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

Vocabulary is Where It's At!

One of the key indicators of students' success in school, on tests, and certainly in life, is their vocabulary.  There are many ways to approach the teaching of vocabulary. Check out this ReadWriteThink collection for ideas at every level, including concept sorts and Word Walls. 

     Professional Development in 2016! 

BLiC-  Blended Learning in the Classroom 

*One face-to-face meeting January 20th 4:30-7:30, followed by 15 weeks online.

 This free Blended Learning in the Classroom course is led by a highly trained instructor and will prepare participants to effectively create their own blended environment. Through active and timely praxis, participants will engage in learning, application, review, and revision of their own blended environment. This course is for classroom teachers of students of all ages, covering the theory, pedagogy, and technical elements of online work in the blended classroom. Please see the informational video here.

*SCHECHS available 

 Register HERE 

Reading Apprenticeship Training:5 Day Cross Content 

This training is a full five days: February 22, 23, 24 AND March 22, 23  REGISTER HERE 

This updated training includes five full days of content with three trained facilitators, a binder of materials to use during and after the training, and a copy of the best-selling and newly updated book, Reading for Understanding, which describes the Reading Apprenticeship framework with examples from many subject area classrooms, ranging from middle school through community college.

 Reading Apprenticeship® is a research-based and research-proven instructional framework for improving the academic literacy of middle school, high school, and college students.

Three recent randomized controlled studies found that students in Reading Apprenticeship classrooms made significant gains in literacy and disciplinary knowledge. They also developed more positive academic identities and dispositions for reading and learning.

$250     SCHECHS Available  

Assessing Student Metacognition

     This professional development course is for teachers who would like to teach their students to demonstrate metacognitive thought processes through text annotation. This one day class is divided into three parts: first, we consider what metacognition is by looking at the brain science behind the concepts of short term memory and executive function; then we share classroom practices for direct teaching of specific metacognitive reading and writing strategies through text annotation; and finally, we practice how to assess students’ annotations with tools like the Curriculum Embedded Reading Assessment.  $40.00

Register HERE

The 4T Virtual Conference: May 21-23, 2016

Apply to present

Register to Attend

December

The Early Language Gap is About More than Words

      Our Study of Early Literacy (SOEL) group here at WISD has been deep into reading recent research and learning from top experts at local universities.  Dr. Tanya Wright from MSU shared this video illustrating the importance of teaching more than just vocabulary words. Look below the "tip of the iceberg" to reveal what is included in truly understanding the meaning of a word.

*from the Shanker Institute

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Writing Collaborative: Addressing Instruction for 21st Century Writing Skills

Writing Collaborative was developed at WISD by five Washtenaw County teachers. The mission of Writing Collaborative is to understand writing in content areas in order to make explicit the processes and strategies needed to expand and improve student writing. Writing Collaborative believes that:

•        Teachers should maintain ownership for their                         students’ writing in their content area.
•        An interdisciplinary approach is key to improving                   student writing.
•        Content area teachers who understand their own                   writing processes are the best mentors for their                     student writers.
•        Teachers are the best teachers of other teachers.
•        Educational practice should be balanced with theory             and research.
•        Students should have flexibility and choice when                   writing.
•        Reading Apprenticeship provides a foundation for                 better writing instruction. 

Interested in training?  

     During the initial 3-day training, Writing Collaborative helps teachers help their students determine:

Ø  What we do when we write

Ø  The practices of successful writers

Ø  How to help students attend to their metacognition and
      make thoughtful choices as writers

Ø  Four Sure Things Teachers Can Do to Improve Student Writing

·       Mind the GAP:  genre, audience, purpose

·       Use models and modeling

·       Increase opportunities for students to write

·       Give appropriate feedback

*See the bottom of this post for dates and registration info. 

*We are interested in learning more about the needs of teachers in the area of writing instruction.  Please take this SHORT SURVEY to help us continue quality professional development in this area. 

*Have you already been trained in Writing Collaborative?   If you are a secondary science or social studies teacher looking to work more on your content area writing instruction, Dr. Chauncey Monte-Sano and Dr. Leah Bricker at the University of Michigan are offering opportunities. Contact Melissa Brooks-Yip at mbrooksyip@wash.k12.mi.us or 734-994-8100 ext 1266

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Finding the Right Books for Common Core-

Aligned Reading

            In  Reading Today, Lauren Aimonette Liang (University of Utah), Naomi Watkins (University of La Verne), and Deanna Day (Washington State University/Vancouver) suggest ways to find challenging, high-quality texts that match the criteria of the Common Core State Standards. “Be aware of the various types of nonfiction, and strive to include a variety in classrooms,” they urge. Teachers should also consider different formats: picture books, magazines, novels, how-to guides, and a variety of informational texts. 

They suggest the following websites as resources:

• Booklist: http://booklistonline.com/commoncore

• International Reading Association: www.reading.org/elacommoncore

• Hornbook’s Nonfiction Notes:

www.hbook.com/notes-from-the-horn-book-newsletter/nonfiction-notes-from-the-horn-book

• School Library Journal: www.slj.com/category/standards/common-core

• Text Project: www.textproject.org

• World of Words: http://wowlit.org

In addition, Liang, Watkins, and Day recommend the following books (each with a Lexile level):

• Island: A Story of the Galapagos (J. Chin, Neal Porter/Roaring Brook, 2012 – 900L)

• Lincoln’s Grave Robbers (S. Sheinkin, Scholastic, 2012 – 930L)

• Kid Pickers: How to Turn Junk Into Treasure (M. Wolfe, Feiwel and Friends, 2013 – 1030L)

• Frog Song (F.Z. Guiberson, Henry Hold & Company, 2013 – 950L)

• The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure (M. W. Sandler,

Candlewick, 2012 – 1270L)

• Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure (J. Murphy,

Clarion Books, 2012 – 1200L)

“Selecting Quality Nonfiction Classroom Texts That Meet CCSS Qualifications” by Lauren Aimonette Liang, Naomi Watkins, and Deanna Day in Reading Today, October/November 2013 (Vol. 31, #2, p. 25-27), www.reading.org; the authors can be reached at Lauren.Liang@utah.edu, naomiwatkins@laverne.edu and dday-wiff@vancouver.wsu.edu. 

**Shared from Marshall Memo #511

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Upcoming Literacy Professional Development

Writing Collaborative (grades 4-12):

February 6, 7, and March 7, 2014 at WISD 8:30-3:30

April 29, 30, and May 16, 2014 at WISD 8:30-3:30  *See flyer here  

Reading Apprenticeship (grades 4-12):

January 28, 29 and February 12, 2014  at WISD 8:30-3:30

April 22, 23 and May 14, 2014 at WISD 8:30-3:30  *See flyer here

Speaker: Dr. Timothy Shanahan on elementary literacy and the CCSS.  March 11th , 2014  12:30

*All details, costs, and registrations can be found on WISDGoSignMeUP!

April

Lists for Students

Looking for something for your students to read? Marianne Forman asked me to provide some booklists for students and parents. These lists come from either the American Library Association (ALA), the International Reading Association (IRA) or from library systems including the Capital Area District Library and the Detroit Public Libraries. You can find all of theses lists to download and print on our Companion Wiki. There are suggestions for students K-12 and cover topics requested by teachers and parents, including:

*reluctant readers
*science fiction
*books that you just can't put down
*Newberry Award Winners
*books that would appeal to African American readers (parent requests)
*books that would appeal to Hispanic readers (parent requests)
*popular YA historical fiction
*books that are retellings of classic literature
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Useful Websites

If you haven't already checked out following websites, I'll list them here for you to do so!

Tag Galaxy-

Looking for images to go along with reading and vocabulary instruction? This site pulls all photos from Flickr that fit the "tag" you are searching.

Florida Center for Reading Research:

Goals:

• To conduct basic research on reading, reading growth, reading assessment, and reading instruction that will contribute to the scientific knowledge of reading and benefit students in Florida and throughout the nation.


• To disseminate information about research-based practices related to literacy instruction and assessment for children in pre-school through 12th grade.


• To conduct applied research that will have an immediate impact on policy and practices related to literacy instruction in Florida.


• To provide technical assistance to Florida’s schools and to the State Department of Education for the improvement of literacy outcomes in students from pre-K through 12th grade.

ReadWriteThink

This site is a collaboration by National Council Teachers of English and the International Reading Association.

It includes:

• lessons for all grade levels and content areas
• professional development
• student and parent resources

IES What Works Clearinghouse: Practice Guides

Practice guides provide practical recommendations for educators to help them address the everyday challenges they face in their classrooms and schools. Developed by a panel of nationally recognized experts, practice guides consist of actionable recommendations, strategies for overcoming potential roadblocks, and an indication of the strength of evidence supporting each recommendation. IES practice guides are subjected to rigorous external peer review.


ELA Units for the Common Core State Standards

Common Core’s Curriculum Maps in English Language Arts translate the new Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten through 12th grade into unit maps that teachers can use to plan their year, craft their own more detailed curriculum, and create lesson plans. They were were written by public school teachers for public school teachers and are available free of charge to anyone who would like to use them. The maps are flexible and adaptable, yet they address every standard in the CCSS. Any teacher, school, or district that chooses to follow the Common Core maps can be confident that they are adhering to the standards. The maps are undergoing revision based on suggestions received during a month-long public comment period conducted in the Fall of 2010. A 2011 edition of the maps will be released soon.

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Vocabulary Instruction

Explicit vocabulary instruction is key to getting students to understand what they are reading. Watch Anita Archers' lesson and take note of her instructional process:

1) Introduce the pronunciation of the word.
In order to attachment meaning to the vocabulary term and to retrieve that meaning, students must pronounce the word correctly. If the word is one that students have neither heard or said OR is difficult to pronounce, have the students pronounce the word a number of times.

2) Provide a student-friendly explanation of the word’s meaning. The next step is to present the meaning of the word using a definition/explanation that is easy to understand and only includes known words. Presentation of the definition within a sentence makes it easier to process the definition. See sites below for online dictionaries.

3) Illustrate with examples.
Dr. Archer presented a number of examples to illustrate the vocabulary term/concept. Some of the examples related to the students’ own experiences while other examples related directly to the use of the word in the passage, thus bridging vocabulary instruction and passage comprehension.


FREE ONLINE DICTIONARIES AND PICTURES:

Longman's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster

And see Tag Galaxy for pictures to aide in vocabulary instruction!



4) Check understanding by asking questions.
Dr. Archer asked students questions to determine their understanding. In this lesson, students were asked to discern between examples and non-examples of ‘elude’ and later examples and non-examples of ‘intention.’