Educational Service Unit No. 11

On October 29, 30 and 31, 334 sophomore students from the ESU 11 area participated in the career exploration workshop called Connecting the Dots. This interactive career exploration simulation program is designed to help students learn more about careers of interest as well as how to “connect the dots” from tenth grade through postsecondary study to the workplace. Many thanks to the following businesses that provided representatives to speak to the students during the course of the day about their particular career field:  Educational Service Unit #11, Bruning State Bank, Allmand/Briggs and Stratton, Phelps County Development Corporation, Eileen Golus, Phelps County Sheriff’s Department, Holdrege YMCA, Mosiac, Tri Basin NRD, Southern Public Power, Adams Construction, NTV, Phelps Memorial Health Center, Nebraska Extension, Central Community College, UNL, Furnas/Gosper County FSA, and the Nebraska National Guard. The workshop is a Nebraska Extension educational program and was coordinated by the Nebraska Extension Office and sponsored by Educational Service Unit 11.

On September 30, 2019, ESU 11 hosted a Professional Learning Community meeting for second and third grade teachers.  PLCs are an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively to achieve better results for the students they serve.  During this session, the group reviewed the newly adopted College and Career Ready Science standards and 3-Dimensional Teaching.  The teachers worked together to identify the Disciplinary Core Ideas and Cross Cutting Concepts, essential questions, and vocabulary that students will examine for each standard. They also explored the concept of “Claims Evidence Reasoning” and learned how students can use this process to create an evidence-based response.  They then discussed the shift in assessment.  Between now and the next meeting, teachers are encouraged to integrate one of the assessments types into one of their science lessons.