This really can't be happening. There is no way that it is already December 19th. Hopefully UPS delivers my last-minute purchases this week! I won't admit how much shopping I actually did for myself. That's between me and Amazon, and Kohl's, and Very Bradley.... December has been packed! Curriculum Review Teams, Literacy Professional Learning, and Math Recovery meetings, just to name a few. I know you teachers feel it even more than I do! You all are the equivalent of Super Heroes this month! I am eternally grateful for all you do for the children in your care. Just a few more days of crazy before you can take a minute to relax! We had fantastic meetings with second and first grade teachers. I heard you loud and clear: you want writing! I am working on it, I promise! We will spend a good chunk of our third meeting together talking about writing. Writing is something I began to embrace last year when I heard your frustration surrounding instruction, ideas, and handwriting. This is what I have to offer right now. Slow down. It's okay. Work together on writing pieces. You don't have to correct every little thing, you'll drive yourself mad, and children will just see their myriad of mistakes. Change your audience. Let kids choose what they want to write about and who they want that writing to go to. Follow through. Here's where some of you will disagree with me: ease up on the handwriting practice! Research supports 10-15 minutes of practice a day, broken up into several smaller chunks. Let some things go. Does is really matter if they go top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top if it's legible? Most students in first grade and up have developed letter writing habits that will be difficult to change. Choose your battles. Work on handwriting in authentic writing experiences. There is one first grade teacher I know who completely gave up the handwriting worksheets and things are moving along better than when she depended on them for practice! Here's an article you might find helpful. It discusses the cursive debate: I finally found the Holy Grail, a research-informed article on handwriting. I will share at our upcoming grade level meetings, but I'll give you all a preview with one statement: "Wherever readability is important, (highway signs, newspapers, novels, newspapers, television) manuscript letters are used." I'll just leave that right there.
We have one more semester left; five more months with the little ones left in our care. Take the break you all deserve. Binge watch Downton Abbey or The Defiant Ones (the choice of my best friend). I'll be here when you hit the ground running in January. I'm looking forward to more curriculum review teams, grade level literacy professional learning, and AVMR Course 2! Merry Christmas to all! I'm not sure what happened, but the last two months have been a complete blur! My calendar has been packed with Literacy Professional Learning, Math Recovery, Curriculum Review Teams, and working on campuses. I absolutely love working with teachers, but I need a break! Luckily, Thanksgiving is just a few days away. So, I'll tell you that I am thankful for all the schools and teachers who have been open to new ideas, who have tried and succeeded or tried and failed, who have loved on kids while trying to meet their needs and the needs of parents, administrators, and everyone else. I am thankful for the teachers who are taking care of my own kiddos. What you do every day is so important. Thank you for letting me be a small piece of all the work you do every day. Because I am so thankful for you, I am going to share something with you that I recently shared at the Math Curriculum Review Professional Development: The button above links a presentation I put together on People to Follow in Math Education. You're welcome. Seriously though, websites are linked on each slide that you may find useful. Robert Kaplinsky is a favorite! Three Act Math Tasks, Numberless Word Problems, What do you notice? What do you wonder? quesions, number sense, free curriculum: you name it, it's on there.
Now the challenge is to do the same for other subjects! YIKES!! I'll try, but I don't think I can do better than this gold mine right here! Where did the summer go? Forget that. Where has 2017 gone? I can't believe it's September already. I'm in denial.
BUT...I am so excited to get back to work this year! I spent most of the summer reflecting on my work last year. I really felt like a first-year teacher and I have a list a mile long of things I want to do differently this year. I have some really fantastic professional learning opportunities planned and I can't wait to get back into schools and classrooms and help you all teach our kids! I attended our annual Literacy Coaches Conference last month in Traverse City. It's always great to be in a room with 100+ like-minded people, excited about the latest research in literacy education. Several things that were said changed my own thinking about literacy, and I can't wait to share those things with you over the course of this year. I am going to start out negative, though. Sorry. Like most states, we have an assessment that our students take. Ours is the MSTEP. I think you've heard of it. I'll be the first to admit that it is heavily flawed. I don't think this is the best way to see what students know or what they've learned, BUT this is state-wide data, and we do need to use it to see where we are, and where we can improve so that our kids are successful. On the third grade reading test, 58,303 students were not advanced or proficient. Fifty-eight thousand, three hundred three. That number represents 54% of the third grade students in Michigan. This number tells us that something has to change, and it has to change now. We don't have time for baby steps anymore. We are messing with kids! They get one year in each grade, that's it. We get them for about 13 years, and what they learn from us will impact the rest of their lives. That's perspective. What do we do? How do we help these kids? Well, first, we look at research. This might be different than how you were taught when you were in school. This might go against what you learned in college. This might not necessarily come from someone you like. This research might go against what you thought was best practice. Don't ignore it! For example, I was trained in Guided Reading over fifteen years ago. This training focused on assessing kids and grouping them based on their instructional level. Sound familiar? That's what I've been telling teachers ever since! Group by level! Well, not anymore! Mind blown? Yeah, mine too, but when I read the research and thought about the impact on kids, it all made perfect sense. Are you ready for my guided reading instruction bomb? Group by NEED, not necessarily by LEVEL. Do what?? That's what I said! Think about it. Students can be on the same level for very different reasons, and when we look at the reason, we can meet the underlying need so much faster! I promise! We will talk more about Needs-based grouping at our grade-level meetings this year. If you just can't handle it and you have to know now, email me and we will talk! We have a state of emergency here for our kids. We have to make big moves to ensure our students get the best we have to offer. I'm here to help. Kids are counting on us, and you know what? We Got This. Stacy I have TRIED to complete one blog entry each month, but May was just insane! I finished my first (and probably only) half marathon and attended a Literacy Coaching Intensive in Saline, MI. I'll tell you, getting on a plane just hours after running 13.1 miles isn't recommended! I was able to be a part of a training with Dr. Nell Duke from Michigan State last week, and what she shared with us resonated with me. She said that when new medical research comes across a physician's desk - say a new way to treat cancer - that research isn't questioned, but put into practice quickly since it could save a life. I am thankful for those medical researchers who are finding better ways to treat a myriad of ailments every day! On the other hand, a new piece of research, say on effective literacy practices, comes across an educator's desk, some disregard it because it doesn't fit with "what we've always done". Does this make sense to you? I like to think that I am a teacher who is also a lifelong learner, one who likes to try new things and be a leader for change, but I've done this exact thing! Here's the question, if there is overwhelming research that doesn't support my beliefs, who is wrong? It's me. I remember learning the five paragraph essay format when I was in elementary school. We started each essay with, "I am going to tell you about..." and closed it with, "I just told you about..." Did anyone else learn this or teach this format? At the time, it's what we did, but now this is an archaic way of teaching writing! We have research that supports that we have work to do in all content areas. We have research that supports how important it is for students to have science and social studies in order to build their world knowledge. We have research that supports differentiating for the needs of each student through small group instruction. We have research that supports that timed tests in math cause extreme anxiety and decreased motivation. Next year, we are going to dive into research around Writing, Vocabulary and Small Group Instruction. I challenge you to be open to new ideas, to seek out the latest research, and to try new things! It might not always be easy, but I can promise you it's worth it! I am including links to some books that I am currently reading. They are challenging my thinking when it comes to effectively educating today's children. Have a great Summer break. You deserve it! This book is changing the way I think about Math teaching. It will change your life! There is an entire Not This But That series available. They are short, quick, impactful reads! Pick one up before you head to the lake!
I pride myself on the fact that I was a pretty good classroom teacher. I could effectively manage a classroom, and most days my students enjoyed learning. I was also hungry for any professional development or new idea I could get my hands on. The thing about professional development is that when I was there with all these other great teachers, I would hear some amazing ideas that I would want to take back to my classroom and try, but as soon as I walked out of the room it was like everything I just heard was sucked out of my brain, and I would end up doing the same thing I always did. There were times I made changes, tried new things, or taught something a different way, but the life of a teacher doesn't give us much time to be as reflective and innovative as we want to, unless sleep becomes optional. I was glad to hear some teachers in some of our professional development say that although they have heard some of what I was saying, they had forgotten and wanted to try it. That's what it takes. Just change a little every year, and in ten years, you will be a completely different teacher than you are today. So, I digress a little. I wanted to share with you what I witnessed today. I sat in on the most amazing online meeting I have ever been a part of. Now, I plan on sharing this with you all in-depth during our professional development days next school year, but just in case you want a preview of the incredible awesomeness I heard about today, here it is. Yes. That button will take you to the Michigan eLibrary site. Now, I will warn you that if you live in Wisconsin, you will not be able to access this site from home. You do not need a log-in for most of the databases contained here, but it can tell where your computer is based on its IP address. There was a lot of fancy, big words just to say that this is for Michigan residents only.
Remember, I am still new to Michigan, so to me, this is like Christmas! Once you get in, there are all kinds of tabs and buttons that would be helpful for teachers, parents and students. Click around, see what's in there! My highlights include Scholastic BookFlix (Ek-3). This resource pairs fiction and nonfiction books right there for you! Early World of Learning is like an encyclopedia for kids. You will find printable mini-books and activities that support phonics and vocabulary. Gale InfoBits (K-5) work with Chrome so you can download articles and such right into Google Classroom! Also, if you need a book, you can search for it in libraries across the state, and in three days it will be at your local library! You I am planning a training and collaboration time over this resource because I think it really is worthy of our time. I also can't wait to get into it and learn more! Enjoy! Up until this summer, I used the phrase, "They learn to read in K-3, then read to learn after". I am sure we have all heard this and we've probably used it at one time or another. Well, I said this in a literacy training and was quickly reprimanded by the speaker. That got me thinking about the phrase, where it came from, and the ramifications of thinking about reading in this way.
I quickly found at least a dozen articles about this phrase and immersed myself in the knowledge of others. Research continues to support the fact that if students cannot read on grade level by the end of 3rd grade, they will struggle with reading throughout their education. Research also says that this phrase is a MYTH that has caused damage to education in literacy. Students need to learn to read and read to learn simultaneously. Think about it. You want your group of kindergarteners to read a story about birds. What do you expect them to do? Stop at periods, read all the words, blend words that they struggle with, and that's it? That's learning to read, right? No, you also want your group to read to learn about birds and comprehend the story. So they are learning to read while reading to learn. Makes perfect sense now, doesn't it? I'm just a little embarrassed that it took me this long to figure that out. Students are constantly learning how to read as they strive to comprehend more challenging text. It doesn't stop at 3rd grade. I've included the link to one of the articles I've read on the subject and I challenge you to change your thinking. When I first sat down to write this, I started with the title, Chaos in Education. I was thinking about the discussion around repealing Common Core, about HB 610, and all the craziness that could envelop public education with alarming speed. Then I thought about what I would do in my classroom, and you know what? I would keep teaching my kids. I would keep offering them the best I had to give. I would keep challenging every student to meet their potential, to work with others, to be proud of themselves, and to be good citizens. I know that that is how every teacher feels right now in the uncertain world of education. Kids are still going to show up, and we are going to smile and teach. It's what we do! So I am not going to focus on things I don't have any control over - now I have contacted my elected officials - but I am going to focus on the things I can do to help kids right here, right now. I don't have to believe it, I see proof of it everywhere. Reading is a big, ugly bully. Reading has pushed Science, Social Studies, and even Math to the side and has taken over more than half of our day. According to our Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy document, "...literacy instruction should not take the place of science and social studies inquiry nor addressing the Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations for Social Studies nor addressing the Michigan K-12 Science Standards." The bottom line is this: If students do not have content knowledge, it won't matter how effectively they decode a passage, they will not comprehend it at all. Content knowledge supports comprehension development. This link takes you to a blog post by Dr. Nell Duke, who is a part of our Literacy Network. Check it out. So, how do we make it work? There are only so many hours in the day, and so many things to do! As usual, we get creative. Find ways to integrate social studies and science content into reading. Use a read aloud during your reading block that supports your current social studies unit. Teach your lesson using content material. Look at your schedule and see where you could squeeze in some time. Is a 30-minute morning meeting beneficial? Could I shorten it to 10 minutes, and use the other 20 minutes for a social studies or science lesson? It's just an idea. Below is a link to a Department of Education document entitled Supporting Early Literacy Development and Science Education. Check it out. It is short, I promise. Think about it. If students are struggling with comprehension, it might just be that they don't have the content knowledge necessary to support their learning. Integrating reading into content areas and the other way around will help fix this problem. There are several articles on the subject, but I didn't want to drown you in research. Next time you plan a Read Aloud or plan a reading lesson, think about using science or social studies information to do so. Kill two birds with one stone. Don't forget about me! I can help! Send me an email and I'd be glad to assist you in any way I can. Content-Area Read AloudsIs it really already the 11th of February? This month is so full for me that my family may survive solely on cereal and hot dogs (hopefully not at the same time)! I've been thinking about what I wanted to talk about this month, and then yesterday a little piece of heaven was delivered to my front door: These two books were waiting for me Friday afternoon. The "White Book" is one of two first edition books by Fountas and Pinnell. The other one is the new, improved "Bible of Guided Reading" that I have been glued to all weekend! I have probably left sticky notes on at least fifty pages to go back and read, and so many sections have stood out as worthy of sharing with you, but I've chosen just one small section: Fluency. WHAT IS READING FLUENCY? (p.428) Fluency means:
*We want to make it clear that fluency is not synonymous with speed in reading. Too much emphasis has been placed on speed to the detriment of comprehension. Fluency is a highly complex process and cannot be measured by a simple "words per minute" assessment or even a "correct words per minute" (In this case, any smart reader would simply skip all words that require work and the reading can become incoherent!) I have seen so much focus on "speed" that comprehension plays a distant second. Students want to know their words per minute without mention of the meaning of what they just read. This lopsided approach only hinders comprehension. Fluency is an important piece of understanding text, just not the only important piece. Speed cannot be the only piece you look at when assessing fluency. I advocate teaching fluency (and just about everything else) through the use of authentic text. Use an instructional design that includes (p. 437)
Valentine's Day Read AloudsI know Thanksgiving was months ago, and we are all still working off that extra slice of pumpkin pie, but I am so thankful for my position at the ISD and the opportunity to work with amazing teachers who are truly making a difference every day. My goal for this blog is to provide information related to the Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy, answer questions, and share ideas with teachers across the ISD. I figured the New Year is a great time to start! For my first (ever) post, I want to tackle the "why" question. Why did the state come up with this document? Why should I pay any attention to it? I'll listen, and then I'll shut my door and do what I've always done, so prove to me this is worth my time. I've felt that way more than once during a professional development, staff meeting, or conference. So, let's talk. Why am I even doing this? I'll tell you why. Teachers are overworked, undersupported, and underpaid. We care about kids who aren't ours and spend nights and weekends fretting over lessons and students and all the things that make us teachers. I know just how stressful our jobs as educators are! I want to help. I want to make your job easier. I want to provide information and support to ease some of that burden, and more than that, I want you to see just how great a job you are doing right this minute, without any help from me! I have been given the unique position to help teachers. That's it. That's my job, and it's the best job ever. I get to research new ideas, support teachers as they think outside the box in order to improve their practice, celebrate successes and reflect on failures, and be a part of classrooms I would never have entered otherwise. So, why listen to anything I say? Because I support you; I see how much you love your students; I understand the stress you are under, and I have information that just might help. If you're still with me, great! Let me lay the groundwork for our time together so you can see that you are not alone. We are in this journey together, and I want to help you help our kids be successful. Michigan is doing a terrible job in Reading Education as evidenced in several recent studies. We have shown NEGATIVE reading improvement since 2003! We are going backwards! We are currently ranked 41st in the country in reading based on NAEP Grade 4 assessments, and if we don't do something about it, we are projected to be 48th by 2030. This is not good news! The state brought together a Literacy Taskforce of educators, professors, literacy experts, and researchers from across the state and this group wrote the Essentials documents (documents for 4-12 are in the works). The information in this document is all heavily based on the LATEST RESEARCH in Literacy Eductaion, and this is a big deal, because right now, most of us are using research from 15-20 years ago to support our practice. So, here is a question I want you to think about: Would you want your doctor to operate on you using the knowledge and technology available 20 years ago? I would say no! I want them to use the most up to date research and methods they have! We owe that to our students. If you haven't had a chance to look at the Essentials Document, please go to the Early Literacy tab and read it, or email me and I will hand deliver a copy! I don't think you will find anything you disagree with in there. The Essentials are things that should be happening in all classrooms every day! I plan on talking more in-depth about each of the essentials in later posts. I wanted to first make sure that we were all on the same page; that you understood this isn't Literacy the Stacy Way or anything like that. Know that I am learning and changing righ beside you and I've depended on some amazing teachers to help me help others (Jen, Ashley, Amy...y'all are awesome!). That's probably enough from me for my first foray into this unknown medium, but I do hope you find useful information here and I can help strengthen your Literacy program in your classroom. Please email me any questions, ideas, jokes, anything! I want this to be a place we can all share our successes and even our failures. In the next Installment: Essential 1: Motivation and Engagement - It's not sticker charts and treasure boxes anymore! Below is a video attachment of a TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson. I plan on attaching one on every blog! My Favorite Read Alouds for the Month! Family, fun, and football. Is there anything better? This story is written by the Manning brothers. The illustrations are wonderful and students will relate to the story as the boys travel to their grandparent's house to visit. It’s time for the little red chicken’s bedtime story —and a reminder from Papa to try not to interrupt. But the chicken can’t help herself! Whether the tale is HANSEL AND GRETEL or LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD or even CHICKEN LITTLE, she jumps into the story to save its hapless characters from doing some dangerous or silly thing. Now it’s the little red chicken’s turn to tell a story, but will her yawning papa make it to the end without his own kind of interrupting? Energetically illustrated with glowing colors —and offering humorous story-within-a-story views —this all-too-familiar tale is sure to amuse (and hold the attention of ) spirited little chicks. If you don't know Walter the Farting Dog, you are missing out! Your students will crack up hearing their teacher say "fart" and they will fall in love with Walter, who is the hero in many of his books. Don't judge a person or a dog, because they just may help you someday. When Pearl Harbor is attacked, America is finally unable to ignore the wars raging in Europe and Asia any longer. And one girl's entire life is about to change when everything she knows is turned on its head. After the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, where her brother, a navy sailor, is stationed, Piper Davis begins chronicling her compelling journey through one of history's most tragic and unforgettable eras. Below is a link to an article written by Nell Duke. I've been able to work closely with her and her research through the Early Literacy Initiative. This quick read might make you think about some of your practices. I admit that I am guilty of doing all of these at one time or another. This job has allowed me time to be reflective on my practices as a teacher. I wish I had a reset button and could go back and fix some of those mistakes, but I haven't found one yet. Thankfully, I have seen evidence that many of my former students are successful young adults so I guess I didn't mess up to terribly.
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AuthorI am the General Education Consultant for Dickinson-Iron ISD in Kingsford, Michigan. I have fifteen years of classroom experience and thrive on new research to better meet the needs of all students. Archives
September 2019
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