Call for Submissions - Your Chance to Publish!

Dear Jennifer, We invite you to consider submitting an article for publication in our 2018 Primer Journal-Teaching Literacy Today: Relating Research to Practice. Topics may include but are not limited to cultural literacy, visual literacy, critical literacy, disciplinary literacy and other facets of reading and language arts. Deadline for Submissions is March 1, 2018. Please submit articles to: Jo Ann Thompson. Sample Primer Article. Manuscript Submission Guidelines The Primer welcomes original contributions on all facets of reading, language arts, and literacy education. Guidelines are as follows: Manuscripts are limited to no more than 6,000 words including references and other material (tables, charts, etc.) Manuscripts should be double-spaced in 12 point font and should be saved as Microsoft Word documents Manuscripts should be prepared according to the style specified by the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) style manual Each manuscript should include a cover sheet containing (a) the manuscript title, (b) the author’s name, affiliation, position, preferred mailing address, email address, telephone number(s), and fax number. No identifying information should appear elsewhere in the manuscript.

How to Stop Killing the Love of Reading

How to Stop Killing the Love of Reading

An article by Jennifer Gonzalez, from her blog, Cult of Pedagogy

If I had to pick one thing that makes the biggest difference in the quality of any person’s education, the quality of their life, really, it would be reading. And I’m not really talking about basic literacy—not about the ability to read—I’m talking about reading for pleasure, to satisfy curiosities, to understand how people work and find solace in knowing we are not the only ones who think and feel the way we do.

That kind of reading.

But when I see what my kids do in school for “reading,” it doesn’t really look like reading. 

Patterns of Organization for Teaching Non-Fiction

Here is the latest blog post from Keys to Literacy, on teaching Patterns of Organization or Text Structures to help students learn to read non-narrative non-fiction.

Patterns of Organization

New Strategy for Teaching Non-Fiction

Comic Book Templates: An Entry Point into Nonfiction

Check out this short video from Teaching Channel about Teaching Non-Fiction – 

a brilliant strategy using comic book templates to help students identify text structures and attributes of non-fiction in a graphic way.

How to Get Students to Actually Read a Teacher’s Essay Comments

In this Cult of Pedagogy article, high-school teacher Kristy Louden says it was incredibly disheartening when students looked at the grade on papers she’d carefully annotated and either tossed their paper away or consigned it to the depths of a backpack. “Wow, glad I put so much time into that assignment,” was Louden’s sotto voce reaction. “Not only did I feel like I had wasted my time; I felt like they just didn’t care. And then the snowball of thoughts would start: How will they survive if they don’t care about feedback? What’s going to happen in college? Or when they get jobs?” She confesses that this often led her to put off reading students’ papers for days at a time.

After nine years of suffering through this unproductive dynamic, Louden stumbled upon a process that has worked remarkably well for her.

Click here to read about her process.

Student Self-Assessment

An article from Mind/Shift called
How to Build Self-Assessment Into Jampacked High School Classes
highlighting 3 great new strategies:

1. Monthly Student E-mail to Parents
2. Writing Feedback using Anchor Papers and Kaizena, a Google tool
3. Collaborative Reading using Perusall, an app

"Helping students learn to evaluate their own work is a crucial skill that taps into their metacognitive abilities."

Educator Goals

Educator Goals
Click on the link above to see your colleagues' goals for the year. If you see a goal that you think you can help a colleague reach through your support or materials or consultation, please let them know that you can help! This is called Professional Collaboration, which is under the Professional Culture standard on the Educator Rubric. And it's good practice!

Nonfiction Analysis

Click on the link to find a nice Nonfiction Analysis and Summary Paragraph Frame that Ben Francavilla created.

Nonfiction Analysis

Tone and Mood

I know that a lot of you have been teaching Tone and Mood to students, and you report that students often confuse the two. I think the easiest way to distinguish the two - and to address that craft and structure standard that is so difficult - is to focus on Tone as author craft and Mood as effect on reader. Here is a link to a teacher's website that provides a great list of words to describe Tone and Mood - so important, because students often lack the vocabulary to discuss Tone and Mood in a sophisticated way.

Tone and Mood

"I Read, You Follow" Strategy from WriteBoston

Good afternoon! I have been implementing much of the WriteBoston strategies into my curriculum over the last two school years. I wanted to share this quick handout about the "I Read, You Follow" strategy that I have been implementing. I have seen a huge increase in students tracking their own reading as well as their ability to stay on task while others read aloud. I’ve also noticed students are more comfortable using a tracking tool which had previously been viewed as uncool by most of my middle schoolers. Students are more likely to read independently to completion as well, especially with lengthy and complex texts, when they feel as though they have the tools and strategies to do so.

Download the "I Read, You Follow" Strategy Handout

Formative Assessment

What is Formative Assessment?

• A systematic, on-going process used by teachers and students to:
• Gather evidence of learning
• Give and receive feedback
• Engage students in assessment
• Use data to improve teaching and learning
• Close the gap between what students know and can do and what we want them to know and do
• A repertoire of in-the-moment tools that teachers can use regularly to inform and guide their instruction.
• A low-stakes way of gaining insight into students’ content knowledge and literacy processes to inform teachers about their students’ progress toward the objectives of the class. 
• A form of assessment that is not included in students’ grades or used to evaluate the teacher.

Why do we Assess Formatively?

• To help students to become better readers and writers! 
• At the beginning of instruction: Provides a baseline to measure progress as well as a description of the student’s abilities, needs, and interests, which allows the teacher to match texts and tasks to the student. 
• During instruction: Allows the teacher to identify teachable moments, the student’s zone of proximal development, and the student’s progress in reference to curricular benchmarks related to both content knowledge and literacy processes. 
• At the end of instruction: Serves to certify levels of accomplishment and demonstrate accountability, as well as to measure change in terms of knowledge, skill, and other affective factors.

What do we do as a Result of Formative Assessment?

Before Instruction:

• Group students based on data and learning outcomes
• Begin instruction based on student’s entry knowledge
• Provide additional support and scaffolds (small group or individual) as necessary

During Instruction:

• Clarify misunderstandings 
• Re-teach, using alternate modality 
• Use different instructional strategies 
• Provide scaffolding 
• Differentiate instruction 
• Re-group students 
• Provide support

After Instruction and Before Summative Assessment:

• Identify prevalent points of confusion 
• Review key/common errors 
• Institute peer review/assistance 
• Utilize support services 
• Prepare for summative assessment 
• Differentiate assessment/levels of rubric 
• Reconsider standards

Resources

What are Formative Assessments and Why Should We Use Them?

Tools for Formative Assessment: 50+ Techniques to Check for Understanding

The Quest for Quality
Article By Stephen Chappuis, Jan Chappuis and Rick Stiggins
Assessment quality and assessment balance—only these can ensure that multiple
measures give stable estimates of student achievement.

Twitter-Style Exit Tickets
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/quick-student-assessment

Checklist during Discussions
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/assess-listening-speaking-skills-ousd

Providing Personalized Feedback on Student Writing
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/personalize-feedback-for-students

The Ultimate Formative Assessment Resource: Teaching Channel's "Deep Dive" Collection of Videos, Links, and other Resources on Formative Assessment
https://www.teachingchannel.org/formative-assessment

Craft and Structure

This 10-minute Teaching Channel Video is a great example of how to help students identify the "moves" an author makes. I especially like how the teacher has students do a "write like" to imitate the style of the author with another topic - students REALLY get to know the style this way!

Author's Purpose: Analyzing & Adapting Texts

Be sure to see the Supporting Materials on the lower right side - 

easy to implement right away in your own classroom!

Share your resources and ideas for teaching Craft and Structure in the comments!

Examining Our Own Biases Reading Young Adult Literature

In this article in English Journal, Barry Gilmore (a principal, author, and former English teacher) describes what happened when he recommended Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything to a student; she wanted to know whether it passed the Bechdel test. “I can’t stand to read things that are totally boy-centered,” said the girl. “I mean, it can be a lot about boys, but that can’t, like, totally be what it’s about.” Of course she had to explain the Bechdel test to Gilmore, who’d never heard of it: Does a work of fiction contain at least one scene in which two or more women (preferably named characters) discuss something other than a male? Thinking about the book he’d recommended, Gilmore was relieved that, in addition to the main narrative about a girl falling in love with a boy, it did include scenes in which the girl speaks to her mother and a female nurse about other subjects.

Click here to read the article from The English Journal

2017 ELA Frameworks

Click here

Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary Resources

Vocabulary.com: student-friendly definitions, multiple examples of words in context, create own vocabulary lists, adaptive practice quizzes with explanations for right answers
www.vocabulary.com

Word and Phrase Tool: analyze text for useful information about words and phrases in text, identify low-frequency words and academic words
http://www.wordandphrase.info/analyzeText.asp

Collins Cobuild Dictionary: student-friendly definitions
www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english

Quizlet: create flashcards and games for learning new words
www.quizlet.com

For more information about Vocabulary Learning and Instruction

Lehr, F., Osborn, J. & Hiebert, E. H. (2004). A Focus on Vocabulary (Research Based Practices in Early Reading Series). Honolulu, HI: Pacific Resources for Education and Learning. Retrieved from: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED483190.pdf


For teaching the tier 2 academic words found in the directions and questions on standardized tests, be sure to do MORE than give students a short, decontextualized "powerful words" definition. Here are some links for how to talk about those words:

10 Test Question Terms and What They Ask Students to Do

Top 10 Terms Students Need to Know to Be Successful on Standardized Tests

Student Learning Objectives

A Menu of Learning Objectives for English Classrooms from Bridgeport Public Schools
(clicking on this link will open a word doc with ELA Student Learning Objectives for reading, writing, speaking and listening, and media)


Massachusetts Transfer Goals: http://www.doe.mass.edu/candi/model/MATransferGoals.pdf

ELL Resources

Download WIDA Can Do Descriptors for your grade level here:
WIDA Can Do Descriptors
Remember to choose Language Objectives (in reading, writing, speaking, and/or listening) at the level just BEYOND your student's ACCESS level - this is what we call the Zone of Proximal Development, which is where students can STRETCH to reach the next level of language development, given sufficient scaffolding both by the teacher and more knowledgeable peers.

Massachusetts DESE Resource for Academic Language
(good for all students, not just ELL's)
Click on each language function (cause/effect, sequence, justify, etc.) for a list of sentence frames you can use.

Resources for Addressing Racism and Hatred in the Classroom

Resources for Addressing Racism and Hatred in the Classroom
Articles, podcasts, webinars, and other resources to help educators effectively discuss racism and hatred in the classroom.

Race and Politics in the Classroom

COMMENTARY Yes, Race and Politics Belong in the Classroom Ten tips for constructively engaging students on divisive political, social, racial, and economic issues, from H. Richard Milner IV.

Good Resource for Student Learning Objectives

What Works For Getting Kids to Enjoy Reading?

How do we prompt a child with negative or indifferent attitudes toward reading to pick up a book?

What doesn't work (e.g. rewards), what does (make the choice easy, change the other choices), and why.

Read article from Mind/Shift here.

New Teacher Survival Guide

Teaching Channel has curated a series of videos on topics of special interest to new teachers, including lesson planning, differentiation strategies, classroom management, and the formal observation. But I have found them to be wonderful reviews of what's really important for all teachers! You can find the series here: https://www.teachingchannel.org/new-teacher. Enjoy!

Call for Submissions

We invite you to consider submitting an article for publication in our 2018 Primer Calendar- Literacy Strong: Reaching All Readers. Topics may include, but are not limited to cultural literacy, visual literacy, critical literacy, disciplinary literacy and other facets of reading and language arts. Deadline for Submissions is September 1, 2017. Please submit articles to: Jo Ann Thompson. Sample Primer Calendar Page with article. Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Manuscripts are limited to 650-750 words including reference and other materials (tables, charts, etc.) Manuscripts must be double-spaced in 12-point font and should be saved as Microsoft Word Documents Manuscripts must be prepared according to the style specified by the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). Each manuscript must include a cover sheet containing (a) the manuscript title, (b) the author’s name, affiliation, position, preferred mailing address, email address, telephone number(s), and fax number. No identifying information should appear elsewhere in the manuscript

Please let us know if you have questions. Sincerely, Jo Ann Thompson Primer Calendar Editor Ask me for more samples or ask me questions if you're not sure what to submit! - Jennifer

End of Year Reflection

I just want to take this opportunity to say how proud I am of all of you as teachers and as colleagues. Whenever I talk to colleagues about Everett, I brag about you all – about your skill, your passion, and your commitment to excellence and to your students. Of course, we aren’t perfect, and I hope that you see my feedback on your practice, both informally in conversation and formally on observation reports and evaluations, as my efforts to help you become the even more excellent teachers that I know you can be. I hope you take the time at the end of the year to reflect on your own practice and your place in our department as you begin to think about your goals for next year:

·      In what areas can I still improve professionally?

·      What’s stopping me from improving in these areas?

·      In what ways can I support my colleagues in their students’ learning?

·      In what ways do my actions as a teacher show my belief that all students can learn at a high level?

·      In what ways do my actions as a teacher show that I take pride in my work?

·      In what ways are the relationships I have with my colleagues conducive to creating a collaborative culture focused on learning?

I encourage you to help your students also reflect on their effort and performance this year. According to Assessment for Learning, students who self-assess

·      recognize that learning is associated with a very positive kind of difficulty, which increases motivation rather than destroying it

·      experience an increase in self-esteem

·      experience an improvement in their learning because they come to know how they learn rather than just what they learn

I posted some links on student reflection on our blog in January, but the end of the year is a good time to revisit some of these ideas: http://everettela.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-new-year-time-for-reflection.html

Here is a new link with some ideas for activities that encourage student reflection:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2014/05/23/reflective-end-of-year-activities/?utm_source=newsletter20160527/

This year has been a learning experience for me, and I appreciate all of you who have helped me to learn. I hope to meet with each of you before the end of the year so that you can share your honest feedback, both ways in which you feel I have supported you and helped you grow and hone your craft and ways in which you hope I can support you more (or challenge you if you need it!) next year. As I reflect and self-assess and set my goals for next year, I hope to incorporate your feedback. So please don’t be shy! I am truly open to your suggestions and constructive critique.

Thank you for all your work this year. Hold on – it’s almost summer! I look forward to a productive year with you next year.

Writing, Technology, and Teens

Writing, Technology and Teens
By Amanda Lenhart, Sousan Arafeh, Aaron Smith and Alesandra Macgill

Teenagers’ lives are filled with writing. All teens write for school, and 93% of teens say they write for their own pleasure. Most notably, the vast majority of teens have eagerly embraced written communication with their peers as they share messages on their social network pages, in emails and instant messages online, and through fast-paced thumb choreography on their cell phones.  Parents believe that their children write more as teens than they did at that age.

This raises a major question: What, if anything, connects the formal writing teens do and the informal e-communication they exchange on digital screens?

To read the report go to the Complete Report PDF.

See especially section 8, which starts on p. 51

Teens are motivated to write by relevant topics, high expectations, an interested audience and opportunities to write creatively.

Teens write for a variety of reasons—as part of a school assignment, to get a good grade, to stay in touch with friends, to share their artistic creations with others or simply to put their thoughts to paper (whether virtual or otherwise).  In our focus groups, teens said they are motivated to write when they can select topics that are relevant to their lives and interests, and report greater enjoyment of school writing when they have the opportunity to write creatively. Having teachers or other adults who challenge them, present them with interesting curricula and give them detailed feedback also serves as a motivator for teens. Teens also report writing for an audience motivates them to write and write well.

For more on why teens write and what motivates them, please see Part 8: What Teens Tell Us Encourages Them to Write

Here are some of the highlights from this section:

• What prompts teens to write? 
• Teen ideas for making school writing successful – what works and what doesn’t. 
• Teens get greater enjoyment from the writing they do outside of school than the writing they do in school, and enjoyment of personal writing does not always translate into enjoyment of school writing. 
• Enjoyment of school writing is lowest among older boys.
• School writing enjoyment is not correlated with the length or frequency of school writing, and is only loosely related to the types of writing assignments teens do at school.
• Teens who enjoy writing are likely to view writing skills as essential to their future success and receive higher marks in their writing classes. 
• Teens like having the opportunity to select their topics for school writing assignments. 
• Teens’ motivation to write well comes from getting good feedback – especially from a great teacher. 
• Students don’t write for school unless they are assigned to do it.
• Cookie-cutter, boring curricula don’t help and the teacher should at least be modestly interested in writing … and in students. 
• High expectations really help. 
• What inspires teens’ personal and social writing?
• Learning Writing is a Growth Process. 

The Case for Multiple Texts

Sunday Cummins

Students grasp more information, think more critically, and learn to synthesize when they read many texts on one topic.

If we want students to be able to engage in thoughtful conversations and write fluently about a topic, reading one text on that topic isn't enough. When students read multiple texts on a topic, their understanding of that topic expands, and they can use knowledge they develop reading the first text to help them comprehend a second and third. What's more, readers can begin to think critically about what's being shared in each of those texts because they've read multiple texts.

LITERACY IN EVERY CLASSROOM

The focus of the February 2017 issue of Educational Leadership is “Literacy in Every Classroom”. The journal has several excellent articles aligned to our work at Keys to Literacy. Only members of ASCD can access the full edition, but there are a few articles that are available free to the public. I have listed them below and added notes connecting the instructional practices suggested by the authors with our Keys to Literacy teacher training routines.

Link to latest blog post from Literacy Lines, the Keys to Literacy Blog

Teaching Basic Argument Writing Components

Teaching Basic Argument Writing Components

The latest post in Literacy Lines, the Keys to Literacy blog.

Bringing Real-World Motivation to Class

Think about the last thing you chose to read: a magazine article, a Facebook post, a book, a tweet. What motivated you to read it? Was it a recommendation, or did you stumble across it? What did you do afterward? I’m guessing you didn’t answer even one multiple choice question about the content. 
Click here to read this article from the International Literacy Association.

Teacher Resource - Newspapers in Education

The Boston Herald has a free online newspaper that is easy to use on a smart phone. It has a search tool and translation tool and read-aloud tool, and you can print and email articles. You can sign up at http://nieonline.com/bostonherald/order.cfm. You will create a single username and password (can be the same word) for the entire class and enter the max number of students who will be accessing the paper simultaneously (I’d recommend 30).

They also have a Student Voices program where they publish student opinion pieces in the paper once a month (300 words or fewer), and they would love to have submissions from Everett! http://nieonline.com/bostonherald/studentvoices.cfm