvard University-Secondary School Program

Problem of the Week - Tetraflexagons

This is a fun spatial thinking activity from Martin Gardner's book Origami, Eleusis, and the Soma Cube.  You can print these out and follow the instructions to assemble them.  Can you manipulate the tetraflexagons to find the hidden faces?  Where might such a design be useful?

The first is a tri-tetraflexagon.  I'd recommend printing out the template below, cutting out (b) and writing the numbers shown on (a) on the back.  Then fold as shown in (c) and tape as shown in (d).  When you flip is over, you should see all ones on the back.  Where is the third side?

The second is the surprisingly not redundantly named tetra-tetraflexagon.  As before, cut out (b) and then cut along the dotted lines.  Next, write the numbers on the back as shown in (a).   Fold as shown in (c) and tape as shown in (d).  When you flip it over the back should be all twos.  Maybe you can find the third side, but can you find the fourth side?

Finally, the challenge we have been working towards.  Folding this properly, though challenging, is not the challenge.  For this hexa-tetraflexagon you will first cut out the shape in (b).  Then write the letters as shown in (a).  I'd highly recommend pre-creasing each square before starting to make the folds labeled with arrows in (a).  Then fold again as shown in (c), and finally put it all together as shown in (d).  The flap that has a 3 and 1 on it reverse from the tape shown in (d) should show a 1 so that the reverse of the 2 side is the 1 side.  Hopefully at this point, with some tinkering you can find the third and fourth sides.  At last you are ready for the real challenge, can you manipulate it to find the fifth and sixth sides without ripping it?  How many times did you rage quit and have to make a new one?

You're welcome for making your brain smarter.  PDF of the pictures can be found here.

By: Jim Town - Mathematics Specialist at ACOE Core Learning

Common Core Math + Families = Student Success

A Context to Connect with Families

In the last 3 weeks Core Learning has had the opportunity to support math instruction through Parent Math community engagement events in several Alameda County districts. Two of our Parent Math nights coincided with American Education Week and certainly facilitated communication between schools and the public in order to ensure that the successes and needs of schools are celebrated and met, respectively. Beyond AEW, the need for clear and regular communication with families around the Common Core math standards has become increasingly evident as parents and districts begin to experience the implications of the transition to the new standards.

One of the most frequently asked questions that we have heard from parents, whether they have children in the elementary or secondary levels, is why are we teaching math to students in this new, seemingly inefficient way?  As parents encounter ways to “do” math that diverges from their own math learning experiences, they may be discovering that their own mathematical understandings are being challenged as they try to support their children’s mathematical development.

As is often the case with new things that we don’t fully understand, it may be tempting to dismiss the different ways that math is being taught. Adjectives we have heard in reference to the Common Core standards include “confusing,” “dumbed-down,” “inefficient,” and “impractical.” However, we have found that as parents engage in the new mathematical models that elementary students are using to understand the why of mathematics, and as they encounter the limitations of their secondary students’ math abilities with the entry of problems that require flexibility of mind and strong problem-solving skills, there is a realization that teaching students procedures and rules without fostering a deep understanding of the structures and systems which these algorithms help to navigate is actually not preparing our students to be critical problem solvers.

Pictorial Models to Develop Conceptual Understanding

At the elementary math nights, the main part of the program focused on having parents and guardians work through common pictorial models being used at the K-5 levels. Participants rotated through stations dedicated to solving math problems through tape diagrams, array and area models, number bonds and ten-frames, and manipulatives to understand place value. The experience is intended to clarify for parents how these models support student understanding of various math concepts. As often happens when students encounter these models for the first time, light bulbs started to go off for adults when they started to recognize how their own mathematical understanding may or may not be based in a strong conceptual foundation.

One example of this is when parents were asked to use a tape diagram to help them understand how to solve the following 1st grade math problem from EngageNY:

Lucy has 5 pencils. Kim has 7 pencils. How many more pencils does Kim have than Lucy?

Over the course of the evening, parents quickly subtracted to find the answer. When asked how they knew to subtract, many of them struggled with a response. When it comes to elementary problems such as this, it is easy for us as adults to forget how we develop the ability to decode stories such as this into arithmetic problems. This is where models such as tape diagrams are useful in providing a visual reference for students as they develop skills to determine the best, most efficient approach to solve problems.

By providing a means for students to see a physical representation of the abstract problem, models such as these provide a scaffold for students as they transition between the concrete and abstract. Further, the integration of mathematical models incorporates at least 2 of the Mathematical Practice standards, furthering our young people’s development of critical and problem-solving skills: 4) Model[ing] with mathematics and 7) Look[ing] for and mak[ing] use of structure. Exposing parents to these modeling approaches, and providing them the experience and language to discuss these mathematical explorations with their children, is just one way that we can support students and their families in building mathematical understanding.

Collaboration to Build Mathematical Meaning and Understanding

At the secondary level, we have seen shifts in instruction towards more student-centered lessons, which often include moves towards increased collaborative learning. In order for students to be productively engaged with classmates, these transitions require problems which are usually open-ended, with multiple solutions and/or means of arriving at the solutions. These 2 basic shifts in content and student interactions require and develop another two of the 8 Mathematical Practices: 3) Construct a viable argument and critique the reasoning of others and 1) Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

Given how many of us learned mathematics (taking notes on examples provided by a teacher and then given a handful of problems that allowed us to implement that day’s learning or formula), the groupwork approach to learning and doing mathematics may seem strange. In an era where information and colleagues are at our fingertips, it is essential that we develop students’ abilities to think outside of the proverbial box in conjunction with others. Today’s business leaders are asking for nothing less.

And for those who worry that having students work collaboratively on mathematics reduces their access to rigorous content and skills, here is a great video (with links to others) that demonstrates the high quality of mathematical learning and understanding that can happen. Productive math conversations certainly do not happen by accident, and require ample preparation, but the rewards in terms of student learning are well worth the effort.

Moving Forward

Keeping families in the loop and involved in students’ education should not be limited to single events or to those occasions when major changes are happening in the education landscape. In order to continue the conversation, we encourage districts to continue communicating via language-accessible Parent Engagement nights and newsletters. Additional resources to provide context and language for parents seeking to communicate with their children and schools around math instruction include:

• GreatKids Milestones: videos of students demonstrating grade-level standards (only K-5 currently, with 6-12 coming soon)
• Parent Roadmaps to CCSS-Mathematics: brochures listing standards for each grade-level plus 3-year snapshots to show progression of standards (currently K-8, English and Spanish)
• PTA CCSS Guide to CCSS: Four-page overviews (English and Spanish) of grade-level standards in ELA and Mathematics (K-High School)

Keep the conversations happening, and let us know how they go!

by Celine Liu, Math Specialist

"New Literacies" at Curriculum Council

District Leaders Engage in New Literacies Sort

Today we had the opportunity to work with our Curriculum Council on New Literacies. The idea of "new literacies" focuses on ways in which meaning making and communication systems are changing under new conditions that include, but are not limited to, the proliferation of digital electronics. As educators we need to re-envision how we engage with students to harness contemporary social practices that our students are already using without our help.

The following chart exemplifies the ways in which we currently teach literacy versus the ways students interact with literacy in their lives outside of school.  Click on the image below for a larger view.

In order to bridge the gap between what's happening in and outside of school, we shared some examples of new literacies that many students are engaged with. They blog, chat, text, publish online and give each other feedback in highly collaborative ways. Click on the image below to see the examples.

Our students are increasingly becoming digital natives and we need to meet them where they are! Watch the video to see what students are up to.

Happy blogging, tweeting and snapchatting!

Nathalie Longree-Guevara, Sasha Kirkman & Maria Vlahiotis

Aiding a Confused Parent with Arrays

Found on Twitter with the caption: “kids can't learn 6x8= 48 anymore its now 6x8=(5+1)x8 Why the confusing work”

Dear Confused Parent,

The picture you posted comes from a Powerpoint made by EngageNY to help teachers teach Grade 3, Module 3, Lesson 10.  Lesson 10’s objective is to “use the distributive property as a strategy to multiply and divide.”  So the question “How does topic C use the array model to move learning forward?”  is for teachers to consider as they think about the lesson.  The answer EngageNY gives is: “The array model helps students understand division as both a quantity divided into equal groups, as well as an unknown factor problem.”  Which provides important background, but does not directly answer your question.  

To get back to the first part of your statement, “kids can't learn 6x8 = 48 anymore.”  In fact, the Common Core State Standards state that by the end of third grade students should “know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.”  So they can and should learn 6x8 = 48.  At the same time, they are learning why 6x8 = 48 and how to figure out that 6x8 = 48.   

That finally leads us to your question, “Why the confusing work?”  The answer boils down to two main reasons, 1) the distributive property and 2) helping students figure out why 6x8 is 48, based in facts they already know and might be able to do in their head.  The distributive property states that a(b+c) = ab + ac.  The property is important for understanding elementary ideas such as how multiplication and addition are related

5 x 3 = 5(1+1+1) = 5 + 5 + 5

to secondary concepts such as multiplying binomials

(x + 4)(x - 5) = x(x - 5) + 4(x - 5) = x2 - 5x + 4x - 20 = x2 - x - 20.  

In the problem you posted, students can break up the array of 48 dots into 
(5 + 1)8 = 5 x 8 + 1 x 8 or 6(5 + 3) = 6 x 5 + 6 x 3 to show that they both equal the same number of dots.  

This is also a strategy for figuring out 6x8 = 48 if students have forgotten the fact.  They may know 6x5 is 30 and 6x3 is 18 and can add to find 48.  Similarly, they may know 5x8 is 40 and 1x8 is 8 which together make 48 again.  An important part of the Common Core is building fluency through practice and conceptual understanding.  So by the end of third grade they should know 
6x8 = 48, but if they don't we should make sure they have the tools to figure it out.

I hope this makes you feel less confused,

Jim Town - Mathematics Specialist at ACOE Core Learning

Need more Common Core Math help?  Visit our Common Core Math Help page and get your answers today! 

Cool Ed Tech Resources

At today's Core Coaching Network we are sharing a few free EdTech tools that we thought were pretty remarkable:

Tagboard

Tagboard uses hashtags to search for and collect public social media within seconds of being posted to networks like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Robust tools offer the power to select specific posts to feature on websites, etc.

Piktochart
Use Piktochart for creating awesome presentations, eye-popping infographics, and reports. It is free to use and easy to learn.

TouchCast  enables teachers to create interactive videos that include (scrollable) websites, documents, photos, and polls.

Photomath  lets you take a picture of a math expression or equation, and it will solve it in realtime, showing you the step-by-step process of how it was solved. Available for iPhone currently, and Android in the future. 

More tools we didn't share today

After visiting the recent CUE conference in Napa the literacy team came back with an exciting list of free sites, apps and resources to enhance and promote content creation, collaboration, literacy and more.

Not all of these resources are necessarily new, in fact few have been around for a while, but they still hold up to today’s needs and merit a rediscovery, if they are not already part of your techno-diet.

Viewpure
Insert youtube url to view videos without ads, etc.

Tubechop 
Tool to quickly edit youtube videos for just the section you want to show.

Scrumy  Project management tool using digital post-its to track progress on projects.

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL. Ferlazzo curates a new website every day for use with ELLs.

Padlet is an online, collaborative “cork board” for students.

InfuseLearning is the best formative assessment tool to use with students.

Google Art Project  takes students into the most famous museums in the world, and enables them to zoom in on artwork.  Students can search by medium, event, place, person, and time period.

TubeChop  enables teachers to “chop” sections from a YouTube video, and then share it.

QuietTube  is a toolbar button; when installed, teachers do not have to worry about YouTube videos displaying comments.

EdTed: This website enables teachers to build a lesson around any Ted-Ed Original, TED Talk, or YouTube video.

Instagrok: Searching a word in Instagrok produces an interactive concept map.  (This is an especially useful tool with ELLs.)

Socrative is a formative assessment tool similar to InfuseLearning.

Poll Everywhere: This is another formative assessment tool for quick class polls.

EasyBib helps students create citations.

Diigo is an online annotation tool.  Students can highlight and add stickies to any website.

Buck Institute for Education: BIE provides crucial resources for teachers who wish to create project-based learning experiences for their students.

Google Drive: Students are using Google Drive across the country to collaborate on documents and presentations, fill out formative assessments (through Google Forms), and use Google Apps for Education (GAFE).

Doceri is a presentation tool that promotes student annotation.

Evernote is a powerful task managing tool.

Paper is an iPad app for drawing, creating mind maps, etc.

Pinterest is a website wherein users “pin” photos that are linked to information; it is rife with teacher tools and inspirational ideas for your classroom.

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Have another one you want to share? here is the link to our mini Tech Slam Google Doc