PLC Bytes

PLC Bytes are 7-10 minute presentations designed to be used in Professional Learning Communities (PLC) or faculty meetings. They provide brief-yet-to-the-point overviews of both general and content-specific components of the Colorado Academic Standards. New content-specific PLC Bytes will be highlighted on each content area home page. All PLC Bytes will eventually be archived here.

General Standards and Instructional Support PLC Bytes:

NEW! Science PLC Bytes are available around the topics: Importance of Scientific Practices, Selecting Science Materials Aligned to CAS, and Developing Assessments Aligned to Learning Experiences in Science. These resources are in the Prezi format and are 5-7 minute segmented presentations designed to be used in professional learning communities (PLC) or faculty meetings. These additional resources can be found in the PLC Bytes section on the "Paying Attention to Practice" Science page.
NEW! Mathematics PLC Byte around the topic: Selecting Mathematics Materials Aligned to CAS. This resource highlights an overall process for materials selection based on the Colorado Academic Standards in Mathematics. This resource is in the Prezi format and is designed to be used in professional learning communities (PLC) or faculty meetings to invite discussion and reflection.
NEW! Tutorial on the Family and Community Guides to the Colorado Academic Standards*- This quick tutorial video focuses on the Family and Community Guides to the Colorado Academic Standards in all ten content areas. The video shares how to locate these guides and spotlights a few examples of the guides in Science and Social Studies to give an overview on the organization and content of the guides. (*Note-for best results, please view video in Google Chrome)
Guiding Questions: Conceptual and Factual Questions
Vocabulary: a quick review - Promising practices related to acquisition and mastery of vocabulary
Transforming Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century

The Arts

“Year-Long Large Music Ensemble Unit Launch”. This topic was chosen based upon feedback from music directors that wanted resources for authentic planning for marching band/choir etc. The Band and Choir Directors from Lake County High School in Leadville, Colorado developed a unit to meet these unique needs. Watch this video for an overview of the unit. (8 minutes 40 seconds)
Using Art to Teach Colorado History Use this PLC Byte to take a virtual tour of 4th grade district sample units in Social Studies and all the arts disciplines (Dance, Drama Theatre Arts, Music and Visual Arts) as well as a few other great resources that could be used to create dynamic and engaging Colorado History learning opportunities for students. (8 minutes 45 seconds)
Celebrating Colorado's Collaborative Creativity: Arts Education Landscape

Comprehensive Health and Physical Education

Integration of Comprehensive Health This Prezi discusses the importance of the integration of Comprehensive Health concepts and skills into other content areas in order to support the development of the "Whole Child".

Computer Science

Reading, Writing and Communicating

Differentiation Strategies with Rubrics for Writing

CMAS ELA Writing appears as prose constructed response items in which students demonstrate mastery of both reading and writing standards through their development of ideas, organization, clarity of language, and knowledge of language and conventions within a research simulation task, literary analysis task, and/or a narrative task.
- Development of Ideas:
  - The student response addresses the prompt and shows effective development of the topic and/or narrative elements by using reasoning, details, text-based evidence, and/or description; the development is largely appropriate to the task and purpose.
- Organization:
  - The student response consistently demonstrates purposeful and controlled organization and includes an introduction and conclusion.
- Clarity of Language:
  - The student response uses linking words and phrases, descriptive words, and/or temporal words to express ideas with clarity.
- Knowledge of Language:
- The student response demonstrates command of the conventions of Standard English consistent with effectively edited writing. Though there may be a few minor errors in grammar and usage, meaning is clear throughout the response.
Close, Comparative, and Critical Reading - Three Ways to Meaningfully Engage Students in Complex Texts
Vocabulary: a quick review - Promising practices related to acquisition and mastery of vocabulary
Reading Fluency: More than Speed

Science

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Social Studies

Using Art to Teach Colorado History Use this PLC Byte to take a virtual tour of 4th grade district sample units in Social Studies and all the arts disciplines (Dance, Drama Theatre Arts, Music and Visual Arts) as well as a few other great resources that could be used to create dynamic and engaging Colorado History learning opportunities for students. (8 minutes 45 seconds)
Disciplinary Literacy in Social Studies