Jenny Hands

@SmcnuttMcnutt Happy Anniversary!

I married my best friend 40 years ago today!

@MrsBeeAmazing @CrumblCookies I didn’t know it was a teacher tend… but we got some!

A huge spring break teacher trend I am seeing is @CrumblCookies 🍪 Is it like the new teacher tshirts of spring break 😂.

Celebrating our AVID seniors!

HUGE shoutout to the 4 GCHS KS CTE Scholars! Seth Jarmer, Rilee McGraw, Mya Cruz, and Ryan Unsworth (not pictured). Only 50 awards were given across the state of Kansas! #gcbuffpride

@457Avid In MS creative writing, I had students first grade their own writing with the rubric, then set a goal for improvement, and then I graded their next assignment based on their personal improvement goal. We continued the cycle for all writing assignments.

@457Avid In the CTE world, we measure competencies at the beginning, end (and sometimes middle) of a course. Competencies measure a students ability and confidence in a skill.

@457Avid I’ve always liked graphic organizers and color-coding, but I also recognize that not all students learn like i do - so I tried to incorporate strategies for auditory and kinesthetic learners as well.

@MrOriginal501 @457Avid I like the project timetable idea!

@457Avid When I taught MS creative writing, my students used color-coded 3 ring binders and they were BEAUTIFUL! Helped so much with classroom management as well as student organization. #iteachgc #457wicorized

@457Avid Hi! I’m Jenny Hands, CTE Coordinator and AVID District Director! I wasn’t allowed to watch many cartoons growing up... but when I visited my grandparents I got to watch Scooby Doo!

@457Avid When you get it right, rigor and engagement have a marriage that can’t be separated! They work hand-in-hand to keep students both interested and challenged. #457wicorized #iteachgc

@457Avid Collab significantly increased rigor daily in the Yearbook/Sugar Beet classroom! It’s easy to design a good spread by yourself, but to create a spread that unifies multiple themes using elements developed by multiple staffers each w/ their own opinion - THAT is rigorous!

@457Avid In the beginning, inquiry provides a foundation that answers the “why” for the rigorous work ahead. During the work, inq. propels the assignment forward. After the assignment, inq. provides opportunities for extended learning. #457wicorized #iteachgc

@457Avid Rigorous teaching engages students in extended questioning and curiosity re: the subject. The assignments are challenging yet also exciting to the students. Voice and choice are often characteristics of the learning tasks. #457wicorized #iteachgc

@457Avid Jenny Hands - CTE Coordinator & AVID District Director #457wicorized #iteachgc

@457Avid I think a rigor vs difficulty is often rooted in the purpose behind the assignment and the students level of big-in. #457wicorized #iteachgc

@457Avid Since I don’t have a classroom of my own, my question is: How can I best support you as an educator in developing writing-to-learn practices in your classroom? What strategies are you interested in learning more about?

@457Avid In my first year of teaching, I had students complete a daily writing log. While the log was good in theory, I used random & silly writing prompts. I should have been more thoughtful & purposeful about the prompts so they would lead to student learning rather than only practice.

@457Avid In a PD training while I was student teaching, the instructor had us read a very difficult technical text. None of us understood it. Then instructor had us write about it 3 separate times with 3 separate guiding questions. By the 3rd time - I understood most of the complex text!

@457Avid Writing-to-learn gives students the opportunity to independently process complex concepts, and it gives educators the opportunity to check for understanding. Writing-to-learn in all content areas is all about the process and not so much about the product.