October

Literacy Networks Start Strong! 

Saline High School Hosts IDLL

The Inquiry into Disciplinary Literacy and Learning network kicked-off the year by meeting at Saline High School. Through a tour of the school, including the culinary arts and automotive technology programs of the South and West Washtenaw Consortium, our group saw examples of disciplinary literacy in action. Shelly Venema, IDLL member and Saline HS teacher, also presented on the district wide literacy goal of speaking and listening.   

                               

IDLL at Saline HS

Join us when IDLL meets next on October 26th at WISD to host Dr. Troy Hicks on Argument in the Real World: Teaching Adolescents to Read and Write Digital Texts

SOEL 1: Equity, Engagement and Motivation 

  Musical artist, educator and professional vocalist Imani Gonzalez visited the Study of Early Literacy network on October 3rd to present Building Reading Comprehension Through Sound and Rhythm.  Ms. Gonzalez taught SOEL teachers the Soundscape process- using sound and rhythm to explore ways to develop reading comprehension strategies and make connections between music and language. This learning process will help students attend to sensory images, use questioning strategies, respond to inference, and determine importance, helping students develop a better understanding of the text. Through Soundscapes, children will develop listening skills through collaboration, build interpretation and oral presentation skills through communication, and improve reading fluency through creativity.

Upcoming Literacy Professional Learning 

Back to School!

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. 

The updated collection includes:

PreK

K-3

4-5

Building Level

Coaching

*Coming soon!  Grades 6-12 Discipline Specific

REGISTER for the MEMPSA Literacy Summit- October 4th at WISD

The SOEL Family Grows !  

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. 

October 26-  at WISD with guest speaker Dr. Troy Hicks on Argument Writing in the Real World  Register HERE

December 14- at WISD with guest speaker Dr. Liz Kolb on Learning First, Technology Second  Register HERE

February 22  - hosted at Mill Creek Middle School in Dexter with Project Based Learning demonstrations.

March 22- TBD

May 17- TBD

*If you have any questions, please e-mail Melissa Brooks-Yip

February

World Read Aloud Day is February 16!

 World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words and creates a community of readers taking action to show the world that the right to literacy belongs to all people. 

World Read Aloud Day is celebrated by millions of people in more than 100 countries thanks to people like you who participate and spread the word across the globe!

To get excited for World Read Aloud Day 2017, or to rev up your read aloud routine at any time of the year, download World Read Aloud Day 2017 materials. 

Read Aloud. Change the World.

What could Read Aloud look and sound like? 

Professional Learning Opportunities

REMC Events-   Educational Technology & Professional Learning

February 2017, TRIG/Dell Online Professional Development Courses Each free course is 4 weeks requiring a total of 6 hours work. There will be two webinars during the course. Registration open until 2/10/17. SCECHs are available. February 13 - June 1,  Technology in Leadership Series: 21 Things 4 Administrators  A "Just in Time” training through an online interface for K-12 administrators. Choose one or all five Capstone experiences related to the International Society for Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (ISTE-A).   February 23, Research Writing Rewired Step into a high school classroom where students generate their own inquiry questions, explore a variety of texts from novels to non-fiction, from podcasts to photographs and, through their work, rewire the research process.. March 16 & 17, REMC “SAVINGS MAKER” booth #613, MACUL Conference. Cobo Center, Detroit. Play our game, win prizes and get “hands-on” with the Classroom Maskers kit materials.  August 1 & 2, The REMC Association of Michigan is excited to announce MI Moot 2017 – Transforming Classrooms, Lansing Community College West.  We've transformed the MI Moodle Moot conference to better meet the needs of educators committed to implementing effective change within their classrooms.  Sessions will focus on using free resources and tools, including Moodle, to provide an energizing and impactful experience for all participants.

Copyright © 2017 REMC Association of Michigan, All rights reserved. Visit us on the web at  http://www.remc.org/

Additional Opportunities in our area: 

Disciplinary Literacies Showcase-
How to Really Prepare Students for College and Career Writing
February 11 (Saturday), 9 am – 2 pm

EMU Student Center

Join colleagues from across the disciplines and subject areas at both the secondary and college level to talk about writing—and about how we can help our students make smooth transitions across the grade levels and into the workplace

Please register for the event here.

*This workshop is free to all participants

January 2017

2017- A Year to Use Our Literacies to Make a Positive Difference!

  Our reading, writing, speaking, listening and thinking skills are used to make sense of our everyday world.  How can we use them as thoughtful educators in today's classroom? How can we teach students to use them to care for themselves and for those around them?   

* Thanks to the National School Reform Faculty (NSRF), the creators of Critical Friends Groups (CFG), newsletter for featuring several resources on this topic and to nycore.org. 

Speaking and Listening to Make a Difference-

YES Magazine outlines 8 Strategies for Confronting Hate that teach us to utilize our speaking and listening skills to combat hate:

• Educate yourself
• Be the first to speak
• Practice being conspicuous
• Ask for help
• Find a heroic role model
• Make connections with people different from you
• Ask people what they really need
• Press the mental pause button

Critical Reading and Thinking to Make a Difference- 

Teaching Tolerance provides resources for teachers to help students use critical reading and thinking strategies to read Beyond Taglines and Headlines:

1. Determine a topic of relevance to your current classroom objectives or a current event.
2. Find two to three recent news sources (preferably from varying points of view) reporting on the topic. Do some fact-checking to make sure they’re real sources.
3. Read the articles with students.
4. Then, use the following questions to engage students in critical analysis of the articles.

• To analyze sources and evidence
  How does the author’s position, attitude, beliefs or point of view affect the validity of this source in relation to the topic?

• To make connections
  How do the attitudes, beliefs or points of view of the author or speaker connect to history and to other sources?

• For chronological reasoning
  How might the author and their message have been influenced by what was happening at the time this source was created?

• To create and support an argument
  How might the author’s or speaker’s attitudes, beliefs or points of view affect the argument or claim they made? How does my positioning relative to the author, topic or speaker affect my critique of this source?

Writing to Make a Difference-

On page 18 of WriteOn! Writing for Social Justice, the authors provide a collection of multi-grade level lesson plans, writing prompts, student writing, classroom activities, and other resources to encourage writing for social justice.   

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Upcoming Professional Learning

Additional Opportunities

Digital Discoveries for Black History Month with MeL. Find out where to locate material that can be used in the library and classroom during Black History Month.  This webinar is geared toward Media Specialists, teachers, and other K-12 staff.

There are two times for this hour-long webinar.  Please be sure to register and save your spot:

• Thursday January 19, 2017:   10:00 AM (EST)

• Thursday January 19, 2017: 4:00 PM (EST)

Disciplinary Literacies Showcase:
How to Really Prepare Students for College and Career Writing
February 11 (Saturday), 9 am – 2 pm

EMU Student Center

Join colleagues from across the disciplines and subject areas at both the secondary and college level to talk about writing—and about how we can help our students make smooth transitions across the grade levels and into the workplace

Please register for the event here.

*This workshop is free to all participants

December

Holiday Gift Guide: Build a Children's Book Library in Every Room!  

From Scholastic Blog

Share with parents the importance of books in the home!  

Scholastic Reading Club editors created a “top book picks” list for every room in the home and every age group from ages 0-17.  

Share this holiday gift list to help find the right book for every child. Happy Holidays!

CHILD’S BEDROOM

• 0-5 years: How to Dress a Dragon by Thelma Lynne Godin, illustrated by Eric Barclay
• 6-8 years: Goodnight, Grizzle Grump by Aaron Blecha
• 9-11 years: Jingle by Gordon Korman
• 12-14 years: Camp Midnight by Steven T. Seagle, illustrated by Jason Katzenstein
• 15-17 years: Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe  by Benjaamin Alire Sáenz

FAMILY/LIVING ROOM

• 0-5 years: Over the River & Through the Wood by Linda Ashman
• 6-8 years:  Too Many Toys by David Shannon
• 9-11 years: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling
• 12-14 years: Ghosts and Sisters by Raina Telgemeier
• 15-17 years: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

PLAYROOM

• 0-5 years: Penguins Love Colors by Sarah Aspinall
• 6-8 years:  Lego Pop-Up by Matthew Reinhart
• 9-11 years: Gaming Live! by Scholastic
• 12-14 years: The World of the Hunger Games: The Official Coloring Book  by Scholastic
• 15-17 years: Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

HOME OFFICE

• 0-5 years: This Little President by Joan Holub; illustrated by Daniel Roode
• 6-8 years: Fly Guy Presents: The White House by Tedd Arnold
• 9-11 years: Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire by Sundee T. Fraizer
• 12-14 years: Geek Girl: Picture Perfect by Holly Smale
• 15-17 years: In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero & Michelle Burford

DINING ROOM

• 0-5 years: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey! By Lucielle Colandro, illustrated by Jared D. Lee
• 6-8 years: Judy Moody and Stink: The Wisbone Wish by Megan McDonald; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
• 9-11 years: Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
• 12-14 years: Getting Over Garrett Dulaney by Abby McDonald
• 15-17 years:  To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

BATHROOM

• 0-5 years: Pigeon Needs a Bath! By Mo Willems
• 6-8 years: There’s a Zombie in My Bathtub by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
• 9-11 years: Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000by Dav Pilkey
• 12-14 years: The Fashion Book by DK Publishing
• 15-17 years: Trapped by Michael Northrop

KITCHEN

• 0-5 years: If You Give a Mouse a Brownie by Laura Numeroff; llustrated by Felicia Bond
• 6-8 years: The Cheese Experiment by Geronimo Stilton
• 9-11 years: Pie by Sarah Weeks
• 12-14 years: The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Young Readers by Michael Pollan
• 15-17 years: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

Upcoming Professional Development

January 25:  No More Reading Instruction Without Differentiation    

**This is in support of Essential #3 of the Essentials of Instruction in Early Literacy 

Click title for flyer

February 23:  Research Writing Re-Wired with Dr. Troy Hicks   
*For secondary teachers of all subjects.  Click title for flyer.


March 6, 7 and 21:  Reading Apprenticeship 3 Day Workshop
* Open ONLY to Washtenaw and Livingston County. Click title for registration.


SAVE the DATE:   March 23-   Reading, Writing, Speaking and Thinking Within the Disciplines with Releah Lent.   Registration to come!  

****For registration help, please contact Teri May at 734-994-8100 ext 1222 or tmay@washtenawisd.org****  

November

Engaging and Motivating Readers! 

In No More Reading for Junk: Best Practices for Motivating Readers, Marinak and Gambrell point out the research against extrinsic rewards for reading, such as tokens or food.  

Reading rewards should be related to reading!   
  
Reading related rewards include: 

• "Book Blessings" (promoting books)
• Encouraging social interaction around books
• Allowing students choice of where and what to read
• Honoring all print (books, comics, newspapers...)
• Promoting reading for a variety of purposes
• Encouraging honest critiques
• Showing examples of a book you didn't like- and explain why. 
• Celebrating all reading- not just completion of books. 

To learn more, read No More Reading for Junk.

Upcoming Professional Learning