Dear MS Families, 

The weather has turned and it feels like winter has officially begun. As shared in last week's WGO:

• If a single day snow closure is announced late at night or early in the morning, ACS invites everyone to enjoy the fresh snow! 

• If the closure stretches beyond a single day or is announced in anticipation of a major storm, virtual schooling will be the norm. In such cases, Principals will follow up with schedules and expectations. 

In the event of a snow closure, MS students would move to online learning guided by the following principles:

• Teachers will post assignments/notes/directions via Google Classroom by 10:00 a.m. for every class. 

• Learning activities will be planned for students to work independently and at their own pace. 

• We would follow the assigned block day (Day 1, 2, 3 etc) and each block would last one hour. 

• During each block, teachers will be available online for your child to engage with and answer your questions. 

• Students can email their teacher, set up a 1-1 Google Meet, or chat over Google Hangouts during their assigned block. 

What’s a CER? How do teachers build skills with evidence based writing in MS? 

If you have a middle schooler they are likely working on or just wrapping up a CER writing assignment. The CER method (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) is an effective approach middle school teachers use to support evidence-based writing by guiding students to construct clear and logical responses. Here's a summary of how it works:

1. Claim:
   Teachers help students formulate a concise statement that answers the question or addresses the prompt. This teaches students to focus their writing on a clear and arguable position.

2. Evidence:
   Students are taught to support their claim with relevant and credible evidence from texts, research, or observations. Teachers emphasize selecting specific examples that strengthen their argument.

3. Reasoning:
   Teachers encourage students to explain how their evidence supports their claim. This step involves teaching students to connect facts to their argument using logical analysis, often incorporating concepts learned in class.

By breaking writing into these steps, the CER method promotes critical thinking, organizational skills, and clarity in writing. It is often integrated across subjects, reinforcing its relevance in scientific, historical, and literary contexts. Teachers use scaffolding strategies, such as graphic organizers, modeling, and feedback, to ensure students grasp each component. Writing in an evidence-based way is one of the most important skills we teach in middle school and by using the same language and structure students get multiple opportunities to practice, receive feedback, and grow.