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!

November

 Using Argument as a Tool for Integrating Science and Literacy

    Erin Washburn and Andy Cavagnetto share an instructional framework aimed at integrating best literacy practices for science learning. They argue that being scientifically literate is more than being able to “read” science texts and recognize scientific vocabulary, rather it is the ability to comprehend, interpret, and analyze. Through PONG cycles (Problem/Question, Observation, Negotiation, Goal), teachers can facilitate thinking: 

1. Teacher poses a problem or shares a focused           question.

2. Students make observations.

3. Students make evidence-based or reasoned             claim(s).

4. Students share and critique claim(s).

5. Students revise their evidence based claim(s).

Click HERE for the entire article from The Reading Teacher, a publication of the International Reading Association (IRA). 

Reading Like a Historian

Check out the Stanford History Education Group for Reading Like a Historian. This free resource was created for teachers to access material that engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features sets of primary documents designed for groups of students with diverse reading skills and abilities. This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions by employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading. Instead of memorizing historical facts, students evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple perspectives on historical issues. They learn to make historical claims backed by documentary evidence. See research on Reading Like a Historian here.

*Thanks to Brandon Szwejkowski for sharing this valuable resource! 

Is there a Purpose for Teaching Cursive Today? 

    When an administrator posed this question to me a few weeks ago, I did some investigating on this topic with my colleagues at Red Cedar Writing Project at MSU.  It was a very lively discussion, and one teacher made a live binder for our collection of shared articles and conversation on the topic. 

     It's a little difficult to find an article that is 100% against cursive.  They are either completely for cursive or share equal (or less) time to an opposing side.  While most agree that students need to know how to read cursive writing, most also agree that we cannot justify spending loads of time on it in an already pressed- for- time school day. What do you think? 

PD Opportunities Nearby

MSU College of Ed Technology Conference

    The 30th Annual MSU College of Education Technology conference will be held on Saturday, November 16th, 2013 at Michigan State University in Erickson Hall from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm. The theme of this year's conference is online and mobile education. Through a continued collaboration between the College of Education, the MSU College of Education Alumni Association and the Master of Arts in Educational Technology Program, this year's conference will be FREE OF CHARGE to all attendees.  Light breakfast items will be available as well as coffee, tea, and juice.

 Literacy PD at WISD:

Writing Collaborative teacher workshops (secondary)

Winter 2014: Feb. 6, 7 and March 7

Spring 2014: April 29, 30 and May 16

*See flyer here  

Reading Apprenticeship teacher workshops (secondary):

Winter 2014:  Jan. 28, 29 and Feb. 12

Spring 2014:   April 22, 23 and May 14
 *See flyer here

Early Literacy: 

Tim Shanahan on Early Literacy:  March 11, 2014

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

September/October

Literacy in the Content Areas

     Supporting reading, writing, speaking, listening and thinking is essential for the content in every classroom and every grade. 

  To engage students in literacy tasks and skills in every classroom, teachers can carefully choose how to respond to students to promote that thinking. Consider these teacher talk stems and metacognitive questions while facilitating content with students.  These talk stems help to get students thinking rather than simply acknowledging an answer as right or wrong. Students can answer these questions in writing, through discussion, or if they can't answer them, this may mean re-reading is needed! 

What did you mean by that?

How does that work?

Can you explain that?

Tell me more.

What did your partner say?

Does anyone have a different idea?

What makes you think that?

Any other details about…..?

Where did you see that in the text?

How did you figure that word out?

Are you making a prediction?

How do you know that?

What was your process for figuring that out?

Talk to me…elaborate.

Did anyone else have an idea about that?

How did you figure that out?

*For more information, check out Reading for Understanding- the companion text to Reading Apprenticeship teacher workshops.

Organized Interaction- 
Clock Buddies for Partnering  

        As a former English teacher, I frequently partnered students for discussion, peer editing, and reading. One thing I used consistently and found very useful was the Clock Buddies organizer. Clock Buddies is meant to be a quick and easy way to create pairs for partnered activities while avoiding the problem of kids always having the same partners.  It begins with a clock face, with slots for names at each hour.  Each student has his/her own copy of the clock to make "appointments" with  12 different classmates. Students can keep these to use all semester or year long.  See the whole description on this site, and download a copy of a clock.  

Upcoming Literacy PD at WISD

Writing Collaborative teacher workshops (secondary content areas):

Fall 2013: Oct. 22, 23 and Nov. 14

Winter 2014: Feb. 6, 7 and March 7

Spring 2014: April 29, 30 and May 16

*See flyer here  

Reading Apprenticeship teacher workshops (secondary content areas):

Winter 2014:  Jan. 28, 29 and Feb. 12

Spring 2014:   April 22, 23 and May 14
 *See flyer here

Early Literacy: 

Tim Shanahan on Early Literacy:  March 11, 2014

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

August

International Literacy Day

 September 9, 2013

   
     International Literacy day shines the spotlight on literacy needs around the world. There are still 780 million adults worldwide with no literacy skills.  This year, the International Reading Association's theme is "Invent Your Future" to focus on literacy skills adults and children need in school, work, and life.  See the IRA website for a Twitter Chat schedule.

   

    Michigan also joins in the celebration with their Michigan Reads! book of the year, Woolbur.  See the Michigan Reads! website for a programming guide, touring information, pictures, author and illustrator information, and a recorded webinar. 

Other ideas to celebrate literacy on any day of the year include:

• Stage a Fun Run for Literacy and provide donated books to participants.

• Use newspapers to go global — conduct a scavenger hunt for country names or compare how stories are covered by newspapers from different parts of the world.

• Invite students, parents, or guests who have lived in other parts of the world to read a story or to talk about classrooms in other countries.

• Have older students make books to share with younger students or donate to childcare centers.

• Invite a publisher to your classroom or school to discuss how books are developed.

• Ask a local bookstore to donate books to disadvantaged children or for reading contest prizes.

Literacy in Social Studies

     Teacher's College at Columbia University lists some recommended nonfiction journals and online sites that may help you expand your access to complex nonfiction. The online sites provide access to a wide range of educational videos and databases. The journals often provide access to the online archive as well as multiple classroom copies. As you can see, this covers K-12.

Sites for Digital Texts:

http://www.nypl.org/

 The NYC Public Library site. Access ‘research’ and choose from online databases, such as Amazing Animals of the World, andHistorical Newspapers, and a digital archive of historical photographs.

http://dsc.discovery.com

 The Discovery Channel site. This site gives you access to educational videos and interactive websites. For instance, for interactive global warming and weather issues, look at: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/project-earth/project-earth.html

http://www.timeforkids.com

 Provides accessible digital texts, including videos of current news in science, sports, entertainment, and world events

http://video.pbs.org/

 Watch award-winning documentaries, including current episodes from Nova and Nature, as well as archived videos

http://www.history.com

 Video clips and full length shows on history topics from Ancient China to the Vikings to Watergate.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

Visit the home page, the video selection, or the ‘kids’ section, for a wide range of educational digital texts

Nonfiction Journals That are Particularly Print-Rich, Include Complex Texts, and Are Engaging:

• Click –  introduces fascinating science topics (grades K-2)
• Ranger Rick –  includes several-page spreads on an endangered animal or other natural science topic (grades 2-4)
• Zoobooks –  these expository books are each dedicated to a single animal (grades 3-8)
• Cobblestone –  focuses on American history (grades 5-7)
• Dig –  Archaeology for kids, grades 5-7. Each issue is themed (grades 4-8)
• National Geographic for Kids  – comes in two levels (grades 1-3 and grades 4-6)
• Sports Illustrated for Kids  – covers issues, players, and teams, with an emphasis on achievement stories (grades 3-6)
• Junior Scholastic  – provides coverage of current news issues and investigative journalism (grades 4-7)
• Upfront –  the New York Times  Magazine for teens. Focuses on investigative journalism (grades 7-12)
• Sports Illustrated

Literacy and Technology 

     At a recent conference, literacy consultant Cornelius Minor asked the question what do you want kids to do with technology?  His point was that the outcome is not just to learn another cool technology tool, but for kids to express their thinking and learning and collaborate with others through using technology. Technology is a tool, not a learning outcome. This is food for thought as we sift through and learn the plethora of new tools out there which allow teachers and students to read, write, speak, and listen in various modes.  

Upcoming Literacy PD at WISD

Writing Collaborative teacher workshops (secondary content areas):

Fall 2013: Oct. 22, 23 and Nov. 14

Winter 2014: Feb. 6, 7 and March 7

Spring 2014: April 29, 30 and May 16

*See flyer here  

Reading Apprenticeship teacher workshops (secondary content areas):

Fall 2013:      Sept. 24, 25, and Oct. 17 

Winter 2014:  Jan. 28, 29 and Feb. 12

Spring 2014:   April 22, 23 and May 14
 *See flyer here

Early Literacy: 

Tim Shanahan on Early Literacy:  March 11, 2014

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

July

Looking Ahead at Literacy PD at WISD

 Knowing how busy schedules can get, many literacy trainings have been arranged for the whole 2013-2014 school year so that you may plan ahead.  See below for dates that are now scheduled, keeping in mind that this may be added to or changed as necessary. 

Writing Collaborative (secondary content areas):

Fall 2013: Oct. 22, 23 and Nov. 14

Winter 2014: Feb. 6, 7 and March 7

Spring 2014: April 29, 30 and May 16

Reading Apprenticeship (secondary content areas):

Fall 2013:      Sept. 24, 25, and Oct. 17 *This is a change from the August dates 

Winter 2014:  Jan. 28, 29 and Feb. 12

Spring 2014:   April 22, 23 and May 14

Early Literacy: 

Tim Shanahan on Early Literacy:  March 11, 2014

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

Educational Technology

•     Graphite will soon be launched as a tool for educators to search for digital tools by grade, subject, platform, price and other variables and then view comprehensive reviews and ratings for each one. Think of it as the Consumer Reports for ed tech. In addition to including reviews from Common Sense Media’s own editorial team of former teachers, the site enables teachers to contribute their own evaluations with the technology. Each review page also includes the key standards supported by that particular ed tech tool. See more about Graphite. 

•  Google Teacher Academy is a free professional development experience designed to help primary and secondary educators from around the globe get the most from innovative technologies. Produced by CUE, each Academy is an intensive, two-day event during which participants get hands-on experience with Google’s free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, receive resources to share with colleagues, and immerse themselves in a supportive community of educators making impact.  Those who attend become Google Certified Teachers (GCT’s), which allows you to put a little badge on your website showing off your achievement, but lays out a number of expectations following the completion of the actual academy.  Interested?  Read How to Join the Google Teacher Academy.

Summer Reading

     No July Literacy Newsletter would be complete without mentioning summer reading.  Enjoy these fun infographics!

June

Summer Professional Development Opportunities for Literacy

**click on titles for informational flyer on registration details**

Reading Apprenticeship (Middle and High School): WISD August 19, 20 and September 24.  Learn the framework that both teachers and students use to grow as literate thinkers and in their comprehension as they speak, read, write, and listen across the curriculum. 

Washtenaw Writing Collaborative (Middle and High School): WISD August 21, 22, and September 25.  Learn best practices in writing built on the spirit and principals of the Reading Apprenticeship framework, and develop an implementation plan for your classroom. 

Michigan Model ELA Model Curriculum: Professional Learning for Literacy Leaders (K-12):  Lansing, MI June 24-27.   Learn the writing units aligned to ELA CCSS with current reading and writing theory and practice supporting UDL and RtI approaches, formative and summative assessments.

 

11th Annual Summer Literacy Conference- RLTC (K-8) August 13, 14, 15, 2013 in Hillsdale, MI.   Attend 1, 2, or all 3 days.  Topics include Writing and the CCSS, Close and Critical Reading, and Nonfiction. Nell Duke is the guest speaker on Day 3.  

Internet Resources

     In his Knowledge Quest article, Michael Edson (Smithsonian Institution) recommends several websites with resources for librarians, teachers, and students:

            • The Encyclopedia of Life http://eol.org/about has a wiki   

               page for every species on Earth.

            • Zooniverse http://zooniverse.org enables citizens to

              contribute to scientific research (for example, accurately

              modeling global climate change).

            • OpenStreetMap www.openstreetmap.org is a free,

              worldwide map in the fashion of a wiki.

            • Ancestry.com http://ancestry.com has 900,000

              participants who have created more than 26,000,000

              family trees.

            • Kickstarter www.kickstarter.com is a crowd-funding

              project that has raised $319 million for various projects.  

Pedagogy Wheel

   This wheel, originally designed to show Blooms Taxonomy levels, was adapted to consider pedagogy possibilities for mobile devices.  It gets us thinking about how Bloom's levels from 1956 can be pulled into the 21st century with the technology that exists today for students and teachers.  

SBAC Resource 

The SBAC Practice Test is set to be available today!

      Available nearly two years before the assessment system is implemented in the 2014-15 school year, the Smarter Balanced Practice Tests allow teachers, students, parents, and other interested parties to experience the features of online testing and gain insight into how Smarter Balanced will assess students’ mastery of the Common Core.

    The Smarter Balanced Practice Test is available to schools and districts for practice and training purposes, professional development activities, and for discussions with parents, policymakers, and other interested stakeholders.

You can find the practice test at:  http://sbac.portal.airast.org/Practice_Test/default.html

May Literacy Newsletter

Digital Literacy- BYOD? 

Mobile Devices for Learning:
What you Need to Know! 

        As I think about the definition of literacy today, the meaning certainly incorporates being digitally literate.  How do we read, write, speak and listen with digital texts and tools?   What does it look like to Bring Your  Own Device (BYOD?)  Edutopia provides a free Mobile Devices Learning Resource Guide.   This details the pros and cons of mobile devices in the classroom, bridging the digital gap, knowing devices, getting started with using them in the classroom, K-12 apps and web tools.

    Using Digital Book Talks to Engage Reluctant Readers

       Book trailers are just like movie trailers. These book trailers can be found through Digital Book Talks  and are  a collaborative effort from Dr. Kennedy and Dr. Gunter at the University of Central Florida.  On the Digital Book Talk site, you will find high quality book trailers that will whet your students appetite for a good book.  Teachers and students can search for books by content, level, and interests in grades K-12.  

Check out the student created Digital Booktalk Book Trailer for Esperanza Rising.

Inside the Common Core Classroom

     No doubt you've spent time reading and deconstructing the Common Core State Standards, and maybe even started aligning your assessments to them, but a big question now is what does it look like to teach the standards?  AdLit offers a glimpse Inside the Common Core Classroom with professional development video modules for ELA and content area classroom teachers in grades 6-12.  

Each module has a lesson, strategies, alignment to CCSS,reflection, and expert comments.