We gathered five exceptional Georgia teachers who are working with the English Language Arts Georgia Standards of Excellence and featured them in four segmented videos designed as a professional learning resource for building capacity for student writing. The classrooms are authentic Georgia classrooms with Georgia educators, featuring Georgia students starring in these productions.

All teachers were asked to prepare lessons that reflect standards-based, performance-based, research-based, and TKES-based instructional practice. Because there are numerous strategies from which to choose, these featured teachers purposefully selected “a tool from the toolbox” of sound instructional practices to incorporate into their video segments. Viewers will see these strategies delivered with great fidelity. Please know that teachers are invited to use the instructional practices that work best for the students they teach.

In the following videos keep in mind there is no such thing as a scripted lesson; teachers are invited to infuse their own lessons with passion and personality to make similar lessons their own. Teachers are encouraged to work with peers in Professional Learning Communities to watch the videos in segments, create lessons from the videos, and share ideas about how to tailor the work to meet their students’ needs. Document your PLC work for TKES evaluation purposes; this work is important to build teacher-leadership skills on your campus – beyond the walls of your own classroom!

Challenge for All Georgia Teachers

The objective is for teachers “to see” how the standards are embedded in the lessons and how to seamlessly apply them to their own lessons.  We encourage all teachers to watch these videos in professional collaborative groups of peer colleagues for the purpose of seeing the Standards as master teachers apply lessons in the classroom.

• look for the practical ideas
• note the effective instructional practices
• note the blended performance-based curriculum
• pause at an appropriate place and discuss the segments
• set expectations to embed ideas into personalized lessons that you create

We encourage you to apply the lessons and techniques in your own classrooms, and come back to your PLCs and discuss outcomes, highs and lows, and adjust the instruction to meet your own classroom purpose.

Remember, it is important that you deliberately design your lessons for your students, using your own resources and creativity.

Featured Classrooms

Luz Montanez, Second Grade Teacher
Greens Acres Elementary School
> Building Student Capacity in Writing

Tori Sinco, Fifth Grade Teacher
Avery Elementary School
> Self-Assessment and Goal Setting in Writing

Kayse Morris, Sixth Grade Teacher
Coffee Middle School
> The Role of Evidence in Writing

Ashley Morris, Literacy Coach
Lindley Middle School
> Intersection of Literacies: Reading, Speaking, and Writing

Zackory Kirk, K-12 ELA Coordinator
American Literature at Hampton High School
> From Conversation to Composition

Georgia Teachers: Building Strong Foundations for the Future

Teaching the Georgia Standards of Excellence  “...is like a finely tuned Swiss watch...” Teaching Georgia Standards of Excellence takes team work and planning.

As you watch the videos with the goal of implementing in your own classroom, we encourage you to...Be CREATIVE!  Be positive!

Believe in your STUDENTS and Know that YOU are building the FUTURE to... Give our students a STRONG FOUNDATION.