Lit Team Meeting Notes

We missed Jen Gamble who had commitments with her After School Program.
Present:  Cheryl, Jenn, Valerie, Megan, Rebecca, Renee, and Jacquie

I welcome any additional info you might add under Comments.  Thanks everyone!!

Highlights:

Jack Gantos, author extraordinaire, offered a recent teacher workshop which
Valerie attended.  Valerie presented a short video of Jack Gantos discussing how valuable journals have played in his writing.  Gantos recommended "neighborhood" drawings as a way for writers to find ideas which matter deeply to them.  He offers his insights around how "mistakes" in his life (cutting of the wart) have led to some of his best writing.  Might we consider a school wide writing prompt around the topic of memoir writing about a "mistake" we made.  Keeping it light and offering teacher modeling of various topics would be key.

Thanks for sharing, Valerie!!

We reviewed the 6 Shifts in the CCS as presented by MCLP folks at the conference.  Jacquie shared a video of a Close Reading Lesson from The Teaching Channel. The Team will focus on promoting the practice of Close Reading.  Rebecca (after the meeting) has found resources for each grade level which Jacquie will seek to order for team.  Here is the title if you'd like to preview:  

Comprehension Skills: Short Passages for Close Reading (available  for each grade level). 

Jacquie will present a Literacy Moment at January and February Staff Meetings.  

Megan suggested that Grade Level Agreements be copied and placed in mailboxes as a way to keep them present.

Jacquie will update The Literacy Action Plan for the school year:  Goals will be around Close Reading and (possibly) a Spring K-8 Writing Prompt which (ideally) might be linked to the Author Visit.

Next Meeting:  January 10,  2013   3:15pm   Jacquie's Room