I 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!
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.
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.
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.