May

Why is Diverse Literature Important in All Classrooms?

A start to our diverse books lending library: picture books on top,
upper EL and MS in the middle, HS on the bottom. 

Thoughtful conversations and planning with SOEL and IDLL teachers, guidance on text selection from guest speaker Dr. Laura Jimenez from our Responsive Teaching Institutes, a wish and a book list from the late YCS teacher Caroline Jacob, and ongoing collaboration with Dr. Shayla Griffin, Culture and Diversity Consultant at WISD, are all part of helping us build and shape a county-wide lending library for diverse books.  After selecting some K-12 diverse texts, SOEL met with Dr. Griffin to help understand and communicate why diverse and multicultural literature is important in all classrooms. Dr. Griffin says:

 1. Multicultural books act as mirrors that affirm, validate, and celebrate our children’s identities and lived experiences and the contributions people like them have made to the world.

Dr. Shayla R. Griffin, PhD. 2018

2. Multicultural books act as windows that expose students to the diversity of the broader world. 

3. Multicultural books can help students and educators interrupt bias and prejudice. 



Stay tuned for more on the Caroline Jacob Memorial Diverse Lending Library available in the 2019-2020 school year for Washtenaw County educators. 

What are We Reading to Learn? 

SOEL Teachers summarize, review and recommend books from
professional reading time this year

Professional books, and the time to read them, has always been part of SOEL since we formed in 2013. 
A few of our titles this year were:

• Every Child a Super Reader: Seven Strengths to Enter a World of Possible, by Ernest Morrell and Pam Allyn, was a favorite for a second year in a row.   Centered on Belonging, Curiosity, Friendship, Kindness, Confidence, Courage and Hope as Super Reader strengths, this book will certainly be on our SOEL list again next year, as it connects specifically to Essentials #1 and #10. 

• Interactive Writing Across Grades: A Small Practice with Big Results PreK-5  by Kate Roth and Joan Dobrowski.  Connecting to Essential #6, this text is highly engaging for the reader with many practical, immediate applications of the interactive writing practice.  This was voted to be a SOEL selection again next year as well.

• The Literacy Teacher's Playbook, K-2: Four Steps for Turning Assessment Data into Goal Directed Instruction, by Jennifer Seravallo. Connecting to Essentials #3 and #9, this coaching text directs teachers in using formative assessment to meet every child's literacy needs.  This text, as well as the grades 3-6 edition, was voted for offering again in SOEL next year. 

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

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. 

Disciplinary Writing InstituteJune 24-25 at EMU

Register here- Disciplinary Writing Institute 

Participants will be given an invitation to join the IDLL network after completing the institute. 

April

Professional Learning is Collaboration 

Relationships matter!  SOEL & IDLL had the opportunity to learn together with partners in our community during our March meetings. We are thankful for collaborative relationships with the Assessment Literacy Network, 826 Michigan, the EMU Office of Campus and Community Writing, and the Responsive Teaching Institute.

SOEL 1 teamed up with Assessment Literacy on March 13th on the work of Instructional Agility: Responding to Assessment with Real Time Decisions.   

Designing a rubric with learning targets

Throughout our day long session with author Nicole Dimich Vagle, we:

• Identified classroom conditions to set up instructional agility and student investment;
• Learned key components of instructional agility;
• Learned strategies for developing student investment through instructional agility;
• Reflected on our current instructional agility and student investment practices to determine next steps.

Take-aways centered on what student investment in assessment can do for their engagement in the classroom, particularly around literacy.

Examining diverse texts

SOEL 2 learned more about equity, inclusion and social justice in literacy and in school leadership during the March 14th Responsive Teaching Institute.  SOEL learning on the importance of a book being written by who it is about will influence an upcoming county wide lending library of diverse books.  Here are a few reputable sites educators can visit to help build a diverse classroom library:

• Latinx in Kid Lit

• Hijabi Librarians

• We are Kid Lit Collective

SOEL 3 took a field trip to 826 Michigan to learn about the writing non-profit in Ann Arbor and volunteer with a 2nd grade classroom from Lincoln Community Schools.

Amy Baxter works with a small writing group

 We witnessed and learned from The 826 Stand for student voices, and their mission to build diverse and inclusive environments supportive of student writing ages 6-18.   During our visit and book study of Interactive Writing Across Grades, SOEL made connections to Essential Instructional Practices 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 &10. 

IDLL teamed up with the EMU Office of Campus and Community Writing to examine Disciplinary Literacies in college classrooms and the support for students at the University Writing Center. 

Levels of Concern for Writing

Writing is prioritized in many classrooms across various subjects at EMU. From writing to learn in the various content areas, to learning to write genres specific to the discipline, professors and instructors detailed their instructional thoughts and decisions around writing in their classrooms.  The University Writing Center helps student writers prioritize their writing in levels of concern- with purpose and audience of the highest concern and conventions of the lowest concern.

Upcoming Professional Learning

Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy Overviews- 

May 1 and May 9

Disciplinary Writing Institute June 24-25

Register here for Disciplinary Writing Institute 

March

SOEL Explores Sound and Rhthym in Early Literacy Learning

Through our SOEL at WISD collaboration with the University Musical Society at UM, teaching artist Marcia Daft demonstrated Sound Writing- Exploring Rhythm, Reading and Writing.  First graders at Perry ELC in Ypsilanti participated in rhythm activities for identifying syllables in classmate's names, and ease of movement for classroom transitions. 

Marcia then came to our SOEL meeting at WISD to work with teachers on incorporating rhythm into reading and writing in the classroom.

Celebrating March is Reading Month  

    Our friends at EMU's Campus and Community Writing (C2W) are celebrating March is Reading Month and the connections between reading and writing. Students, teachers, and family members are encouraged to conduct interviews with each other about their reading habits—and write up what they discover.  You can use the interview questions linked HERE to get you started.  If you share your writing with EMU C2W, along with signed permission forms, they will publish the pieces on their website and even select a few to be featured in their social media platforms. 

Spring Professional Learning Opportunities

March 13th- Instructional Agility to Foster Student Investment 

Join the Assessment Literacy and SOEL Networks in learning more about how to structure learning environments that better allow teachers to accurately assess and respond to student learning and make real-time decisions that foster student investment. Educators will be able to identify the classroom conditions to set up instructional agility and student investment, describe key components of instructional agility, learn key strategies for developing student investment through instructional agility, reflect on current instructional agility and student investment practices to determine next steps. 

FREE at WISD - Register HERE 

March 14th- Responsive Teaching Institute

Join all network teachers in learning about applying culturally relevant pedagogy across content areas. Participants will examine how the integration of content areas can further engage students in learning. 

Presenters include:

Dr. Laura Jimenez on selecting culturally responsive books 
Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz on critical English education, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, racial literacy in urban teacher education.

Dr. Dorinda Carter Andrews- the role of leadership on culturally responsive schools 

Dr. Donna Ford, Culturally Relevant Teaching in AP, Honors courses 

Dr. Sandra Crespo, Culturally Responsive Teaching mathematics   

FREE at EMU- Register HERE

May 1- Overview of Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy, Grades 4 & 5

This is a one day overview of the Grades 4&5 Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy . Teachers, literacy coaches, or administrators who seek a general overview or a refresher are welcome.  

FREE at WISD- Register  HERE

May 9-  Overview of Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy, Grades K-3

This is a one day overview of the Grades K-3 Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy . Teachers, literacy coaches, or administrators who seek a general overview or a refresher are welcome.  

FREE at LESA- Register  HERE

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

January 2019

SOEL Highlights of 2018

As we enter 2019, we look back on SOEL with additional members, more classroom observations for the Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy, aligned book studies, our arts integration collaboration with UMS, and considering our past to plan for our future.  Take a look at a few images we captured as part of our school year learning thus far. 

4th and 5th Grade Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy

On December 5th, 30 literacy coaches and teachers came together for a one day overview of the Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy, Grades 4&5.  Our theme for the day was "Shifts and Bridges".  Together, we did a close read and review of these Essentials to identify shifts from the K-3 Essentials and bridges to the Grades 6-12 Essentials.  We will host another overview in the spring, date TBD. 

Inquiry Into Disciplinary Literacy and Learning Meets in an Intermediate School

Thanks to IDLL member Melanie Dever for organizing and hosting the December 13th meeting at Creekside Intermediate in Dexter. After reading the grades 4&5 Literacy Essentials and the 6-12 Disciplinary Literacy Essentials, we got a chance to observe in several 5th and 6th grade classrooms. This helped us to see the bridges from upper elementary to secondary literacy practices.

Through a Success Analysis Protocol, we also elevated themes of success in disciplinary literacy instruction from IDLL teachers, and the student learning as a result.

Our next meeting is January 17th as part of the Responsive Teaching Institute. While it is a regular meeting date for us, everyone is welcome to register .

Our guests will be Dr. Ernest Morrell,  Dr. April Baker-Bell, and Dr. Richard Milner. 

Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities

RESCHEDULED: The 4th in our SOEL Teacher 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 Offerings

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 or March 5th. Free. Register HERE