Deeper learning for a wide range of students - for more information, see www.dlmooc.net

1. Welcome to Lens into the
Classroom ─ Deeper Learning
for a Wide Range of Students
We will begin at 4:00 pm PST, Thursday
February 20, 2014

2. Agenda
● Introductions, Overview
● Looking at Student Work
Protocol

3. Looking at Student work Overview
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Overview of the work and dilemma [6 minutes]
Question prep [1 minutes]
Clarifying questions (via chat; presenter responds on video) [5 minutes]
Question prep [1 minutes]
Probing Questions (via chat; presenter responds on video) [8 minutes]
Group Conversation [10 minutes]
Presenter Reflection (3 minutes)
Debrief [5 minutes]
Closing the Loop [2 minutes]

4. Norms
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General:
Hard on the content, soft on the people.
Be kind, helpful and specific.
Step up, step back (monitor your airtime).

5. Andrea Morton
Grade 6 Humanities Teacher
High Tech Middle Chula Vista
Experience:
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Teaching since 1997 in private, public and charter schools
High Tech Middle (2004-05)
High Tech Middle Media Arts (2005-07)
High Tech Middle Chula Vista (2012-present)
Education:
● Stanford University, Bachelor of Arts in English (1997)
● University of San Diego, Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential
CLAD Emphasis (2001)
● UCSD, Gifted and Talented Education Certificate (2003)

6. High Tech Middle Chula Vista
Demographics
327 students grades 6-8
15 classroom teachers
61% Hispanic
13% Filipino
10% Caucasian
8% African-American
4% American Indian
53% Free and Reduced Lunch
$6503 Per Pupil TOTAL Expenditure - Annual

7. Our Diverse Student Body
8-10% of HTMCV students have
Individualized Education Plans
5% of HTMCV students are classified as
EL (English Learners) as determined by CELDT test which
test social language skills. Many additional HTMCV students
have continuing challenges with academic English
HTMCV does not focus on labels; thus, we do not use GATE
identification.
We strive to know all of our students well and meet their unique
needs. We support students who need support, and endeavor to
challenge students who demonstrate readiness for challenge.

8. Labels DECLASSIFIED
My Writing and Research Goals for Students
Gather relevant information from several online sources, assessing source
credibility and integrating different types of information (graphs, charts, casestudies, feature articles, etc.)
Write informative and explanatory articles to examine topics of personal
interest, using content-appropriate vocabulary and a well-organized structure.
Use textual evidence in their writing to support claims; make inferences drawn
from the study of scientific information.
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Project Details
14 weeks, 52 sixth grade students (ages 10-12)
Exhibitions: HTH-CV campus-wide (Dec 2014); Available for purchase via
Amazon.Com; Online website with student artwork and audio:
www.labelsdeclassified.com
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9. The Dilemma (6 minutes)
Andrea Morton: 6th Grade Teacher High Tech Middle
Chula Vista amorton@hightechhigh.org
What effective differentiation strategies might I
implement for high-ability and high-achieving
students in a mixed-ability classroom, when
working on a research and writing project, that
will ensure access and challenge for all
students?

10. “George”
George is an 11 year old Hispanic student new to the High Tech
High schools. He began attending HTMCV in August 2013.
George is extremely intelligent, highly motivated and highachieving. He thrives on challenges.

11. Writing Sample, “George”
Highly Motivated, High Achieving 6th Grade Student
“In researching this article, I learned a lot about fragrance. Did you know that
there are at least 5,000 different chemicals used by the fragrance industry in
products? Out of those 5,000 chemicals approximately 20% have been tested
and reported toxic.
There have also been a number of studies about how fragrance can affect the
brain. In the studies, people learned that fragranced products can cross the
blood brain barrier. With the fragrance crossing the barrier, it can possibly
damage brain tissue. This would be called neurotoxicity since it is damaging the
brain. I got this information from an article online about fragrance called
“Sweet Poison: What your nose can’t tell you about the dangers of perfume,”
by Andrea DesJardins (Copyright 1997). In this article, it explained that the
FDA has little control over the fragrance industry; also it says the FDA knows
little about the health effects on fragranced products because they don’t require
manufacturers to prove their products are safe.”

12. “Ken”
Ken is a 12 year old Hispanic 6th grader at High Tech Middle Chula
Vista who matriculated from High Tech Elementary-CV.

13. Writing Sample, “Ken”
Grade 6: Proficient Reader, Struggling Writer
“My product is Axe Anarchy body gel. People use this product to clean your body
when you’re in the shower.
On the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Axe scored an ok 5, but I am
still using it. I’m still using Axe because it hasn’t done anything bad to me yet.
AXE has some good and bad things in it but the worst is fragrance it smells good
but it can take away your sense of smell. It can give you the most common allergies
in the world. It can give you allergies by going through your skin and affecting you.
Fragrance is also bad for you because if you have asthma it can really harm you by
making it worse.”

14. “Maria”
Maria is an 11 year old Hispanic student, designated EL, who also has
an Individualized Education Plan.
Maria works very hard and is extremely focused and studious.

15. Writing Sample, “Maria”
Grade 6: EL and IEP
“Who knows what Flipz Chocolate Covered Pretzels are? Well if you
don’t know, they are pretzels covered with dark chocolate, milk
chocolate, white fudge or chocolate mint! I really like them because
they are a really filling snack, they are crunchy and they are really
yummy.
...I went on a website called FoodFacts.com and they gave Flipz
chocolate pretzels a score of D!! Which is NOT good! Something
that is REALLY bad about Flipz chocolate covered pretzels is that
they contain artificial flavoring which is really bad for you.”

16. The Dilemma (6 minutes)
Andrea Morton: 6th Grade Teacher High Tech Middle
Chula Vista amorton@hightechhigh.org
What effective differentiation strategies might I
implement for high-ability and high-achieving
students in a mixed-ability classroom, when
working on a research and writing project, that
will ensure access and challenge for all
students?

17. Clarifying Questions (5 minutes)
Clarifying questions are simple questions of fact. The litmus
test for a clarifying question is: Does the presenter have to think
before s/he answers? If so, it’s almost certainly a probing
question.
Some examples of clarifying questions:
• How many students do you teach?
• What prior experience do students have with this type of
work?

18. Question Prep and Response Format
(1 minute)
1. Brainstorm questions for the presenter
2. Participants enter their questions in Q&A
Please try to paste questions that have not already been asked.

19. Probing Questions
(8 minutes)
Probing questions are intended to help the presenter think
more deeply about the issue at hand. The presenter often
doesn’t have a ready answer to a genuine probing question.
Examples of probing questions could be:
What is your biggest worry with this issue?
How do students currently reflect on their growth?
Other possible probing questions begin with:
How did you decide/determine/conclude...?
What's another way you might...?
Probing questions should not be “advice in disguise”, such as
“Have you considered…?”
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20. Question Prep and Response Format
(1 minute)
1. Brainstorm questions for the presenter
2. Participants enter their questions in the chat in Q&A
Please try to paste questions that have not already been asked.

21. Group Conversation
(10 minutes)
The conversation is not directed to the presenter. It is directed to the group
and focuses on the presenter's dilemma.
●Group Instructions/Questions:
■ Begin with warm feedback. What are the strengths in this situation?
■ What are the gaps? What isn't the presenter considering?
■ What recommendations does anyone have in response to the
question posed by the presenter?
■ Make a list of the recommendations and post them in Q&A

22. Presenter Reflection (3 minutes)
• The presenter has the opportunity to respond to the discussion.
• It is not necessary to respond point by point to what others said.
• The presenter may share what struck him or her and what next steps might
be taken as a result of the ideas generated by the discussion.

23. Debrief
(5 minutes)
• The debrief is not a time to continue discussing the dilemma.
• Instead focus on questions like…
Did we have a good question?
Did we stick to the question?
Did our probing questions push the presenter’s thinking?
Was there a moment where we got off track?
How did we do with following the norms?
Was there a moment where the conversation made a turn for
the better?
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24. Closing the Loop
(2 minutes)
Participants what they have learned from participating in this protocol
and how it could inform their own practice.
Post your reflections in Q&A or on Twitter