Literacy Strategies in Real Classrooms

3 steps for creating a digital textbook

2012-01-28T19:04:00.001-05:00

Here is an excellent how to for creating a textbook. Creating your own text book, allows for teachers to build in differentiation as well.
Educator Dolores Gende in this blog post outlines three steps for teachers who want to create their own digital textbooks and involve their students in the process, and includes several resources to use along the way. She suggests teachers first aggregate online content using social-bookmarking tools such as Delicious and Diigo, before taking on a deeper analysis -- or curation -- of the content. Lastly, Gende recommends using tools such as Google Sites or the new iBooks Author to create a finished product. KQED.org/Mind/Shift blog(1/25)

Common Core is Wedding Literacy to ALL Content Areas. Here is an example.

2012-01-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

Find out strategies for improving science instruction for diverse learners!

Making Sense of SCIENCE: Going Deep to Go Far by Linking Science and Literacy Instruction
Wednesday, February 8
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time (1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time)
Come hear a WestEd curriculum developer and a district science coordinator share facilitation strategies that all teachers and teacher educators can use to support science learning with all students, including those who are English learners or initially low achievers.

We encourage you to attend the live webinar to interact with the presenters and other participants about this important topic. Please send any advance questions to eventquestion@wested.org .

To sign up for this webinar, please visit http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/webinars/mss

Designing high quality project-based learning

2012-01-13T18:13:00.001-05:00

Here is a great article, analyzing the principles for success when planning project based learning:)
Psychologist and school redesign consultant Thom Markham says one important way to teach innovation is to implement high quality project-based learning. In an ASCD EDge blog post, Markham shares several PBL design principles that he says represent points at which a project can be made either more or less powerful. He goes on to emphasize that effective PBL should result in "higher performing, and more innovative learners," but that it requires "a systematic approach that fully engages students, offers a potent blend of skills and intellectual challenge, and prompts or awakens a deeper curiosity about life." Read on.

10 years later: Has No Child Left Behind improved education? Courtesy of ASCD

2012-01-07T15:46:00.002-05:00

Great article!
No Child Left Behind went into effect nearly 10 years ago, and among the most recent criticism is in a report released this week that described the federal education law as a "policy failure." Some observers say the law's focus on accountability is important, even if there is too much reliance on standardized testing to measure achievement. Laura Hamilton, senior behavioral scientist at RAND Corp., says stakeholders should discuss how they might "expand the measures tested." U.S. News & World Report/High School Notes blog(1/4)

Digital literacy in the classroom

2011-12-31T17:53:00.002-05:00

Many schools are eager to jump at the idea of digital literacy - but are not quite sure what that means. Here is a blog post- courtesy of ASCD - exploring the tools available.
Technology should be part of the daily routine in schools, writes ASCD EDge user Celina Brennan. "Students should have frequent access in an authentic manner," says Brennan, adding that tools such as blogs and digital cameras can help students share their thoughts and foster collaboration. In her recent blog post, Brennan explains what digital literacy is, how to incorporate it into the classroom and professional development, and more. Read on.

How digital content helps teachers customize textbooks

2011-12-26T07:28:00.000-05:00

Here is a great article addressing the textbook problem so many of us see at the high school level! Enjoy:)

Teachers can customize textbooks using available digital and open educational resources, writes journalist Audrey Watters. Having teachers help build digital textbooks allows them to deliver relevant instruction and align textbooks with lesson plans, Watters writes. She suggests resources to help teachers create their own texts. Edutopia.org/Audrey Watters' blog(12/19)

Reinvent the High School Courtesy of E-School News! Great article.

2011-12-15T18:28:00.002-05:00

Class assignment: Reinvent the high school

High school feels different in the big white mansion at the edge of the Navy Yard in Philadelphia--no desks in rows. No 47-minute class periods. No warnings to remove the hat, put the cell phone [ Read More ]

NEA commission makes recommendations on effective teaching

2011-12-11T15:44:00.001-05:00

A National Education Association commission on Thursday issued a series of recommendations for promoting effective teaching practices.

Among the suggestions is a plan to increase requirements for teacher candidates with all completing a one-year residency and passing a performance assessment before entering the classroom.

The commission also recommended creating new career ladders and evaluation systems for teachers. Education Week/Teacher Beat blog

Why teachers should determine which students work together

2011-11-22T18:07:00.001-05:00

With the new focus on collaboration, we need to rethink some of our practices. This is a good place to start. Enjoy:)
Why teachers should determine which students work together
Teachers -- not students -- should determine which students work together in groups, says instructional coach David Ginsburg. In this blog, he writes teachers are better equipped to strategically match students based in part on their skills, teamwork abilities, behavior and other qualities. He encourages teachers to form diverse groups. Education Week Teacher/Coach G's Teaching Tips(11/20)

2011-11-06T07:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, I am going to challenge you today and ask you to think about writing across the curriculum in a slightly different manner. Following you will find a link to a new site created by Wiki on project based learning. Think about it. Organizing, collaborating, writing, and producing an end product!!! What an awesome way to embed writing for understanding in the content areas - as well as speaking, listening, and thinking! For those of you not yet familiar with the Common Core, writing to understand as well as tasks involving application of writing as a tool abound!! Take a look and see what you think. As always, comments are welcome.

Courtesy of Wikispaces;)

Looking into project-based learning

With the release of our Projects feature, we're learning a lot about project-based learning. We can't wait to hear your stories about how it works in your classrooms. In the meantime, we've rounded up some of our favorite resources. Take a look.

Training camp

Trying to introduce wikis to a group who have never used them before? We created a 10–20 minute Wikispaces Training Camp for students and web neophytes. Give it a try.

SAT Score Dilemma

2011-10-29T10:58:00.003-04:00

Following is a great link:

American Educator, Winter 2010-11, Vol. 34, No. 4, AFT

to the magazine, The American Educator, with an article by MJAdams on the SAT dilemma. Adams is known best for her work in beginning reading and the brain.

The title of the article is: Advancing our Students; Language and Literacy, The Challenge of Complex Text. It explores how the complexity of high school texts have steadily dropped over the last 50 years - and how this issue needs to be dealt with in the common core.

The question I think it poses is -- If we need to start where the child can read, have we prepared our teachers to teach hard for acceleration?

See what you think.

Increasing Student Understanding

2011-10-22T10:03:00.002-04:00

"Researcher Robert Marzano in Making Standards Useful In The Classroom concluded that if teachers simply included why students were learning what they were learning and how it would help them as a learner in every lesson, then student understanding would increase by 80%."

Following is an article on the "why and watch me" traditionally used at the elementary levels. As I visit high school classrooms, I am noticing effective teachers in all content areas use the same strategy. Take a look and see how it applies to your classroom. It will open the door wider and allow all of your students access.

Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan show how the "why and watch me" strategy can make the abstract concrete for struggling readers:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/765.cfm

How to educate young students about digital citizenship

2011-10-13T16:19:00.000-04:00

Elementary-school computer teacher Mary Beth Hertz describes how she teaches her young students about social skills and responsibility online. Students in second grade practice commenting on each other's original stories posted on Storybird, while students in fifth through seventh grade learn how to blog and participate in discussion forums on Schoology, she writes. Edutopia.org/Mary Beth Hertz's blog(10/12)

Impementing Nonfiction in the Classroom

2011-09-27T19:26:00.002-04:00

Here is a great link with some good teaching ideas for using nonfiction and mini-units of inquiry. In my mind, I see it as a possible center.

As the Common Core is implemented across the country, teachers are going to be thinking a lot about nonfiction. We love Wonderopolis as a tool for injecting nonfiction reading and writing into the school day. This free resource has a clever, simple design, plus intriguing topics that can't help but spark kids' interest:

http://wonderopolis.org/

From the Choice Literacy Archives, Andrea Smith explains how she has made Wonderopolis an integral part of her intermediate classroom:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1417.cfm

High school uses homeroom for academic planning, courtesy of ASCD Smart Brief

2011-09-12T17:29:00.000-04:00

Something to think about! Congrats, Maine!
High school uses homeroom for academic planning
A high school in Maine will transform homeroom classes into a block of time in which students will receive help with academic planning. Officials said they want to increase the focus on academics. "What we would like to do is to get our staff on a day-to-day basis more actively involved with helping our students guide themselves through four years," Robert Stevens, principal, said. SeacoastOnline (Portsmouth, N.H.) (tiered subscription model)(9/6)

Ten skills every student should learn - Courtesy of eSchoolNews

2011-09-01T19:27:00.000-04:00

Here is a great article on what ten skills all students need. Not too surprisingly, literacy is at the top of the list:)

Enjoy:)

Ten skills every student should learn

Resourcefulness, accountability, critical thinking, and communicating effectively—and with respect—were among the key skills cited by readers as most important

By Meris Stansbury, Associate Editor

"The most important thing we can teach our children is how to learn on their own," said one reader.

What students should learn in school is at the forefront of the education reform debates taking place across the U.S. and elsewhere.
Ed-tech stakeholders for years have been touting the need for students to learn so-called “21st century skills” such as problem solving, critical thinking, and media literacy to prepare for the new global, digital economy, while others are calling for students to have strong math and science skills.
All of these skills are important—but what do educators and other school stakeholders think are the most important skills?

For the rest of the story:

Ten skills every student should learn

High School Graduates not College Ready!

2011-08-27T11:06:00.002-04:00

In our race to the top, states are increasing pressure on schools. This followin article takes one perspective. Take a look and see what you think. Comments are welcome. Courtesy of ASCD.

Who is responsible when high-school graduates are not college-ready?
A state legislator in Utah is proposing a bill that would hold school districts and charter schools accountable for the college readiness of students by requiring them to pay for any necessary remediation. "I'm trying to force a discussion about what does a high-school diploma mean," said Rep. John Dougall (R). Some education officials criticized the proposal, saying parental involvement and other factors also contribute to whether students are prepared for college. The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah) (8/23)

Time to Re-think what we are doing?

2011-08-18T12:07:00.000-04:00

ACT finds more students are college-ready, but 75% are not
One-fourth of this year's graduating class who took the ACT college-readiness exam met benchmarks in English, reading, math and science, indicating they could earn B's or C's in entry-level college courses. Students performed better in English and reading than in science and math, and the scores are an increase from 2005, when 21% of students were considered college-ready. While observers are pleased with the uptick in overall readiness, they note that three-quarters of students still are unprepared for college-level work.Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (8/17)

New Blog from BPI!

2011-08-07T12:39:00.008-04:00

To My Readers,

As we move forward as a nation, implementing the common core, many educators are not being informed about the process or resources available.

Common core will dictate extensive changes in the classroom.

In an effort to support educators, I have created a new blog where I will post information and resources as soon as it becomes available.

I will post information applicable to all grade levels and content areas.

Please don't hesitate to sign up as a follower and share your thoughts with us.

Together we can make a difference.

Darlene

Another great resource from eSchoolNews

2011-08-07T09:51:00.002-04:00

Online Education Resource Center Of The Week:

Tackling Reading Comprehension Head-On

Go to eSN Online today and:

•	Find out which reading programs are working in today’s schools
•	Learn how teachers are taking new approaches to literacy
•	Discover how iPads and eBooks can encourage reading
•	Gather the latest research on reading instruction

Visit This ERC Now Online

Program aims to boost student literacy with comic books

2011-07-31T07:24:00.002-04:00

Motivating non readers is always a challenge. Here is an article with some great ideas on how to get students involved. Look closely and you will find opportunities to tie 21st century thinking skills to reading graphic novels.

Here is a link to a list of graphic novels for high school students.

A traveling program in Denver is working to improve literacy among students at struggling metro-area schools by bringing comic books and graphic novels into the classroom. Schools participating in the Comic Book Classroom literacy program receive weekly visits from the group, which begin by teaching students how to read comics. The eight-week program ends with students creating their own comics. The Denver Post(7/28)

Marazano's 21st Century Skills.

2011-07-30T17:45:00.001-04:00

Here is a great book and webinar on the 21st century skills. Many of the common core assessments will require students to use 21st century skills as outlined in Marzano's book. Take a look and see. You can subscribe to these free updates on your own. Directions are below.


	The following tips are from the NEW BOOK Teaching & Assessing 21st Century Skills By Robert J. Marzano and Tammy Heflebower

	If, at the beginning stages of the 21st century, we are able to identify a small but important set of skills and teach them well, students will be prepared to adapt to the changing conditions of the 21st century. Read more
	We believe there are five categories of well-researched skills developed in the 20th century that will have great application throughout the 21st century. Read more
	The intrapersonal and interpersonal skills of understanding and controlling oneself and understanding and interacting with others in the 21st century will require students to combine their factual knowledge about topics. Read more
	View all tips

FREE RELATEDREPRODUCIBLES

Download documents from this book including:

Comprehension
questions and answers
Guidelines
Processes
Surveys
Scales
Exercises

View reproducibles

FIND ASPEAKER

Robert J. Marzano and three of his associates—Jane Doty Fischer, Phil Warrick, and Tammy Heflebower—are all qualified to provide professional development to you and your staff surrounding Teaching & Assessing 21st Century Skills.

Call 888.849.0851

FREE RELATEDWEBINAR

Teaching and Assessing
21st Century Skills
Presented by Tammy Heflebower

This webinar presents a model of instruction and assessment based on a combination of cognitive skills (skills students will need to succeed academically) and conative skills (skills students will need to succeed interpersonally) necessary for the 21st century.

View recording

RELATEDWORKSHOP

Teaching and Assessing
21st Century Skills Workshop
Presented by Robert J. Marzano
and Tammy Heflebower

January 31–February 1, 2012
Little Rock, AR

View workshop

Webinar on August 10, 2011 - Courtesy of eSchool News

2011-07-21T20:12:00.004-04:00

Here is a great opportunity for teachers to look at how technology has "tweaked" literacy - writing, reading, speaking, listening. Zwang will explore how new technology requires new literacy strategies while increasing engagement. This information can be applied to content areas.



	When? August 10, 2011 at 1 p.m. ET Join Assistant Editor Jenna Zwang for a Twitter Hour as she shares her insights on the latest trends in ed-tech, including: Social media in the classroom Education applications for mobile devices 1-to-1 programs Free educational resources Environmentally-friendly schools/curriculum and more! Send in your questions to @eschoolnews and use the hashtag #esnedchat Follow along #esnedchat and join in on the live discussion and Q&A! Don't miss this interactive session!

PBS LearningMedia offers 14,000-plus free teaching resources

2011-07-12T14:10:00.002-04:00

Fantastic resource for all teachers...courtesy of e-school.

PBS LearningMedia is a new digital teaching and learning platform that offers the best of public media content and is produced specifically for teachers from pre-kindergarten through college. It aggregates content from member public television... [Read More]

Productive Group Work based on Collaboration.

2011-07-04T20:51:00.003-04:00

Small group teaching can be a challenge. Putting children together and expecting them to know how to organize, talk, and interact in a productive manner is not realistic. Teachers choosing to use any type of small group instruction in their classrooms, must provide protocols for students - modeling the strategies and supporting the students through the process several times. A great resource for establishing protocols is:

Productive Group Work: How to Engage Students, Build Teamwork, and Promote Understanding by Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher, and Sandi Everlove (Nov 30, 2009)

It is available on amazon.com.

Foldables!

2011-07-04T20:49:00.001-04:00

Foldables are another way to help students organize their thinking as well as engage them.

While many teachers think of this instructional strategy as geared for the elementary teacher, in truth, it can be used up through high school - see U.S. History.

Foldables work something like graphic organizers - they arrange the information to demonstrate (maximize) the relationship between concepts - something many students find challenging.

Foldables can be made in a variety of ways in order to show a variety of concepts.

If you are interested in learning how to the link I have provided will walk you through the process.

A number of teachers use flip books to help students organize and prioritize information in content areas - a crucial strategy students need to master in order to comprehend.

This is another format to engage students and provide them with an opportunity to interact (comprehend) key concepts in social studies.

Flip Books can also be used as study guides.

This format also lends itself to jigsawing or collaborative learning.

Enjoy!

Data reveals gaps in educational opportunities for U.S. students

2011-07-04T15:56:00.001-04:00

Although many studies focus on inner city schools, I often think many of the same conditions exist in our small, Maine schools. What do you think?
Students' access to early education, rigorous academics and experienced teachers and counselors varies widely across the country, according to federal data released Thursday on 72,000 schools in 7,000 districts. For example, the study by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights found that nearly 3,000 high schools in the U.S. do not offer Algebra II courses and fewer than 25% of districts offer free preschool for low-income children. Officials said understanding the findings would be an important step in remedying opportunity gaps for U.S. students. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (7/1)

Annual Report on Maine Literacy and Technology Pilot

2011-06-26T13:11:00.002-04:00

Annual Report on Maine Literacy and Technology Pilot - Committee - Part 1

This year, 2010-2011, our committee consisted of Jake Bogar, Science Teacher, Mount Blue High School; Alison Prescott, first grade teacher at Winthrop Elementary School; Hatti De Raps, Alternative Education Teacher, Mount Blue High School; and Bill Giasson, 3rd grade Teacher, Winthrop Elementary School.

To many of you, this may sound like an odd combination - given the grade levels and content areas. However, one of the essential elements we discovered last year through our EDU 593 class, was the existent of common characteristics in the collaborative process - spanning grade levels and contents.

We began EDU 593 - Guided Inquiry in the 21^st Century Classroom: Technology and Literacy - in the Spring of 2010.

The course built on the literacy knowledge and skills developed in EDU 590 and EDU 591, Advanced Strategies and Applied Research forContent Literacy Mentors, Part 1 and 2. Current research identifies core literacy strategies as universal cognitive strategies used for problem solving in today’s world. Specifically this course will help teachers develop and transition this knowledge within the context of guided inquiry and technology and will provide a focus on the 21st century standards (AASL, 2009):

· Inquire, think critically and gain knowledge,

· Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge,

· Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society

· Pursue personal and aesthetic growth

We had 14 participants from grades 1-12 - from varying content areas. Schools represented were: Rumford Elementary, Winthrop Elementary, and Mt. Blue High School.

Guided inquiry of and in itself demands collaboration - between the expert other and the novice (Vygotzky). However, within the context of technology and what we now know about the importance of social interaction, we soon identified students' and teachers' ability to - "share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society" - as the top priority as well as the area where many teachers need the most assistance; staff development and practice.

We began with the rubric found in Carol Kuthlthau's text, Guided Inquiry; Learning in the 21st
Century (one primary text for the course).

While many were novices to the Learning How to Learn and Information Literacy, teachers quickly got a handle on these two categories - the foundations had been established in EDU 590 and 591. However, the areas that gave us all cause to re-think and re-look, were clustered under Social Skills. Examining collaboration through the lens of technology, we decided to start by defining those areas we needed to encompass. Following are our notes - brainstorming.

Using Guided Inquiry to foster collaboration in the classroom with technology in order to provide a framework for students to understand information through a globally aware and culturally literate lens.

Themes:

Research & Gather information
Empathy / Frame of reference
Making connections (Gardner)
Cause and effect
Cultural Awareness
Understanding the role of Technology
Participant Responsibilities
Effective communication

Collaboration Rubric:

Contribute

Research & Gather Information
Share Information
Be Punctual

Take Responsibility

Fulfill Team Role's Duties
Participate in Science Conference
Share Equally

Value Others' Viewpoints

Listen to Other Teammates
Cooperate with Teammates
Make Fair Decisions

Cultural Literacy Rubric:

Awareness of culture
Awareness of history and its impact
Perspective taking - history
Stereotyping and bias
Tolerance
Language proficiency

Globalization Rubric:

Awareness of technology’s impact on interconnections between nations/ individuals, global economy
Understanding of the interconnected-ness of the global economy
Understanding of the impact of global economy on political decision-making
Understanding the impact of decisions made by national, international organizations on societies, environment, economies
Understanding of the impact of culture on political relationships
Understanding of the impact of ideology, culture on decisions related to technology and access
Participation in the global society

Definitions:

Guided Inquiry - definition here
Collaborative Reasoning - not consensus,...
Can we create core common language and a core language --> Use in the rubric
“Collaborative reasoning discussions are intended to create a forum for children to listen to one another think out loud as they learn to engage in reasoned argumentation.”
http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/148
Look at Costa’s workI

How to use data analysis to improve classroom instruction

2011-06-19T19:42:00.000-04:00

This is an excellent article that is teacher friendly and insightful. After all of the hoopla about data, here you will find guidelines that create a credible, no nonsense framework for teachers and schools to implement.
Courtesy of Education Week and ASCD Smart Brief.
Ronald S. Thomas, a retired school administrator who is now the associate director of the Center for Leadership in Education at Towson University, supports the use of data analysis to improve academic instruction. Among other things, he suggests schools use data to determine what students do and don't know, and figure out how to close that gap. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (6/15)

Reading Blog for Summer Reading!

2011-06-11T08:22:00.000-04:00

I am posting this article, courtesy of ASCD Smart Brief. It is excellent and something educators here in Maine have the capacity to implement. We need to seriously think about something like this. Blogs engage students in a way that will amaze teachers!!

Reading project aims to engage students during the summer
An Ohio junior high school is working to keep students reading and using critical-thinking skills during the summer. The school distributed copies of "Anything but Typical," a story about a boy with autism, to all students going into grades 6-8. The students are asked to read the book and participate in an online discussion with their classmates on a school blog. "This is sort of like the kickoff book, and hopefully by using the blog they will have friends who recommend other books," said Kadee Anstadt, director of teaching and learning. The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) (6/8)

Webinar Archived

2011-06-11T08:00:00.002-04:00

The Link Between Technology Integration and Reading Comprehension- Lessons in a First Grade Classroom has been archived at:

http://stateofmaine.adobeconnect.com/p29k8imwvhf/

Enjoy!

Thanks, Alison.

The Link Between Technology Integration and Reading Comprehension- Lessons in a First Grade Classroom

2011-06-07T07:05:00.002-04:00

Please join us for this ground breaking webinar !

Alison's latest research makes us rethink what many of us thought we knew about reading!

For those of us in the U.S., this will also have some important implications for the Common Core. - Regardless of grade level!!

Alison Prescott joins us again this year to share her research and share a no nonsense plan on technology in a first grade classroom.

The webinar will begin with a step by step outline of how to implement teach students the basic of technology while applying it to their learning. This is a simple no nonsense plan - accessible to all teachers. Applications she will discuss are free.

Next, Alison will briefly share the research from her thesis that establishes the link between use of these specific technology applications and increased reading comprehension.

Finally, there will be a question and answer period.

Hope to see you there:)

Topic: The Link Between Technology Integration and Reading
Comprehension- Lessons in a First Grade Classroom

Presenter: Alison Prescott

Date: June 9, 2011

Time: 3:00-4:00 p.m.

The URL for Thursday’s meeting: http://stateofmaine.adobeconnect.com/bp2011-3/.

Phone bridge numbers: 1-866-910-4857 / Password 985399.

Further instructions on joining the meeting are available in PDF format at http://www.maine.gov/education/lsalt/paap/materialstools/documents/PK20-2_login_instructions.pdf.

Literacy Across the Curriculum

2011-06-03T16:44:00.000-04:00

The recording of yesterday’s webinar, Literacy Across the Curriculum by Lisa, is ready and online -

http://stateofmaine.adobeconnect.com/p2sck8zp8px/

Thanks for an excellent presentation and materials posted on line:)

Great response from teachers:)

Latest Research from John Hopkins

2011-05-27T12:25:00.000-04:00

Robert Slavin on Using What Works, ARPA-Education, and Title I Reform
Robert Slavin, director of the Johns Hopkins University's Center for Research and Reform in Education, has been in the news recently discussing evidence-based education reform and innovation. In case you missed his latest articles, be sure to check out the links below to see what Slavin said about using what works, the potential of an Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) for education, and the need to ensure that proven educational practices become widely and effectively used in Title I schools.

Audacious Ideas Blog
May 23, 2011 Using What Works in Education

The Huffington Post
May 2, 2011
A Call to Arms for Education Innovation

Education Week
March 29, 2011
Job One for Title I: Use What Works

Literacy throughout the disciplines, to include the World Language Classroom

2011-05-26T07:52:00.003-04:00

Literacy is one of the most common terms used in our society today. We are surrounded by literacy terms - "financial literacy," "technological literacy," "geographical literacy," to name a few.

Lisa Dalrymple, Foreign Language Department Head for Mt. Blue RSD, will look at the expanded definition of literacy as it applies across the content areas.

"It is not enough to say that literacy is defined by being able to read and write. Today our students need to be able to do an array of tasks to be literate. Students need to be able to comprehend, identify, prioritize, organize, retrieve, and understand within a context that is meaningful. Literacy is not confined to one area of a person's life but rather it is found in every discipline. "... Lisa Dalrymple

Topic: Literacy Across the Curriculum

Presenters: Lisa Dalrymple

Date: June 2, 2011

Time: 3:00-4:00 p.m.

To take part in the webinar click on this link:

http://stateofmaine.adobeconnect.com/bp2011-4/.

*Audio access to the meetings will be conducted via phone bridge. To help participants connect by phone, a box will appear asking for their phone number so the Connect conference room can call them back.

Those using a telephone with a direct-dial phone number, should accept this option, enter their phone number, and the conference room will call them right back.

Those who have a telephone with no direct-line phone number (if their phone is only reached by a switchboard), should click on CANCEL when the call-back box appears, then dial-in to the meeting using this access combination:

· Dial-in 1-866-910-4857

· Password 985399

Detailed instructions on joining the meeting can be found online at http://www.maine.gov/education/lsalt/paap/materialstools/documents/PK20-2_login_instructions.pdf.

Literacy and Common Core

2011-05-16T16:33:00.000-04:00

Recently I spoke to an assistant principal at Brockton High School. For those of you who are familiar with ASCD, you know Brockton HS has been praised for the model it has been using over the last 11 years - assuring increased student success. The administration shared the following chart with me. As you can see, literacy has been integrated throughout all content areas. With the advent of common core, this format is a helpful guide. Enjoy.

Ground Breaking New Research on Reading and Its Connection to Brain Development. A Must Read!

2011-05-06T17:31:00.001-04:00

May 3rd, 2011

Reading boosts brain pathways, affects multiple disciplines

Pathways within the brain can be strengthened by reading and language exposure, researchers say

By Jenna Zwang

Reading boosts brain pathways, affects multiple disciplines
Recent research shows that reading has a massive impact on brain function and can actually affect understanding in nearly all school subjects. [ Read More ]

Reflections on Literacy Work at LFHS by Michelle Brann, Literacy Team Chair

2011-04-28T18:40:00.000-04:00

This school year marked my fourth year on our school’s staff Literacy Team. I remember being asked to be a member of the new team and attending our first professional development workshop only to experience a moment of panic – was I going to have to learn how to teach students to read?! I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I was tempted to excuse myself from the team that day. I had majored in history in college and only made my way in to teaching on a whim – my school had a January term which offered the opportunity to student teach for a month. At the urging of my mother I decided to try it, and to my great joy, realized that I loved it. However, in my mind, what I loved was teaching history, NOT reading. I distinctly remember thinking, “if I had wanted to teach reading, I would have become an elementary school teacher.” So it became a very pleasant surprise to me, after deciding to stick it out a little longer to see what this “literacy stuff” was all about, that I soon realized that teaching literacy is teaching students not how to read, but how to think – my goal as a high school history teacher to begin with. The teaching methods I learned through the literacy team have helped me immensely to help my students reach that goal.

I experienced success with many of the teaching practices I learned with the team almost immediately. During my first two years on the team, strategies such as “QAR” (Questioning-Answering Strategies for Children, Taffy Raphael) and “REQUEST” (Improving Reading Comprehension Through Reciprocal Questioning, Manzo) changed the way I asked my students to think and had a significant affect on their academic performance. Through the training we received on the Literacy Team, and books like Reading for Understanding, by Shoenbach, Greenleaf, Cziko, and Hurwitz, I was able to add to my teaching “tool-belt” in a way that greatly benefited my skills in the classroom and consequently, also benefited my own students' learning.

Despite the success that many of our team members were seeing in our own classrooms during those first two years, we had a difficult time in trying to make our practices part of the school’s wider culture. Last year we were finally able to begin presenting to the staff in a way that at least began capturing non-team members’ (positive) attention, providing mini-lessons on some of our most successful practices at various staff meetings throughout the year. While the mini-lessons certainly did not start any revolutionary changes at the high school, they did at least set the tone for the team to begin making a really significant impact on teaching practices at the school this year.

During the summer of 2010, with a change in administration, the team began to reorganize and added some new members. We met during the summer to give new team members a “crash course” on literacy, but more importantly, we began laying out a plan that would allow us to make staff-wide, meaningful change in our school’s best teaching practices. As the year progressed, it became clear that we had two major goals. We wanted to help staff make learning goals and objectives clear for students and we wanted to find a way to make reading for pleasure a regular part of every student’s week.

Our first major goal was to introduce a lesson plan framework that would help teachers focus in on the specific objectives they want their students to achieve and to construct their lessons using a consistent format (adapted from EDU 590 LMFHS October 26 PowerPoint). The format we chose to introduce uses an opening activity, usually in the form of a quick-write, that allows students to apply prior knowledge and experience to learning new information in meaningful chunks. Each class ends with a closing activity that allows students to process the information they have learned that day and gives teachers a quick opportunity to check for understanding and adjust upcoming plans accordingly. Most importantly, the framework requires that teachers have clearly posted objectives each day that are explicitly referred to throughout the lesson, making it clear to the students what the learning goal is and giving them an opportunity to self-assess for understanding through the class period. Finally, having a consistent classroom framework created a learning environment in which students knew exactly what to expect each class. Rather than spending energy on interpreting what the teacher expected from them, they could instead spend their energy where it was most needed – on learning objectives.

The team members piloted the lesson plan framework in our own classrooms first, and I soon noticed my own teaching and classroom management improving dramatically. Beginning every class with a quick-write activity established a clear expectation for what every student should be doing at the beginning of the class, having an immediate impact on student behavior throughout the rest of the period. And of course the main reason for the quick-write, activating students’ prior knowledge, helped students to connect with new material more effectively. I soon noticed an increase in student attention and participation in class discussion.

By posting the day’s objective on the wall and explicitly referring to it throughout the class period, I found it significantly easier to stay focused on the day’s goal, and I believe it improved my delivery. I have also found that reflecting back on the objectives several times throughout the lesson is helping me to identify areas of my unit plans that need adjustments or, in some cases, even need to be eliminated completely. I found that having the posted objective to refer to throughout the lesson was helping me to make better use of my students’ time in my class.

After taking enough time to really understand the benefits of the framework and feel comfortable using it, we partnered up with other staff members to begin making it a staff wide practice. We began by having our partner teachers observe our classrooms. After providing them with time to try it in their own room, they then had the opportunity to have us in their classrooms to help with any questions or concerns they still had. Overall we received a positive response. Some teachers immediately saw value in the framework, and one of my partner teachers went so far as to say, “It has made me a more effective teacher.” (Personal conversation) Even when teachers had reservations about the framework itself, they still appreciated the format we used to present it. Many teachers commented on how valuable it is to be able to visit other classrooms, and several also expressed appreciation for having team members, their own co-workers, in to help provide constructive feedback in a non-threatening atmosphere. While there is still much work to help everybody feel truly comfortable using this framework on a daily basis, we have already made significant gains.

The team’s second major goal, creating time for students to experience reading for pleasure on a regular basis, took shape in the form of our new Free To Read program. It ‘s overall structure was the brainchild of one our teammates, Library Media Specialist, Cathi Howell. With her expert experience and ideas for the foundation of the program, the team worked together to establish the details and to anticipate any questions or concerns that might prevent the program from finding success among the staff and students. We began with the premise that students benefit most when they have several short (30-40 minutes) opportunities each week to read something they are interested in rather than having one extended period each week (SSR with Intervention, Leslie B. Preddy). With that in mind, we decided the program would begin with two forty-minute reading periods a week, with the hope that it may someday be expanded to three days a week. We also knew that students would benefit more if the reading program included an opportunity to think about and discuss their reading (The SSR Handbook, H.M. Miller). Therefore we decided that each reading session would end with a five-minute opportunity for discussion among teachers and their advisees.

Once we had a plan for what we wanted our reading program to look like, we began preparations to introduce it as successfully as possible. Cathi administered a student survey to gather information on student reading habits and book interest. Group members solicited local businesses for gift certificates that we could use as rewards for participating in the program. We also created a presentation for staff and students to help explain the program using Scholastic’s Reader Bill of Rights (http://www.scholastic.com/readeveryday/read.htm). We presented to other teachers during a staff meeting and provided them with an opportunity to fill out a comment/question card. We organized a school wide assembly for the student presentation, and even invited local town library staff in to speak about reading opportunities in their own library.

The first month and a half of our Free to Read program has gone exceptionally well. We made it clear from the beginning that this reading time would be considered “sacred” and found a way to include it on all regularly scheduled days, even when other events threatened to get in the way. Teachers report that they have faced very little resistance from their advisor groups, and many students have made positive comments about looking forward to the reading time. Perhaps most gratifying, we have had visitors from outside of the school witness and make extremely positive comments about the program, one going so far as to say that we “are doing it the right way.” (Conversations with USM Professor of History Libby Bischoff and Maine DOE consultant Steve McDougal)

We are so proud of the work that we have done this year. At times we have struggled to maintain the energy and positive attitudes necessary to make such far-reaching change, but it is truly gratifying to now see the fruits of our labor blossoming. There is a great deal more work to be done, but based on the slow change in culture we are already seeing, we are looking forward to continuing our work next year.

Should literacy instruction continue beyond elementary school?

2011-04-22T16:59:00.001-04:00

Here is a great article - courtesy of ASCD Smart Brief - that focuses on the common core and the need to teach literacy beyond the 3rd grade. The report also recognizes the importance of 21st century citizens' ability to read nonfiction.

A more comprehensive approach to literacy teaching should be included as part of the revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education. The alliance, which advocates for improved high-school education, argues that educators are not supported or prepared in offering literacy instruction to students beyond third grade -- after which it is assumed they will "read to learn" rather than "learn to read." The group says more focus is needed on teaching reading in both middle and high schools. Education Week/Curriculum Matters blog

The full report can be accessed by clicking on the link: policy brief

It is well worth the read.

Free to Read: A Free Voluntary Reading Program at Livermore Falls High School

2011-04-19T18:51:00.000-04:00

Many educators are seeing reading scores (as well as writing scores) decrease as students enter middle and high school. In a recent ASCD post, research found as students progress through grade levels, nonfiction reading for content area classes dominate their reading time and leave little for their individual reading - fun reading, or practice. Cathi Howell, librarian at LMFHS worked with the literacy team and classroom teachers to create the Free to Read program. Cathi and Michelle will be offering a webinar on this topic in May. Here is the outline of the program. For more info, contact Cathi at: chowell@rsu36.net.

What does this have to do with writing?

The reciprocity between reading and writing does not diminish with the age!

Improving the culture around reading at Livermore Falls High School has been a primary goal of mine since I spent time there as a practicum student working on my bachelor’s degree over ten years ago. I distinctly remember being asked to ‘read the shelves’ by the media specialist who was there at the time and as I idled away at that mundane job, I was taking in much more than the condition and order of the books on the shelves. As I observed student activity in the library it occurred to me that students coming to the library did not appear to be engaged in their school work or reading – two primary activities I expected to see students engrossed in at the school library. After watching quietly on a few different occasions and being a bit reluctant to interfere, I finally asked a group of students who were clearly there simply to avoid study hall and to socialize with their friends, if they had some schoolwork to be doing. If not, I told them; perhaps they should consider finding something to read – they were in the library after all. One young man looked at me in disbelief, as he shook his head and stated emphatically “Don’t you know kids at Livermore Falls High School don’t read?” I have told this story numerous times and thinking back on it now, I never realized then what an impact that student’s comment would have on my professional career goals. Of course, I knew better than to interpret this student’s comment literally – that no students at LFHS read, but it was obvious to me that what was happening in the library at the time was not working to create a culture of reading in the school.

Over the next few years, I completed my bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Technology, was hired at LFHS as an educational technician in Special Education, and enrolled in the Master of Library Science program at Southern Connecticut State University. In the meantime, I continued to observe the culture at LFHS.

After working in Special Education for a year, I was offered the position of assistant to the media specialist in the library. As I continued working on my master’s degree, I also began working towards implementing programs I had been thinking about that I thought would improve the culture of reading at LFHS. I started with some simple ideas like contests for students who submitted book reviews, a school-wide reading challenge in connection with Scholastic Books that provided books for children impacted by Hurricane Katrina, and holiday themed activities in the library. I offered Scholastic Book Orders to students and organized a Read-a-Thon that allowed students to raise funds for an elementary school reading program while reading and eating their lunches in the library. I knew then that it was critical to get students involved in this process of change and I administered a survey asking students to identify programs and activities they would like to see offered through the library. Their survey results overwhelming indicated that a Coffeehouse Night was something the student body wanted to try, so in the spring of 2004 we began a new tradition at LFHS and have held Coffeehouse Night each fall since then.

These initial activities paved the way for a more significant program I had dreamed of trying out, an ongoing book discussion group that would be open to students, faculty members, and community members. This group would be free for students to participate in. I hoped to secure funding through grants in order to purchase books that I could give, free of charge to all participants, and to provide refreshments at meetings. Considering what I had learned about students and activities at LFHS, I thought our best bet at getting this diverse group of participants together would be in the morning before school. With a small amount of money provided by the principal in the spring of 2006, Bagels & Books was born.

For the past five years I have also taken students from honors and AP English classes to our elementary school to visit classrooms to talk about their reading history as a way to promote literacy across our district. The high school students develop presentations that include discussions of their favorite books from childhood and how reading is important in their high school class work. They read a book or selection out loud for the class they are visiting and coming up with a related activity. These visits always prove to be as beneficial for the high school students as for the elementary school classes they interact with. It is an opportunity for these high school students to serve as role models to our younger students and to reaffirm the importance of reading through this activity.

I completed my master’s degree in the spring of 2007 and I was hired as the school library media specialist at LFHS that fall. By this time, many of these reading and literacy programs were well established. Over time, I developed a special interest in free reading in secondary schools and my final thesis work was focused on this topic. As part of my research, I examined the curriculum at LFHS and discovered that only one course included free choice reading in the curriculum, and that was limited to a free choice novel as part of a summer reading requirement for an AP English course. Even so, by this time I was beginning to notice a change in the culture of reading at LFHS and there were teachers who expressed an interest in a free reading program for our students. Some English teachers also began building in free choice reading as part of their classroom routines and curriculum over the next few years. In the spring of 2009, I met with a group of teachers interested in improving our academic advisor program and we discussed the possibility of implementing a free reading program through the Advisor/Advisee program.

Fast-forward to 2010-2011, a transformative year at Livermore Falls High School. Changes included a new administration and the support and constrictions of a federal School Improvement Grant. Working with an incredible group of talented teachers as part of our school’s literacy team, we set two goals for the year as part of our school-wide transformation. The first goal was to implement a standardized lesson plan format and the second goal was to develop a free reading program. (Sejnost 2009, 20) Our administration had decided to implement Reading 180 with funds from the SIG, and while we recognized that this was an important program for a select group of students, we felt it was critical to do something that could help all students improve their reading abilities. With the approval of our administration and literacy consultant and $1500 from the SIG, we started planning.

Based on my past research using resources including Janice Pilgreen’s SSR Handbook, and Ivey and Fisher’s Creating Literacy-Rich Schools for Adolescents, I knew that in order for students to see improvement in their reading, they need to have opportunities to read freely at least 2 to 3 times per week. I also knew that this must be sacred time, dedicated to free reading on a regular basis and never pushed aside for other meetings and activities. Finally, I knew that to help students improve their reading skills, we also needed to help them practice having conversations about their reading. (Marshall 2002, 103) The literacy team agreed with these three basic premises.

Based on experience, I also felt that it was critical to involve students in the planning of this new program and I decided to create a personal reading interests and habits survey for students. The survey was designed in Google Documents and I linked it to our library webpage. I scheduled every English class, from grade 9 to grade 12, including special education classes, to come to the library to take the survey and to participate in a book selection activity using Scholastic Book Club order forms. As each group came into the library I explained that the literacy team was working on developing a free reading program for all students because we believe, based on research, that the single best thing students can do to improve their reading abilities is to practice reading materials that they choose for themselves – that are right for them and interesting to them. I also emphasized that we wanted their input on how to set this program up to best suit their needs, to select books for their classrooms based on their interests, and to provide some prizes that were appealing to them.

As we began planning, I met with our literacy team leader to review the literature on free reading programs. We agreed that it was important to base our program on research based methods and best practices. We also continued meeting as a team and reviewing our progress as this free reading program began to take shape. We established a mission statement (see attached) for our program and we began assembling teacher training materials and student folder components. Student library aides helped process the student book selection forms and I ordered books from Scholastic Book Clubs based on the most popular choices. Based on survey results, we identified food, movie and book certificates as the most popular student recommendations for incentives and we discussed the protocol for selecting monthly winners in advisor groups. The more the more the literacy team worked on developing this free reading program, the more our excitement grew. Likewise, the more I talked with students about implementing a free reading program, the more I realized how excited they were about having this opportunity to read for themselves during their school day. With a desire to build off this mutual excitement, we decided to plan a school-wide assembly to kick off our free reading program as a celebratory event when we were finally ready to roll.

In the process of planning, we also revisited Scholastic’s Reading Bill of Rights. The statements that comprise their Reading Bill of Rights are aligned with and support our mission and their online PowerPoint presentation inspired us to create our own version, using pictures of LFHS students to illustrate each statement. (Scholastic Inc.) This idea blossomed into creating a multimedia presentation for students and staff members that would be used as an introduction to the program, and as part of our kick-off celebration. As our free reading program continued to take shape – our program’s name began to solidify; we decided to call this program Free to Read.

As our start date approached, we assembled teacher folders that included a laminated copy of our mission statement to be displayed in each room, a copy of the summary of results from our student reading interests and habits survey, copies of the bookmarks that would be included in student folders, a simple checklist for teachers to monitor student engagement, and a selection of ideas for starting discussions around reading. (Preddy 2007, 132-133) We also included blank copies of the teacher monitoring form and the student response to reading form in the back of each teacher folder. Student folders included a Free to Read bookmark, bookmarks that include tips on finding a book that is interesting to you and tips on knowing when a book is right for you, a copy of the Free to Read mission statement, and reading response forms.

Critical components of Free to Read:

· Meets twice a week for 25 minutes each time – school wide

· Teachers read with students

· It is not a time for homework

· Students may read newspapers, magazines, and books

· Students may choose to read from novels and nonfiction pieces they are reading in class as long as it is their choice to do so, but not from text books

· Students record their reading in their workbooks and write a short response or prediction based on their reading – causing students to think and write about their reading

· Teachers and students wrap up each session with a 2 to 3 minute discussion about what people are reading – causing students to make connections between their reading, themselves, their teachers, and their peers

· Students may not use laptops during Free to Read but they may read from an e-book reader if they have one

· No grades are assigned for Free to Read

· Teachers were provided all necessary materials and trained by literacy team members

· Easy for teachers to monitor student engagement

· Prizes awarded by random drawing in each advisor group; eligibility for drawing based on two criteria – student must be on task each time and must record what they read and a short response each time

We are in our fifth week of Free to Read and the feedback I have received to date has been overwhelmingly positive. Teachers have indicated that their students are settling right down to reading; they hate to interrupt their reading at the end of each session; students have been excited about the choices of new books in their Free to Read baskets; and students and teachers alike have already come to relish this quiet time for themselves in the midst of their busy school day. Observations by administrators, our literacy consultant, and a representative from the Maine Department of Education corroborate that students and teachers are engaged in reading during this time.

I believe the success of our Free to Read program can be attributed to two things. First of all, the time was right to implement a free reading program at LFHS. We had already seen a major shift in the culture around reading with the numerous programs and events implemented through the school library and with English teachers beginning to incorporate more free choice reading in their classes. Add to this our recent designation as a low performing school and our need to try new ways of helping students improve their reading skills and test scores and the funds available to us through the SIG. Secondly, the research, planning, student involvement, staff training, general attention to detail, and positive ‘can do’ attitudes of the literacy team members, helped ensure Free to Read’s successful development and implementation. In particular, the level of student involvement was critical to student engagement in this new program. Students were surveyed, allowed to help choose books to purchase, identified appealing prizes, helped create the PowerPoint presentation used for implementation by creating voice-over recordings of the Scholastic Reading Bill of Rights, and were featured in numerous photos in our presentation that showed LFHS students engaged in reading activities in our school library.

Next steps to ensure that Free to Read continues on its path to success include soliciting feedback from faculty members and students and responding to it, monitoring student reading scores and attitudes toward reading over time, and maintaining student involvement in selecting new books, soliciting suggestions for prizes, and creating promotional materials to sustain the program. Challenges include re-engaging students each year and developing a new kick-off program as well and developing a plan to implement Free to Read at the second campus of our high school program as we move toward consolidation in our new school district, RSU 73 for the fall of 2011. Additional concerns include maintaining funding to continue to infuse new, student selected books into the program and purchasing necessary support materials and supplies, as well as training and supporting new staff members and those who need assistance with implementing or managing Free to Read time in their classrooms.

There is nothing more exciting than to witness the calm, quiet, peaceful and productive time that is Free to Read in our school!

“Integration Day”: Creating and Implementing an Opportunity for Literacy-Based Integrated Teaching by Robert Condon, Deborah Muise, Lisa Dalrymple, Therese Hersey, Karen Cyr, John Logan

2011-04-13T06:54:00.000-04:00

Mt. Blue High School has been involved in literacy training and implementation for 4 years.

It has been a cross curriculum, school wide goal - and - predictably - has built collaboration throughout the building.

Here is a proposal from their cohort 3 teachers involving their high school and tech school teachers - creating interdisciplinary units.

Enjoy!

A Preface

The following is a collection of reflections on an idea Mt. Blue High School teachers came up with in EDU 591, a University of Maine at Farmington course for content literacy mentors. It is presented in a variety of voices, some overlapping greatly in terms of ideas and content, others not. As a whole, this collection shows teachers with a different instructional responsibilities and approaches breathing life into a common and as-of-yet unrealized vision.

Robert Condon

Integration Day: An Introduction

What happens when you share an idea? Sometimes the answer is collaboration. If you are lucky, others will believe in the idea and they help you grow it. This is what happened in our class, EDU 591. The idea, or more likely the outburst, raised the question “Why don’t we do more team teaching?” What came next was collaboration and refining a simple question into a method by which teachers could have time to plan and create integrated learning opportunities for students using literacy strategies.

We realized one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in this initiative, as in so many others, is finding the time to execute a new plan. This is when collaboration led to synergy as brainstormed solutions knocked down hurdles and the pieces began to fit together. We decided that planning time for integrated lessons will be made possible through the use of substitute teachers covering for one of the cooperating teachers (and the other willing to give up preparation time) to create a beneficial learning experience. Through shared planning cooperating teachers will share ideas on literacy strategies that will be employed throughout the integration process.

The interesting part about the discussions that have created this plan is there was almost no mention of the actual teaching of the lesson. We believe teachers will do what they do best – find approaches to material that appeal to how students learn best. Ultimately, we hope that Integration Day meets several universal goals: teaching in ways students learn; using literacy activities that foster better, deeper understanding; and providing students an opportunity to see how understanding in one discipline can promote understanding in another.

John Logan

A Rationale for Integration Day

Integration Day is intended to foster collaboration between educators, integration of vocational and academic disciplines, and use of literacy strategies across those various disciplines. Encouraging these things is important to nurturing the vibrant, productive learning environment we seek for our students.

Collaboration Between Educators

Pete Hall and Alisa Simeral’s “Continuum of Self-Reflection” highlights an important difference between a strong educator and an exceptional one: The exceptional teacher “pursues opportunities to work and learn with colleagues” while a developing teacher “collaborates on a limited basis.” (42) In short, a greater ability to professionally collaborate makes one a better teacher. Integration Day will not instantly make every Mt. Blue High School a better collaborator, but it may encourage some teachers to see more value in and grow more comfortable with collaboration.

Integration of Disciplines and Working as a Team

A school that works together as a team will produce better results than a school divided by disciplines that are insular: This conclusion is implied (though not outright stated) by Anne Conzemius and Jan O’Neill in The Handbook for SMART School Teams when they discuss how schools that work like systems are superior to schools that do not. (180) For these authors, schools where professionals “interact to function as a whole” better identify patterns and underlying trends in its student population; are more aware of how parts of the school’s system affects each other; and ultimately, work more effectively to benefit all students.

Integration Day will not instantly produce a Mt. Blue High School that functions like a well-oiled system, but it will push us towards that laudable goal.

Use of Literacy Strategies Across Disciplines

If we are to work together as teachers, it only makes sense that we use effective universal thinking strategies while doing so. International education consultant Janet Allen claims that “there is an extensive body of research supporting the effectiveness of instruction in comprehension strategies” in all subject areas. She cites a number of benefits in using these strategies, including helping students acquire specialized vocabulary, remember content, and prioritize material (1).

Works Cited

Allen, Janet. Tools for Teaching Content Literacy. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2004. Print.

Tools for Teaching Content Literacy

Conzemius, Anne, and Jan O'Neill. The Handbook for SMART School Teams.

Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service, 2002. Print.

Hall, Pete, and Alisa Simeral. Building Teachers' Capacity for Success. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2008. Print.

Karen Cyr

Collaboration and Integration

“To the young mind everything is individual, stands by itself. By and by, it finds how to join two things and see them in one nature; then three, then three thousand…discovering roots running underground whereby contrary and remote things cohere and flower out from one stem.”

Emerson

The mission of both teachers and students is to find ways to create cohesion and relevancy. We can achieve this goal by integrating the curriculum. Integration is the result of collaboration between educators in multidisciplinary groups. It is the overlapping of content and the aligning of similar yet varied curriculums. It can be as easy as connecting one lesson to the next or as extensive as the sharing of themes and creating lessons that overlap between classes of different disciplines.

Curriculum integration is gaining momentum in high school settings all over. This is because educators are seeing that it builds “community, fuels motivation, renews the spirit, and enhances innovation” (Conzeminus). When professionals come together and share their expertise the whole school benefits. There is renewed energy and higher student engagement. Students feel as though the courses connect and are purposeful. They are seeing the bridges forming between school and real life.

Teachers are the most important element in this initiative. They need time to plan together and they need a supportive structure that allows for nontraditional schedules. Physical locality of overlapping discipline can also facilitate the teaming desired here. But most importantly, the school needs to adopt this new way of planning and teaching. Only then will real results occur.

The purpose of our project is to begin with a small yet powerful experience where two or three teachers, from different disciplines, are given time to discuss and plan an activity. Literacy strategies are incorporated into the lesson along with the mixing of classes. Time is built into the schedule as well as reflection pieces. Finally, this expertise will be shared with others in hopes of more collaborating in the future.

Works Cited

Conzemius, Anne, and Jan O'Neill. The Handbook for SMART School Teams.

Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service, 2002. Print.

Lisa Dalrymple

Thoughts on Literacy Strategies

There are several strategies that can be used in the classroom to help teachers and students. Students need to learn the protocol before they can work on the strategies or key thoughts. It takes repetition for a student to learn a protocol. Teaching students these thinking strategies across disciplines helps the student develop these skills.

Strategies are used to improve comprehension and to help students process the information. These can be very simple such as a Think Aloud. A Think Aloud is exactly what it says. I would say out loud to the student what I am thinking and how I am processing a problem or question. As the teacher, I am modeling the thinking process so that the students can metacognitively improve their comprehension. The question that I present a student may be ‘how did Cortez conquer the great Aztec emperor Moctezuma?’ In a loud voice I might describe the physical appearance of Cortez and then that of Moctezuma ….

Another great thinking strategy is the KWL. The K is for what do I know, W is for what I would like to know and L is for what have I learned. This is another great tool to use prior to a project, reading an article, and the list goes on. This is quick and simple but it provides me as the teacher valuable information as to what the student knows, or doesn’t know and it helps the student recognize what they knew and what they learned.

With respect to specific strategies that help in writing, I love the RAFT. The acronym stands for: R is the role of the writer, A is the audience, F is the format and T is the topic. This is fantastic for students to organize their thoughts. I often tweak this by adding another F, F for focus. The extra focus is if I want the students to select one item to focus on from a mural or a topic we are studying. Some teachers include an S (RAFTS) to have students reflect on a strong verb. This strategy works well with a schematic or web diagram. If students aren’t ready to create their own written piece or if I have them work in groups and peer edit, Google Docs is a wonderful tool to use. I also have students Blog. Blogging helps students produce reflective written work.

There are several strategies to support reading. The one that makes sense to use all the time is the GIST. This acronym stands for Generating Interaction Between Schemata and Texts. This is a great summarizing strategy. This can easily be combined with Sticky note comments, Concept sorts, word walls or digital flashcards, and picking out signal words or phrases. The digital flashcards can also be auditory. With respect to word walls, I don’t limit the students to word walls on real walls. The digital flashcards are cyber walls. These cyber walls can easily be created in Google Docs which is shared, thus becoming an interactive wall. Anticipation guides are also fantastic to use with students as a pre-reading strategy. This is also good to go back to after the reading assignment so that the student can reflect on what he/she wrote before the reading. There are many sample Anticipation Guides but I find it easy to provide this to students in a form format on Google Forms. This is quick for the student and for the teacher to compare what everyone wrote. This can also be shared. Double entry journals is another tool that I can use with my students.

Sometimes when I have students present, the audience tend to zone out. Many times I have the students take notes and use the 3,2,1 strategy. The students take from their notes the 3 essential facts from the presentation, 2 things that they found interesting for whatever reason and 1 question. When using this strategy or the Think, pair, share strategy, I must give my students very clear directions. I need the students to analyze their notes and prioritize them. There must be rational to their selection of 3,2,1 or what they are sharing in Think, pair, share. The students need to be very clear as to the difference of active listening and passive listening.

There are so many strategies that I use in the classroom that I have used. Some I like more than others and some I have had to change a bit to meet my needs. For example, the Socratic Circle is another strategy that I can refine some more. All of these strategies help in the scaffolding required for metacognition. These are an array of tools for teachers to use to help the students in their process of learning how to think.

Therese Hersey

Reflection on Tools for Teaching in the Block, Plus a Plan for an Integrated Lesson

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” (qtd. in Sejnost). I have done a lot of thinking about this statement over the last several years. Students have been changing with the influx of technology, jobs, and in many cases living independently. These students seem to be less invested in their educations and therefore less connected in class. One of my goals has been to find ways to connect with students and get them to buy into their education.

In her book, Tools for Teaching in the Block, Roberta L. Sejonost says that students must be able to connect what they are learning to what they already know and be willing to put the effort into learning. (Sejonost) Too often I see my students enter my biology or my social studies class believing that nothing they have learned in other classes has anything to do with what they will learn in my class. This segmentation of learning is making learning an overwhelming task for them. On the other hand, if students can connect learning across the disciplines and with what they already know, it becomes more meaningful and purposeful.

Sejonost goes on to say that students need to be challenged by authentic tasks that are challenging, different, and relevant to their lives. Today’s student is demanding that tasks have meaning and are useful. Gone are the days where the answer, “Because I said so..” is enough to satisfy the students. Once again, teachers need to lead students down the path to understanding material in new and different ways.

Feedback is another key point Sejonost proposes to supporting today’s students. The feedback must be immediate, supportive, and encourage the students to reflect on their progress.

If these are positive components to teaching today’s student, Sejonost also proposes some criticisms of teaching methods. Fragmented instruction where there is no in-depth teaching or learning is at the top of her list. This goes back to my point of students not making connections between the disciplines. I believe that integrating the disciplines is a way that we can help the students make real connections in their learning. This integration not only gets experts in different areas working together and pooling their knowledge, it also forces them to take a hard look at what, why, and how they are teaching. This should result in a stronger and better presentation for students in addition to making connections for them.

My teaching partner will be Kathryn Woodsum, a math teacher. She is going to collaborate with me on a social studies lesson. Over the course of the year, her students have been learning how to use their calculators and computers to solve math problems. My students will be studying a unit on Imperialism and Africa. Their culminating activity will be to produce a Keynote Presentation on an African country. I would like them to embed some graphs into the Keynote this year showing trends in population, the economy, etc.

Because my students do not use the correct graph for the correct problem (ie using a bar graph to show population growth) and do not know how to construct a graph on the computer, I feel that working with Mrs. Woodsum for a period would be wonderful for them. I will give my talk at the beginning of the period as to what charts and graphs can be used for in Social Studies Projects and then Mrs. Woodsum will take over explaining how to use and construct them on the computers. Her students should be able to help mine with the new vocabulary and computer setups.

At the beginning of the period, we will post the learning objectives for the day’s lesson. I will also post vocabulary words on the board that students should be looking for as we proceed. After the lesson on when to use each type of graph, Mrs. Woodsum will show students how to construct them on the computer. I will provide the figures that she will use for this part of the lesson. After this has been completed, I will give the students words on paper to construct a word wall which we will post in my room to help students as the construct their projects.

Work Cited

Sejnost, Roberta. Tools for Teaching in the Block. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2009. Print.

John Logan

A Modest Beginning

My first literacy-based integrated project is small: Many of my Grammar students will be helping Honors Earth Science students proofread a large scientific paper they are creating. Teacher Patti Millette was gracious enough to allow us to do this. As each section of the paper is created, Earth Science students will email us what they’ve written; students in my Grammar course will have the opportunity to offer proofreading advice via email. The benefit for my class is obviously the practical application of what they’re learning in class; the benefit for Earth Science students is that they will gain a better appreciation of how to proofread their own papers.

Where is the literacy aspect of this common project? Patti’s class will be using exit tickets to determine what Earth Science students are learning about their own grammar errors and how to fix them. My class will maintain a “grammar term wall” of errors we encounter in student papers.

Deborah Muise

Growing Comfortable with Integration

I admit it. I am one of those teachers who gets so insulated in her classroom that she can go for days without talking to a grownup in school. So at the beginning of the year, when my principal said, “Integration must be one of your goals,” my stomach sank a bit. Sure, the literature says it’s positive and teaches students to look at learning holistically. Sure, it’s a sign of teachers in the refinement stage. “Relationships are an essential part of the process of reflection for the Refinement teachers. Eager to capitalize on the knowledge and expertise of their colleagues, they seek out opportunities to share ideas, discuss pedagogy, unearth thoughts, and debate philosophy” (Hall and Simeral 98). This did not change the fact that it was uncomfortable. Luckily, a very sweet Spanish teacher had emailed me over the summer her idea to collaborate using a common short story she had in Spanish by Charles Dickens.

Fast forward to Literacy Class in March and one colleague’s idea to “team teach” or, as the professor insisted, “integrate.” We had just finished discussing the book Building Teachers’ Capacity for Success. We had all been secretly thrilled to discover that our professor had considered us all in the “Refinement” stage of teaching. These are expert teachers who “pursue opportunities to work and learn with colleagues. . . .focus on the art of teaching” and explore the “nuances of teaching” (98). The team teaching idea was a perfect opportunity to apply the literacy strategies we’d been learning as well as become more “refined,” and finally, fulfill the mandate given by our principal.

The integrative plan for me is to collaborate with a Spanish teacher. Her advanced Spanish class includes high level students who would be able to translate the very difficult vocabulary in Dickens’ “Nobody’s Story.” The task is to team teach some background information on Benito Pérez Galdós, Charles Dickens, and the Victorian Age using the class expert strategy. Then we’ll go back to our regular single teacher class format. We’ll assign Dickens in English for me, in Spanish for her. We’ll use various literacy strategies such as gist and text highlighting for better comprehension. The next task is for students to rewrite the story into script form and make a short film in both English and Spanish to be shared in each class, back to team teaching.

My hope from what I’ve gleaned from EDU 591 and the readings is that integration is a step for students to understand the broader perspectives of their education. This could help them be able to make connections and see relationships among disciplines, providing more meaningful, stimulating, global experiences. It could help them open their minds to learning, expanding their views by making connections among subjects areas, ideas, time frames. Instead of just addressing one facet of a student, collaboration seems to approach multiple learning styles. I hope we can add to the dynamics of the classroom not just by utilizing a number of different literacy strategies, but also by infusing a new perspective and personality into the mix which might be useful for classes that have become stagnant. After all, our professor did quote Robert Slavin, saying that 85 % of teachers need to be “together” for success.

Work Cited

Hall, Pete and Alisa Simeral. Building Teachers’ Capacity for Success. Alexandria:

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2008.

Next Steps

Implementing both “Integration Day” and the lessons that lead up to it has yet to be done, but we are well on our way. Currently, Mt. Blue High School and Foster Regional Technology Center are encouraging subject integration to prepare for a newly renovated collaboration-friendly facility. They recently held a half-day of staff development in which faculty presented ongoing integration projects and were provided time to begin new ones. As literacy mentors soon to finish EDU 591, we can help embed more literacy instruction in our facility with Integration Day, and to start providing more consistent and powerful instruction in comprehension for all our students.

Keeping students on a path to graduation

2011-04-08T09:25:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year and we are all - teachers and students alike - looking back and considering what we could have done differently. Here is a great report provided by eSchool.

Keeping students on a path to graduation

"College-ready" and "career-ready" are major buzzwords in the educational field these days, as President Obama's push to increase graduation rates gains traction. Educators have spent a great deal of time and energy deciphering what it means to make students college- and career-ready--but a significant portion of the conversation has focused on finding ways to keep kids in school in the first place.
Early intervention and credit recovery programs can pave the way for students to remain on the road to graduation, and a growing number of school systems are turning to online options for delivering these services.
"My members have been having conversations about the fact that, before we can talk about kids being college- and career-ready, we have to reduce dropout rates [and] increase our graduation rates," says Brenda Welburn, executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education. "Many kids don't find school relevant, especially as they get older."
The challenge, she says, is not just to give lip service to the need for relevance, but to make the connection real for today's learners between the outside world and that of school.
Find out more about keeping students on a path to graduation. Visit our special report available for FREE now at: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/02/22/esn-special-report-keeping-students-on-a-path-to-graduation/
Best regards,
-- The Editors of eSchool News

Ben Licciardi Comments on the Blog, Failing Schools

2011-03-26T19:45:00.000-04:00

Licciardi reviews this blog on failing schools. Take a look and see if you want to add anything. This blog has begun a dynamic conversation on failing schools. Bloggers are learning from one another.

So much of the conversation surrounding struggling schools often ends in finger-pointing and frustration, with the public wondering why students aren't succeeding and teachers feeling attacked despite their hard work and dedication. It's exactly this adversarial dynamic that inspired the bloggers of Failing Schools to start chronicling their experiences in underachieving districts.

A Must See for Free - Meshing the Common Core

2011-03-17T18:25:00.000-04:00

Common Core Standards Call for Uncommon Shifts in Practices

Date: Thursday, April 14, 2011
Time: 2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT
Duration: 1 hour
Sponsor: SunGard K-12 Education

We are continuously challenged to meet the demands of the 21st century. After many years of putting research into action, we finally have a national set of standards that is far reaching and will help us to provide rigorous curriculum, instruction and assessment. Most districts have already been aligning their curriculum to their own state standards. The Common Core will have implications for the work that has already been accomplished. This webinar will provide some insights into what is new in the Common Core and how to build on what has already been done in your district.
After attending this workshop you will be able to:

		"Unpack" the common core for its key elements
		Develop a process for making system adjustments to curriculum maps
		Consider the implications for developing performance based assessments
		Facilitate conversations among teachers in Professional Learning Communities
		Build Collaborative Strategies for Success

REGISTER NOW!

Free Webinar - Register Now. Space is Limited!

Webinar Speakers:

Bena Kallick, Ph.D. Education Consultant
Dr. Bonnie Troxell Director, Berks County Intermediate Unit 14, Berks County, PA

	Sponsored by:


	Powered by:

Resources for Lessons on Japan's Recent Earthquake - Courtesy of ASCD Smart Brief

2011-03-14T19:12:00.002-04:00

Tips for planning a lesson on the earthquake in Japan
A New York Times blogger offers resources and lesson plans for teaching students about Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The author has compiled past New York Times resources on tsunamis and earthquakes, along with links to Internet resources on the topics and information about Japanese history and culture. A separate post has a list of questions that can be used in discussions about the tragedy. NYTimes.com/The Learning Network blog (3/11), NYTimes.com/The Learning Network blog (3/14)

Where to find resources to help students process the devastation in Japan: Following major crises, such as last week's earthquake and tsunami in Japan, students will inevitably have questions or need help processing the events, says educator Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben. In this blog, she offers several free Internet resources to help guide lesson planning and answer students' questions. Yahoo! (3/13)

A note on helping relief efforts in Japan, from Rick Stamberger, CEO of SmartBrief: If you or your company, organization or group want to help the Japanese people recover from last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami but aren't sure how to do so, InterAction provides options. An alliance of U.S.-based international nongovernmental aid organizations, InterAction has compiled a list of groups that are accepting private, corporate and group donations, along with some guidelines for the most appropriate ways to help. Learn more.

Cancellation!

2011-03-10T17:30:00.002-05:00

The webinar scheduled for March 17 will be rescheduled.

Please check this blog for an update.

Thanks

Common Core Standards

2011-03-09T13:41:00.000-05:00

An excellent article, courtesy of e-school news.

The article includes links for further information on the common core.

A call for curricular support as Common Core standards take hold
A diverse group of educators and stakeholders is calling for clear curricular guidance to complement the new Common Core State Standards that most states have adopted, including examples of curriculum strategies that educators can use [ Read More ]

Guided Inquiry Unit - Librarian and Teachers:) Archived

2011-03-05T20:41:00.002-05:00

If you are looking for a model that is built on inquiry, technology, and collaborative reasoning, this is the webinar you should watch.

The link to the archived webinar is: http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/p59436769/

The webinar is an hour in length. Be sure to watch it with a pencil and paper in order to take lots of notes.

The presenters have posted their e-mails with an invitation for viewers to call with any questions they have.

Enjoy:)

Guided Inquiry Unit - Librarian and Teachers:)

2011-02-21T15:07:00.003-05:00

Guided inquiry, as Carol Collier Kuhlthau envisions it, is a model based on collaboration between the classroom teacher and the librarian. Sadly, many schools in Maine no longer have full time librarians. Rumford Elementary does, Eileen Broderick. Eileen collaborates with teachers using the guided inquiry model Kuhlthau proposed.

During this one hour webinar, Eileen and her team mate, Denise Richard, will review a unit on animals they have co-taught. The presentation is teacher friendly. Viewers will be amazed by the level of thinking these students demonstrate.

Please join us on March 3, 2011 - 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Topic: A librarian and elementary (4th) classroom teacher present a guided inquiry unit (science)
            on animals.

Presenters: Eileen Broderick, librarian
                     Denise Richard, classroom teacher

To take part in the webinar click on this link: http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/bp2011/

Those using a telephone with a direct-dial phone number, should accept this option, enter their phone number, and the conference room will call them right back.

· Dial-in 1-866-910-4857

· Password 985399

Detailed instructions on joining the meeting can be found online at http://www.maine.gov/education/lsalt/paap/materialstools/documents/PK20-2_login_instructions.pdf.

Marazano Research Updates - Delivered to Your E-mail!

2011-02-19T20:44:00.000-05:00

Get the latest news and research from Marzano Research Laboratory!
Click here to view in a browser.

marzanoresearch.com
888.849.0851


	The following tips are from Vocabulary Games for the Classroom By Lindsay Carleton and Robert J. Marzano

	Ideally, after each game is played, students should review the terms in their vocabulary notebooks that were addressed in the games. Read More
	The purpose of Vocabulary Games for the Classroom is to provide all K-12 teachers with a wide variety of games to build both academic and general vocabulary in their classrooms. Read More
	Only teachers know their class well enough to decide how much competition is appropriate. Read More
	View all tips and reproducibles

Free Webinar! The Highly Engaged Classroom Webinar
		Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 3:30-4:30 p.m. EST Hosted by Marzano Research Laboratory Presented by Robert J. Marzano

FINALLY - Safe Access to You Tube:)

2011-02-18T09:50:00.000-05:00

Many of us are looking for ways to engage, excite, extend our learning. These quick videos may be one answer. Enjoy!

Article is Courtesy of e-School

February 16th, 2011

New site allows for safe YouTube viewing

Many schools block access to YouTube on their networks, which can be frustrating for teachers who want to use YouTube at school. There’s a lot of great educational content on YouTube, but many teachers and students never have the chance to access it due to inappropriate material on the site, which ranges from racy images to offensive comments that might sully an otherwise perfectly good video clip. Now, a new service from internet security company M86 Security aims to solve this problem. Called VuSafe, it’s a free website that lets educators search for relevant video content from YouTube and other sources, add video clips from these sources to an online library, and then share these clips with their students—without the inappropriate ads, comments, or outside links that might accompany them. http://www.m86vusafe.com/

Guided Inquiry Unit - First in the Webinar Series! - Don't Miss It!

2011-02-14T19:59:00.000-05:00

Date: February 17, 2011
Time: 3:00-4:00 PM

Topic: A team of middle school and high school teachers present a guided inquiry unit on the history of Livermore Falls.

Presenters: Wendy Moreau, Special Education Director,
                     Jenna Cote, high school teacher
Eric Kobischen, middle school teacher

To take part in the webinar click on this link: http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/bp2011-1/

Audio access to the meetings will be conducted via phone bridge. To help participants connect by phone, a box will appear asking for their phone number so the Connect conference room can call them back.

Those using a telephone with a direct-dial phone number, should accept this option, enter their phone number, and the conference room will call them right back.

· Dial-in 1-866-910-4857

· Password 985399

Detailed instructions on joining the meeting can be found online at http://www.maine.gov/education/lsalt/paap/materialstools/documents/PK20-2_login_instructions.pdf.

Webinar Series on Guided Inquiry

2011-02-06T10:41:00.001-05:00

"Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important." Bill Gates

Now truer words were spoken. International studies are touting the importance of "blended learning" - a combination of technology use and excellent teaching.

As part of the Title 11 Literacy and Technology pilot we have explored these connections over the last 3 years. We are pleased to be able to offer you the opportunity to share excellent guided inquiry units - blended learning at its best - with the master teachers who created them. Here is the schedule.

All webinars will be conducted from: 3:00-4:00 EST.

Webinars will be archived after the presentations and will be available on the DOE website.

Date: February 17, 2011

Topic: A team of middle school and high school teachers present a guided inquiry unit on
              the history of Livermore Falls.

Presenters: Wendy Moreau, Special Education Director,
                     Jenna Cote, high school teacher
Eric Kobischen, middle school teacher

To take part in the webinar click on this link: http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/bp2011-1/
and then follow the directions below.*

Date: March 3, 2011

Topic: A librarian and elementary (4th) classroom teacher present a guided inquiry unit (science)
            on animals.

Presenters: Eileen Broderick, librarian
                     Denise Richard, classroom teacher

To take part in the webinar click on this link: http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/bp2011/

and then follow the directions below.*

Date: March 17, 2011

Topic: A team of inter-disciplinary high school teachers will share the logistics and
            technology involved when working on a school wide basis.

Presenters: Hattie DeRaps, Alternative Education
                     Jake Bogar, Physics and Engineering
                     Lisa Dalrymple, Foreign Language Department Head

To take part in the webinar click on this link: http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/bp2011-3/
and then follow the directions below.*

Those using a telephone with a direct-dial phone number, should accept this option, enter their phone number, and the conference room will call them right back.

· Dial-in 1-866-910-4857

· Password 985399

Detailed instructions on joining the meeting can be found online at http://www.maine.gov/education/lsalt/paap/materialstools/documents/PK20-2_login_instructions.pdf.

More to come in March and April. We hope you will join us:)

Mt. Blue Moves Ahead with the Literacy Initiative!

2011-02-04T19:14:00.000-05:00

I have spent the last two days coaching the third cohort of teachers at Mt. Blue High School and - as always - been impressed with the teaching I observed. After 3 years, literacy is woven into the curriculum.

Economics - Robert C. presented a lesson focusing on predicting and summarizing information dealing with supply and demand. Students jigsawed based on their interest in answering questions regarding the elements impacting their daily lives and how they make choices to consume products. Students were highly engaged as they debriefed and discussed their findings.

English - Alicia W. assisted students as they prepared for their common assessment. Students learned to use Cornell notes as they researched information in preparation for writing a persuasive nonfiction paper. Using the GIST in conjunction with the note taking, the teacher conferenced with students individually focusing on the difference between note taking and summarizing - one that often poses challenges to students.

Foreign Language (Spanish) - Lisa D. had her Spanish class create digital flash cards* in teams and then debrief with the entire class. Students selected their vocabulary based on their reading in the Spanish version of The Curse of the Shrunken Head. Students are highly engaged and moving ahead quickly as they become immersed in the books they are reading! Language acquisition at its best!

English - John L. supported students as they explored resources for their common assessment. Their task was to choose an event or invention that had changed the world. Deciding on a topic and whether it is too narrow or too broad is a challenge. John modeled several examples and then supported students as they collaborated with him on other topics - examining the scope of the topics proposed.

Science - Therese H. reviewed with students supporting them with the information she has created on her wiki. After reviewing, Protista, students broke into groups and researched definitions for the key concept assigned to their group. During the debriefing, the students created a word wall displaying the categories by sorting their key concepts according to characteristics.

English - Debbie M. supported students studying Hamlet jigsawed students by assigning each one a character. Next they created a character map recording the relationship among all of the characters in the play. Finally, each character wrote a letter to Hamlet, stating their position and asking him questions. These multiple perspectives assist students when inferring universal themes.

Special Education - Karen C. introduced a new strategy to her students to focus their thinking on interpreting the book, I am the Messenger. Guiding the students through REAP, Karen had them identify the main idea, write down observations, ponder the situation, and predict what would come next. The students became engaged in a discussion during the prediction segment, demonstrating their ability to argue their points of view and support them with the text!

Kudos to the staff at Mt. Blue High School! Your students are lucky to have such dedicated teachers:)

If education were a business..

2011-01-24T14:07:00.002-05:00

I am posting this article on most of my blogs. I think it is the heart of the debate in education right now and may soon be the approach in schools across the country - Maine included. Take a few minutes and read it through. Please leave a comment on this blog. Here is your chance to have your voice heard!

Courtesy of eSchool nNews.

Laura Devaney, Managing Editor of eSchool News writes: "Supporters say that taxpayers have a right to know if their tax dollars are producing strong achievement outcomes, while critics say all schools are different and have different variables, therefore making it unfair to judge school success by a business rubric.
Have you read the study? What's your reaction? What do you think - is this a viable way to evaluate schools, or is the study off base?"

If education were a business…
A controversial new study published by the Center for American Progress analyzes K-12 school districts based on their productivity: the academic achievement a district produces relative to its education spending. ... [ Read More ]

How student feedback can improve teaching and learning

2011-01-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

An interesting new approach - but doable! Creating a lens for students and teachers alike! English teacher and author Larry Ferlazzo allowed his students to take part in a professional-development session in which his videotaped lessons were observed and critiqued by an instructional consultant familiar with his school. Ferlazzo gained valuable insight by allowing students to offer comments about his teaching; students gained a new perspective on their responsibility for learning by observing their participation in classroom work. Teacher Magazine (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (1/12)

The Role of Engagement in Academic Rigor

2011-01-10T12:49:00.002-05:00

On January 5, 2011 cohort 3 from the Mt. Blue High School met to discuss the relationship between engagement and rigor.

As we discussed the activities that increase engagement, we explored the relationship between rigor and engagement.

Depth of Knowledge is about intended outcome, not difficulty of content.

Depth of Knowledge is a reference to the complexity of mental processing that must occur to answer a question, perform a task, or generate a product.

Dr. Valerie Dickerson created the following graphic to explain the relationship.

While we discussed how to implement activities to increase engagement in any classroom , we also recognized the necessity for teachers to establish and adhere to specific protocols for students' interactions - including a time frame.

Cohort 1, 2, and 3 have all made an effort to coordinate these efforts to facilitate their students' learning. This format dovetailed nicely with the work we have done on meta-cognition.

Please note the student's ability to explain his/her reasoning and logical thinking places the processing in the advanced stage. Meta-cognition raises the rigor of the processing significantly.

Technology is an obvious avenue for increasing student engagement. John L. and Alicia D. provided us with impromptu training at our request.

Thanks to all for a great day:) The synergy was incredible.

Website for School Leaders Using Data to Improve Instruction!

2010-12-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

CURRENT SITE OF THE WEEK - Courtesy of eschool

New website helps school leaders use data to improve instruction
The Center for Public Education has launched a new website, Data-first.org, designed to help school leaders use data and research to improve student learning and school effectiveness. "School board members and others need solid evidence and facts in order to make tough decisions," said Patte Barth, the center's director. [ Read More ]

Learning Strategies - Are we meeting every child's needs?

2010-12-08T12:07:00.000-05:00

During the 21st century our medical research lead us as a culture to focus on a new understanding of the brain - physiologically. In other words, we now had to take a hard look at truths revealed through science about how learning occurs. Howard Gardner's work was pivotal in this area when he identified 7 intelligences (8 now) and scrutinized how this information should impact our classrooms. His perspective was based on a global view of cultures - rather than a national one. This lead to the identification of several essential truths about learning.

Here is a summary of the U.S. implementation, taken from Education World.

"When asked how educators should implement the theory of multiple intelligences, Gardner says, '(I)t's very important that a teacher take individual differences among kids very seriously … The bottom line is a deep interest in children and how their minds are different from one another, and in helping them use their minds well.'
An awareness of multiple-intelligence theory has stimulated teachers to find more ways of helping all students in their classes. Some schools do this by adapting curriculum. In "Variations on a Theme: How Teachers Interpret MI Theory," (Educational Leadership, September 1997), Linda Campbell describes five approaches to curriculum change:

Lesson design. Some schools focus on lesson design. This might involve team teaching ("teachers focusing on their own intelligence strengths"), using all or several of the intelligences in their lessons, or asking student opinions about the best way to teach and learn certain topics.
Interdisciplinary units. Secondary schools often include interdisciplinary units.
Student projects. Students can learn to "initiate and manage complex projects" when they are creating student projects.
Assessments. Assessments are devised which allow students to show what they have learned. Sometimes this takes the form of allowing each student to devise the way he or she will be assessed, while meeting the teacher's criteria for quality.
Apprenticeships. Apprenticeships can allow students to "gain mastery of a valued skill gradually, with effort and discipline over time." Gardner feels that apprenticeships "…should take up about one-third of a student's schooling experience."

With an understanding of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, teachers, school administrators, and parents can better understand the learners in their midst. They can allow students to safely explore and learn in many ways, and they can help students direct their own learning. Adults can help students understand and appreciate their strengths, and identify real-world activities that will stimulate more learning."

Author: Anne Guigon

One of the challenges we need as educators to address is a balance of opportunities for all children to learn. This is often difficult for two reasons:

we teach the way we learn or have been taught
we don't know what type of intelligence we possess and don't recognize the students' learning styles as separate from ourselves.

Here is a link - Multiple Intelligences - that will allow you to take a quick online assessment that will identify your learning style. I suggest you take a few minutes to log in and complete the survey and then reflect on the mode of learning you teach to in your classroom.

Could it be students fail because they can not process and comprehend the information/process we teach them due to their learning styles?

I a time of assessment, assessment, assessment, this is a question that needs to be asked.

For further information on Howard Gardner go to: Concept to Classroom

Educators question whether they should comply with NCLB

2010-11-29T20:32:00.000-05:00

Following is an article courtesy of ASCD. It is interesting to read. Many teachers have felt this way. Please read and share your thoughts.

Educators question whether they should comply with NCLB
Despite a requirement in the No Child Left Behind federal law that all students test at or above grade level in reading and math by 2014, more educators believe that 100% proficiency is unreachable. NCLB's rigid benchmarks and lack of flexibility make some educators wonder whether the law is losing its relevancy. Billings Gazette (Mont.) (11/28)

ASCD shares resources on the Common Core State Standards

2010-11-11T20:37:00.000-05:00

Communication to teachers regarding common core and the process involved in adopting it has been minimum at best. ASCD has organized information and made it available to everyone. This resource will be updated on a regular basis.

Take a look and follow the implementation.

ASCD has developed an online resource page intended to keep educators abreast of the latest common-core developments. A prominently featured map tracks state-by-state adoption of the standards. Additional resources include links to existing ASCD information on instruction, curriculum and assessment, and a PDF backgrounder on the initiative. The backgrounder explains why the standards were developed, implementation steps states adopting the common core will have to take and issues to further consider. The page will be updated as new information becomes available. Access now.

Webinars on Common Core for Maine Teachers

2010-10-30T10:41:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday, November 3, Lee Anne Larsen, Literacy Specialist, and I
will present a webinar to review material presented during the recent
Common Core State Standards Introduction workshop. The purpose is to
walk through what is available on our website, review suggestions for
how to approach the CCSS work this year, and share strategies for
getting started with this work - what to do and what not to do!

The webinar begins at 3:00 and will not last more than an hour. It will
include a time for questions (and answers if they are available).

Nov 3 - Introduction: [ http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/ccssy1/
]http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/ccssy1/

On Wednesday, December 7, we will present a webinar about the contents
of the CCSS bibliographies, resources which should be mined for their
timely information. This will also begin at 3:00 and will last less
than an hour.

Dec 7 - Bibliographies: [ http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/ccssy2/
]http://stateofmaine.na4.acrobat.com/ccssy2/

You do not need to register for these webinars. Just click on the link
above shortly before the start time.

Thank you.

Patsy Dunton

English Language Arts Specialist

Midcoast Regional Representative

Maine Department of Education

Narrowing the Achievement Gap in Schools - Great Reads!

2010-10-12T21:54:00.000-04:00

Address the Achievement Gap
at Your School

Take a look at the books by Jensen and Marazano. They might make great book study groups:)

PRE-RELEASE SAVINGS

SAVE 20% NOW

A forthcoming new ASCD book Raising Black Students' Achievement through Culturally Responsive Teaching by Johnnie McKinley.

This new book, due out in early November, describes a whole-school plan for raising the achievement of black students. Drawing from her work with teachers and school leaders who have narrowed achievement gaps in their schools, Johnnie McKinley lays out the instructional, management, and assessment strategies that make you far more effective at educating these chronically underserved students. As McKinley takes you through the steps of creating a teacher team and instructional walkthroughs, she imparts essential principles of culturally responsive teaching.

Or check out these best-sellers available at regular member low prices:

Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do About It by Eric Jensen

Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and in Life by Baruti K. Kafele

Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement: Research on What Works in Schools by Robert J. Marzano

A New Series on Educating our Children for a Globalized World - September 26th

2010-09-25T01:44:00.000-04:00

Educating our children for a globalized world

People to People Ambassador Programs joins NBC to enhance American education

People to People Ambassador
Programs is proud to be a sponsor of NBC News Education Nation, a nationally broadcast, in-depth conversation about improving education in America. We join partners like Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to explore how American schools can best prepare students to compete in a globalized world.

This event is bringing together leaders in the educational world—including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President of MIT Susan Hockfield—to share solutions and strategies. NBC News will provide coverage throughout the week of September 26 to empower Americans in all fields to work toward a quality education for the coming generations.

Why we’re involved
If we want to provide students with a competitive edge in a global economy, we must first give them some insights into that wider world. Because international education and awareness are at the heart of People to People Ambassador Programs, this summit “offers a great opportunity for us to contribute our own expertise as a global educator,” says President Peg Thomas.

Thomas believes that past Ambassadors provide some of the best arguments for the value of education. “Our students gain firsthand insights into what life is like for the students they meet in China, in Germany—all over the world. I think they come home inspired to challenge themselves academically.”

2010’s National Teacher of the Year, Sarah Brown Wessling, agrees: “I can expose students through literature to new cultures, religions, and many different things, but there’s something unique about the actual experience. It provides a new blueprint for thinking and opens [students’] eyes to the world.”

About the summit
The Education Nation event kicks off with a Teacher Town Hall*, hosted by NBC News anchor Brian Williams, airing live on MSNBC this Sunday, September 26, at 12 p.m. EDT. The summit continues through the week, featuring:

An address by Gen. Colin Powell, founding chairman of America’s Promise Alliance.
A series of exhibits at Rockefeller Plaza introducing the public to the lifelong effects of education and the innovations available to future generations.
Twelve specialized summits on important issues such as technology, teacher training, and workforce readiness. Dr. David Livermore, a cultural intelligence expert who has been working closely with People to People Ambassadors, has been invited to participate in the Study Abroad summit.

What you can do
Please join us in this vital effort. First, tune in to NBC broadcasts throughout the coming week to inform yourself about developments in education for the 21st century. Then, determine where you can make a difference, whether it’s volunteering in your local public school or championing changes to policies and standards.

However you choose to take part, your contribution will have lasting effects. For Thomas, “working together in this arena not only enhances the future for your child and mine, but for our world.”

*Educators, take note: You have the opportunity to lend your own influence to this important conversation. Whether you are a delegation leader or a friend of People to People, we encourage you to log in to the Teacher Town Hall on Sunday by registering here.

Teaching Similes, Synonyms, Homophones, and Metaphors

2010-09-18T01:33:00.000-04:00

Here is a article with texts - picture books - for teaching similes, synonyms, homophones, and metaphors. This is applicable to all ages and helps students visualize. This is shared through the courtesy of Choice Literacy.

Can teaching similes, synonyms, homophones and metaphors be fun? It sure can if you know the right children's books to use as mentor texts. Franki Sibberson shares her favorites for language study and word work in a new booklist:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1264.cfm

Re-organizing for Success

2010-09-17T08:21:00.000-04:00

Here is a model for helping all students achieve to their fullest potential, courtesy of ASCD Smart Brief.

High-poverty Texas school finds formula for success
More than 90% of students at the high-poverty John Haley Elementary School in Irving, Texas, achieved proficiency on state tests and earned their school an "exemplary" rating. School principal Robyn Bowling -- who has been at the school for 15 years -- credits parent-education programs, after-school activities and hard work by teachers as factors responsible for the success of the students, the majority of whom are economically disadvantaged and English-language learners. The Dallas Morning News

Literacy Resources for Teachers!

2010-09-14T23:08:00.002-04:00

Here are some resources for school start up, courtesy of IRA.

Sign up for FREE Webinars on Comprehension: IRA is bringing great professional development to your desktop this fall with free, interactive webinars on comprehension. The first program, The Foundational Roles of Vocabulary and Comprehension in Early Literacy, will be hosted September 30 from 8:00–9:00 p.m. Eastern time by Lesley Morrow (right) and Billie Enz, nationally known experts on early learning. Morrow is the editor of IRA’s Preschool Literacy Collection; she and Enz coauthored the book Assessing Preschool Literacy Development: Informal and Formal Measures to Guide Instruction. Click here to learn more about the webinar and to register. Registration is limited to 100 people, so sign up today. Coming up later this fall: Doug Fisher and Diane Lapp on comprehension and teacher modeling, and Lori Oczkus on reciprocal teaching. Details to come.

Thinkfinity Releases Back to School Mini-site: Verizon Thinkfinity's new Back to School mini-site is packed with resources to help educators set the tone for a successful school year: tools to support innovative uses of technology by students, cross-curricular lessons and activities, resources to help build community in the classroom, professional development opportunities and materials, and information on staying connected through the Thinkfinity Community. Check out all these and other free resources on the Verizon Thinkfinity website. IRA is one of the content partners for Verizon Thinkfinity, partnering with the National Council of Teachers of English on the popular ReadWriteThink.org website, which offers language arts lesson plans and other resources for K-12 educators.

Advancing Students - Some Questions Raised by a National Study

2010-08-16T13:57:00.000-04:00

In this country we are presently faced with a dilemma. We are eager to have our students prepared to compete at the college level, but more and more students are coming in with low basic skills. Recently, the Hechinger Report, a national study, raised some important questions we need to address - especially with reduced school budgets.

The main question they pose deals with their key findings:

"But with high expectations come stumbling blocks. One important lesson that early-college programs have learned is that some students who are short on basic skills or maturity simply aren’t ready for college courses."

This report thoroughly and objectively looks at our practices and examines what best prepares students for success in college. I strongly urge all teachers to take a look at this - especially high school and middle school - and think about how it effects your students.

Differentiation - Lexiles in the Classroom and Summer School

2010-07-12T13:47:00.001-04:00

My last post on July 5, 2010, dealt with collaboration in effective schools. Recently, when I visited Winthrop Elementary school I observed collaboration at its best for students.

I stopped to visit Bill Giasson, a third grade teacher. He is working with students in summer school as well as working in his classroom throughout the summer - preping for his incoming class. Bill does this every year - focusing on his students' needs and tracking down info. He realizes how crucial literacy is for his students and has been thinking about how to support his students' literacy acquisition.

This year, he has decided to organize his classroom library according to lexiles - taken from the NWEA. He has labeled his totes and organized his books accordingly. He has arranged the lexiles with an overlap on each end so students don't slot themselves as 200's or 600's. Further, he has separated and labeled the fiction and nonfiction. Third grade embeds nonfiction in its curriculum so students need extra support in this area.

This organization allows students to practice at an appropriate levels and assures growth.

This process can be easily applied in all grades where student lexiles are available.

The title 1 program uses the DRA and appropriate guided reading levels. This is coordinated through the co-relation chart that follows.

Holly Lachance, title 1 coordinator, has organized the book room for K-5 staff in Winthrop and provides them with this co-relation chart, enabling them to use all of the measures provided by assessments used in the school system.

A perfect example of the power of collaboration.

For further information on Lexiles, go to:

http://www.lexile.com/findabook/

This approach to differentiation can be used effectively at all grade levels - and used to support our most challenged readers. Practicing on the appropriate level of reading assures growth. Best practices work!

Literacy Strategies in Real Classrooms

3 steps for creating a digital textbook

Common Core is Wedding Literacy to ALL Content Areas. Here is an example.

Designing high quality project-based learning

10 years later: Has No Child Left Behind improved education? Courtesy of ASCD

Digital literacy in the classroom

How digital content helps teachers customize textbooks

Reinvent the High School Courtesy of E-School News! Great article.

NEA commission makes recommendations on effective teaching

Why teachers should determine which students work together

Looking into project-based learning

Training camp

SAT Score Dilemma

American Educator, Winter 2010-11, Vol. 34, No. 4, AFT

Increasing Student Understanding

How to educate young students about digital citizenship

Impementing Nonfiction in the Classroom

High school uses homeroom for academic planning, courtesy of ASCD Smart Brief

Ten skills every student should learn - Courtesy of eSchoolNews

Ten skills every student should learn

Resourcefulness, accountability, critical thinking, and communicating effectively—and with respect—were among the key skills cited by readers as most important

Technology News for Today's K-20 EducatorJoin the conversatio

High School Graduates not College Ready!

Time to Re-think what we are doing?

New Blog from BPI!

Common Core Information!

Another great resource from eSchoolNews

Program aims to boost student literacy with comic books

Marazano's 21st Century Skills.

Webinar on August 10, 2011 - Courtesy of eSchool News

PBS LearningMedia offers 14,000-plus free teaching resources

Productive Group Work based on Collaboration.

Foldables!

Data reveals gaps in educational opportunities for U.S. students

Annual Report on Maine Literacy and Technology Pilot

Annual Report on Maine Literacy and Technology Pilot - Committee - Part 1

Themes:

Collaboration Rubric:

Cultural Literacy Rubric:

Globalization Rubric:

Definitions:

How to use data analysis to improve classroom instruction

Reading Blog for Summer Reading!

Webinar Archived

The Link Between Technology Integration and Reading Comprehension- Lessons in a First Grade Classroom has been archived at:

http://stateofmaine.adobeconnect.com/p29k8imwvhf/

Enjoy!

Thanks, Alison.

The Link Between Technology Integration and Reading Comprehension- Lessons in a First Grade Classroom

Literacy Across the Curriculum

Latest Research from John Hopkins

Literacy throughout the disciplines, to include the World Language Classroom

Literacy and Common Core

Ground Breaking New Research on Reading and Its Connection to Brain Development. A Must Read!

Reading boosts brain pathways, affects multiple disciplines

Pathways within the brain can be strengthened by reading and language exposure, researchers say

Reflections on Literacy Work at LFHS by Michelle Brann, Literacy Team Chair

Should literacy instruction continue beyond elementary school?

Free to Read: A Free Voluntary Reading Program at Livermore Falls High School

“Integration Day”: Creating and Implementing an Opportunity for Literacy-Based Integrated Teaching by Robert Condon, Deborah Muise, Lisa Dalrymple, Therese Hersey, Karen Cyr, John Logan

Keeping students on a path to graduation

Ben Licciardi Comments on the Blog, Failing Schools

A Must See for Free - Meshing the Common Core

Free Webinar - Register Now. Space is Limited!

Resources for Lessons on Japan's Recent Earthquake - Courtesy of ASCD Smart Brief

Cancellation!

Common Core Standards

Guided Inquiry Unit - Librarian and Teachers:) Archived

Guided Inquiry Unit - Librarian and Teachers:)

Marazano Research Updates - Delivered to Your E-mail!

FINALLY - Safe Access to You Tube:)

New site allows for safe YouTube viewing

Technology News for Today's K-20 Educator

eSchool News Live

Guided Inquiry Unit - First in the Webinar Series! - Don't Miss It!

Webinar Series on Guided Inquiry

Mt. Blue Moves Ahead with the Literacy Initiative!

If education were a business..

How student feedback can improve teaching and learning

The Role of Engagement in Academic Rigor