August

Literacy, Equity and Engagement Tools 

While I am feeling inundated by a plethora of resources coming through all social media and e-mail, there are a few that catch my eye as they relate to literacy, equity and building community in classrooms- virtual or face-to-face: 

All Students Need Anti-Racism Education

Online Teaching Can Be Culturally Responsive

First Week of School Stations

EduTopia Learning Stations to Kick off The Year

How to Make a Digital Bookshelf in Google Slides

We know articles and activities certainly don’t solve the multiple challenges we are facing right now, my hope is that they may allow some reflection and help in planning at some point in the near future.

 

WISD Professional Learning in August 

August 10, 13, 18, 20, 21 Cultivating Genius Book Study

August 13th Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy Grades 4-5

August 14th Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy Grades K-3

August 19th Back to School EdCamp

August 20th Socially Just Assessment and Grading 

*Register for all in the WISD ABC System

*Please contact Melissa Brooks-Yip for Literacy topics and Amy Olmstead Brayton for Assessment 

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Register HERE

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 Summer Literacy Learning in our Community

AADL Summer Game

Northfield Township Area Library Summer Reading Club

Dexter Library Summer Reading Family Events

Saline District Library Imagine Your Story

Chelsea Library Summer Reading Program

Manchester Library Youth Summer Reading Registration

Ypsilanti Library Summer Challenge

Milan Public Library 

July

Professional Learning for Educators

From book studies, assessment literacy webinars, EdCamps, Literacy Essential Overviews to informal educator meet-ups, the instruction and assessment team has many wonderful opportunities for Washtenaw County Educators to learn together this summer. 

Register HERE and please contact us with questions! 

 Summer Literacy Learning in our Community

AADL Summer Game

Northfield Township Area Library Summer Reading Club

Dexter Library Summer Reading Family Events

Saline District Library Imagine Your Story

Chelsea Library Summer Reading Program

Manchester Library Youth Summer Reading Registration

Ypsilanti Library Summer Challenge

Milan Public Library 

https://www.emich.edu/ccw/writing-project/wrtgcamps.php

https://www.826michigan.org/our-programs/workshops/

September Back-to-School Edition!

Back-to-School Resources

Educators know the first weeks of the school year are a crucial time to get to know our students as individuals with unique personalities, as learners in our classrooms, and as members of families and communities.  Building relationships with students and their families should be our first goal.  If you are looking for some new ideas and resources, check out:

• Teaching Tolerance-New Opportunities for Back to School shares best practices for policies and family communications;

• Pernille Ripp's Getting to Know Our Students surveys;

• NCTE's Actions for a Culturally Sustaining Classroom Environment;

• Ernest Morrell's 7 Strengths of Super Readers Series & Parent Pledge;

• MDE's Essentials for Families- What Families Can do to Support Reading and Writing

What do you do to get to know students and families?  Share in the comments! 

Professional Learning Opportunities

SOEL and IDLL-

The Study of Early Literacy (PreK-5) and the Inquiry into Disciplinary Literacy and Learning (6-12) are our networks to support best practices in literacy instruction.  If you are interested in learning more about either, please email me at mbrooksyip@washtenawisd.org  

KRA Data Day-  If you are administering the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment this fall and are interested in exploring how you can use the data to inform your instruction, join us on October 18th 8:30-3:30 at WISD.  FREE to all.    

Register HERE

Social Studies Standards, Framework and Disciplinary Literacy! 

Join us for a series of dates to help deepen our understanding of these three documents. 
 October 21, October 29, and November 7   8:30-3:30 at Saline Liberty School.   Free to Washtenaw County educators.  $25 for those outside of the county.

Register HERE for this three day series! 

June

SOEL Celebrates Another Year of Learning!

As the 2018-2019 school year comes to a close, SOEL teachers took time in our last meetings to reflect on and share what they learned about literacy instruction, the changes they made in teaching because of that learning, and how that, in turn, resulted in student learning. 
*Please see our charts from PreK SOEL and K-3 SOEL and our quick visual summary below:

IDLL and the Disciplinary Literacy Essentials! 

After giving feedback three years ago, studying them for two, and being a pilot county for one, The Essential Practices for Disciplinary Literacy Instruction in Secondary Classrooms have finally been publicly released.  In 2019-2020, our Inquiry into Disciplinary Literacy and Learning will continue to study disciplinary literacy through book studies, school visits, and collaborations with EMU and UM.

2019 Reading Book Lists from ILA

Just in time for summer reading, The International Literacy Association released the Choices Reading Lists. Each year, thousands of children, young adults, and educators around the United States select their favorite recently published books for the Choices reading lists. These lists are used in classrooms, libraries, and homes to help readers of all ages find books they will enjoy. Check them out for yourself and the children in your life:

Teacher's Choice

Children's Choice

Young Adult Choices

Summer Learning Opportunities

Disciplinary Writing Institute
 9:00-3:00  at EMU
June 24-25

Register HERE

*This connects to the newly released 6-12 Disciplinary Literacy Essential Instructional Practices and our IDLL network here at WISD

Teaching the Holocaust, Empowering Students

July 31 8:30-3:30 at WISD

Register HERE

Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy-
 One Day Overviews

 August 1st for grades K-3 at WISD 8:30-3:30

August 2nd for grades 4-5 at WISD 8:30-3:30

At the end of each session, registrants will be invited to join the SOEL network for the 2019-2020 school year. 

**Also, don't forget about the online modules for the PreK and K-3 Essentials

February

World Read Aloud Day! 

While today, February 1, is officially World Read Aloud Day, we know it is really EVERY day!  

Visit LitWorld for resources such as bookmarks, booklists, and events, but especially for their Read Aloud Guide to get started now and continue in the future. 

SOEL and Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy

We did end up cancelling our January SOEL meetings due to the #polarvortex2019, but let's not forget that we can always see many SOEL teachers demonstrating Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy on the LiteracyEssentials.org site.

In this video, you'll see longtime SOEL member, Roshawda Miller talk about coaching reading in small groups.

Responsive Teaching Institutes

On January 17th, the AI Team of WISD welcomed several guest speakers to another Responsive Teaching Institute.  With over 70 educators attending, many saw Dr. Ernest Morrell present on Critical Media Pedagogy: Culturally Responsive Pedagogies for Diverse Classrooms. 

Join us February 14th  8:30-3:30 at Saline Liberty School to process learning and plan forward for Culturally Relevant Teaching as part of our next Planning and Implementation Day.  Also, save the date for the next Responsive Teaching Institute on March 14th at EMU when we will host Dr. Dorinda Carter Andrews, Dr. Laura Jimenez, Dr. Terry Flennaugh, and Kimberly Wardell Stone.  

Teacher Action Research

Are you interested in learning about Teacher Action Research?  The 4th in our SOEL Teacher Action Research Webinar Series with Dr. Cathy Fleischer will be on February 13th at 4:00.    

No registration is necessary. 

Join us at:  https://zoom.us/j/189529059

**If you missed previous webinars, catch up HERE!

Echoes and Reflections 

Echoes & Reflections is dedicated to reshaping the way that teachers and students understand, process, and navigate the world through the events of the Holocaust. The Holocaust is more than a historical event; it’s part of the larger human story. Educating students about its significance is a great responsibility. We partner with educators to help them introduce students to the complex themes of the Holocaust and to understand its lasting effect on the world.

Join us February 25th 4:30-8:30 or March 5th 8:30-3:30
FREE.      Register HERE

November

Teacher Planning & Implementation Day

Planning and Implementation Days were introduced this year to give teachers involved in an instructional or assessment network some intentional time to plan around their new learning in order to put it into classroom practice. 


On the first Planning and Implementation Day, October 18th, teachers had time with experts and consultants who frequently speak at our network meetings. Consultants were available on this day solely to support teacher's self identified professional learning needs.   

We were fortunate to have a plethora of expertise working with us that day:

Dr. Cathy Fleischer, EMU- Teacher Research and writing

Dr. Darin Stockdill, UM- Disciplinary Literacy

Dr. Gina Cervetti, UM- science units K-3

Heidi Roy-Borland, WLES, Coach-  K-3 reading instruction

Jenny Miller, AAPS, BLE - K-3 Writing instruction

Tonya Saragoza, MAS, Coach- Teacher Research, Reading Instruction 3-5

Tracy Terris, MAS, Coach- Reading and Writing Instruction K-3

Kate Rossetter, Coach, Howell-  PBL, Information in Action Kits

Members of the Achievement Initiatives Team at WISD - on literacy, assessment, responsive mathematics, & coaching.

Future Planning and Implementation days will be February 14th and April 18th.

Upcoming Professional Learning

Join us as we explore how educators can engage in culturally relevant pedagogy in literacy, mathematics, and science!

• Decentering Whiteness-  Selecting Complex and Compelling Texts for your Classroom- Dr. Laura Jimenez

• Engaging Students in Responsive Science Instruction - Dr. Felicia Mensah - Columbia University

• What is Powerful Literacy Instruction? - Dr. Ernest Morrell - University of Norte Dame 

• Mathequity - Dr. Aris Winger - Georgia Gwinnett College

• Achieving the Goal of Leading for Equity - Dr. Richard Milner - University of Pittsburgh

FREE to all educators in Washtenaw & Livingston counties

$35 for all other attendees

Register HERE  

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Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy- Grades 4 & 5 OVERVIEW for Literacy Coaches

The purpose of literacy essential instructional practices for grades 4 and 5 is to improve children’s literacy in Michigan. Professional development throughout the state can focus on this set of research-supported literacy instructional practices for daily use in the classroom. Expert research suggests that each of the 10 practices outlined in this document can have a positive impact on literacy development. The use of these practices in every Michigan classroom every day can make a measurable, positive difference in the state’s literacy achievement. Join us for a one-day overview of these practices. Cost is $25.00   Register HERE

*For questions regarding registration for any event, contact Jay Kirby at WISD. 

May

SOEL 3 - Writing Instruction in Early Literacy

SOEL teachers observing Mini-Lesson and Conferring

The Study of Early Literacy, cohort 3, has a focus on writing instruction, Essential #6 of the K-3 Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy. Our April meeting was spent on Learning Walks in SOEL classrooms, specifically looking at Writer's Workshop.  Thanks to SOEL member Jennifer Miller for hosting our day! 

Literacy Learning Opportunities for All! 

 *See linked flyers for all information/registration

• May 16- IDLL at UM to examine Disciplinary Literacy

• May 22, 23, 24 - SOEL Teacher Action Research Celebration

• June 26, 27-  Disciplinary Literacies Summer Institute for teachers in Grades 6-12, all subjects

• July 31-  K-3 Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy- An overview

• August 1, 2, 3-  SOEL Summer Institute 

I'm happy to answer any questions about Literacy Professional Learning!