As we prepare for another school year, the third now impacted by the pandemic, I find myself looking for inspiration to focus on what's possible (instead of what's impossible) how we can grow, and how we can help others to grow toward a purpose. I've gathered quotes, advice, and plans from trusted sources. Where are you finding inspiration and purpose as you start this school year?
Upcoming Literacy Professional Learning Opportunities
Join The Study of Early Literacy(SOEL) in it's 9th year! This professional learning network is designed for PreK-5 teachers to learn more about literacy instructional practices through book studies and guest speakers. This fall, we'll meet virtually, once per month via Zoom from 4:00-5:30, with September 30th as our kick off. See our timeline here for a history, and our flyer to registerfor the kick-off and topics for fall meetings. Our Winter/Spring times TBD by the group.
Building Equity-Based Disciplinary Literacies
Designed for middle and high school teachers of all subject areas,
Building Equity-Based Disciplinary Literacies is a collaboration between WISD and Eastern Michigan University to meet the changing needs and the growing understanding of disciplinary literacies at the secondary level. We want to be responsive to educator learning needs, and the last 18 months have affirmed that building equity through disciplinary literacies takes the sustained collaboration and community that this will provide.
Throughout this school year, we’ll build
our foundational understandings of equity and literacy through the creation of our own personal syllabus that can include relevant readings from our field, interviews with community members and experts in the disciplines, and collaborations between secondary classroom teachers and EMU professors. You design your learning path; we’ll help you get there.
You can expect support in these ways:
Partnering with an EMU professor
Reading and discussing professional texts
Participating in professional development activities
Talking with other secondary and university colleagues within and across disciplines
Applying your learning in lesson planning, unit planning and/or teacher research
Earning an Equity Based Disciplinary Literacy Badge
Book studies were very popular last school year, as well as over the summer. As you look into this next school year, what do you want to read and learn to improve your practice? Take this quick survey to help us plan what to offer for our upcoming Book Studies.
Just create an account, and you can search the libraryfor books to check out. After reserving, you can arrange pick-up or delivery to your school in Washtenaw County. Our picture books can be checked out individually. Books for middle and high school classrooms can be checked out as a larger set for up to six weeks. We have many new titles including: Sulwe, Say Something, Drawn Together, Julian is a Mermaid, Outside, Inside, We are Water Protectors, Butterfly Yellow, They Called Us Enemy, You Should See Me in a Crown, Kindred, Dark Sky Rising, Three Keys and The Dragonflies.
Here you’ll find great resources about the performing arts for students in grades K-12. Check out our videos featuring UMS teaching artists performing and talking about their craft. You can join them to begin your own journey! To learn more, explore accompanying slides and worksheets.
These resources are for educational use only, and are free to everyone. Children are encouraged to explore resources with the guidance of teachers, parents, or on their own.
In Remote Learning for Our Youngest Students, Jen Schwanke details ways primary teachers are reaching out to students across barriers in age, language, ability and engagement.
How to Build Relationships Virtually, by The Albert Team gives the why, challenges, and how to build relationships in virtual teaching and learning spaces.
Registration is Live for Fall & Winter Virtual Professional Learning!
YpsiWrites offers tutoring and programming for youth writers across Washtenaw County. We encourage teachers who are looking for extra support for their student writers to check out these programs.
-YpsiWrites Virtual:Offers both synchronous and asynchronous writing consults with trained YpsiWrites volunteers.
-Using Writing to Make Your Voice Heard - Writing matters! Join this virtual workshop (via Zoom) to learn how to make our voices heard--and make a difference in our communities, lives, and world--through writing. (Saturday, Oct. 17, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) Register here
Washtenaw County Writing Center forSecondary Students
TheWCWC is designed to be a youth-led, youth-driven space that provides peer-to-peer online literacy and writing support for all students in Washtenaw County, engages students in using writing for advocacy and activism, and amplifies student writing in all forms. We’re in the beginning stages of this work and seek input from teachers and especially students. If you’re interested in learning more or if you have a student to nominate for the Advisory Board, let us know through this form.
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:
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
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:
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.
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.
The First Week of School: Community Building, Writing, and Goal Setting
From scavenger hunts to "Dear Me" letters, you might find some new ideas here to shake-up your back-to-school routine of building community and getting to know your students as readers, writers, and learners. Create-Abilities shares five activities here.
Knowing our History to Build a Brighter Future
Books to Help Kids Understand the Fight for Racial Equality
Readbrightly.com provides K-12 text resources to "help us move beyond tokens and icons to a deeper understanding of our history and its legacy, toward our own march for liberty and justice for all."
Essential Instructional Practices for Literacy
While SOEL (Study of Early Literacy) moves into our fifth year at WISD and LESA, we continue to follow the most recent research (last two-three years) supported instructional practices through the Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy.
During two SOEL Summer Institutes, the Study of Early Literacy welcomed 72 new members for the 2017-2018 school year. After three days of collaborative learning, teachers chose a learning path for the school year around early literacy instruction.
Inquiry into Disciplinary Literacy and Learning (IDLL)
Secondary teachers of all subjects, you won't want to miss our IDLL line-up of professional learning and guest speakers for 2017-2018!
Save these dates:
September 28- hosted at Saline High School with "From the Classroom" presentations.
