The winner is...

Congratulations, Carol Morrison.  Your vocabulary instructional strategy was voted the FAVORITE at our Literacy Moment sharing!!!!!

Hope you enjoy your prize.

K-1 Teacher Find

Rebecca, thank you for sharing your "find" for a kindergarten Close Reading strategy.

http://kindergartencrayons.blogspot.com/2012/09/so-one-of-jobs-i-have-is-modeling.html

Close Reading and our Book Talk

Audrey, Cheryl, Renee, Rebecca, Colleen, and Jo,

Bless you all for making the Book Talk meaningful and worthwhile.  Wow!  Our collective experiences and insights are amazing.

I wanted to share these Prezi projects with you but time was not on our side so I skipped them.  They offer a different slant on What is close reading  and How do we prepare for a close reading?

http://prezi.com/quymwjeavfhb/close-reading-and-the-common-core/

http://prezi.com/uchf41ihsfae/how-to-do-a-close-read/


My take away from today is the work we did with planning for a close read based on the excerpt from Tuck Everlasting.  I only wish I had written down all of the ideas!  I snagged a few.  I love the idea of exploring feelings the words evoke.

Thanks again!!

Nonfiction Titles! I want them all!

http://pinterest.com/choiceliteracy/great-nonfiction-for-kids/


Ubiquitous will be on my shelf by hook or by crook!  :-)

A Plea for More Reading...this summer...in school...

Click here------>On Our Minds @ Scholastic | The official blog of Scholastic Inc.


Please leave pull one sentence from the article you consider most important.  

K-2 Read Write Think...all rolled into one!

Picture Match is a nice little interactive game from Read Write Think for K-2 students. Picture Match asks students to match objects to the first letter of their names. After students have mastered matching beginning letters to objects they move on to identifying short and long vowel sounds to objects whose names have those sounds. At the end of each activity students can print a PDF of their successes (Richard Byrne "Free Technology for Teachers)




http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/picture-match-30004.html

Literacy Strategy of the Week

http://www.adlit.org/strategies/22091/

The Double Journal Entry is a strategy which works wicked well as a during reading activity...it fosters that active reading we want our kiddos to be practicing.  I have found it terribly helpful to do a Think Aloud with this one first. 

Winner of the Drawing

Blog Commenter!!! Amanda Beals reels in goodies!

Thanks to everyone!  Your Comments added so much to our blog community. 

Author Committee Survives!

Literacy Strategy of the Week

Tic-Tac-Toe Notetaking Grid

A few years ago I learned about this strategy from Valerie Sprague.  My students are still learning how and why it's necessary to take notes when are searching for info and they find it.  They tend to want to skip this step.

This tool works really well for all classes.  I put a template for younger students and one for older students on our staff room fridge.  It's neat because they can cut these out and place them in piles for their topic paragraphs.  I learned about another neat idea where the kids sketch an idea in the middle square and add notes about it all around! 

More ideas--------------> http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/tic-tac-toe-note-taking-form/

Technology and the CCS

http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2013/04/01/what-common-core-standards-mean-for-media-specialists/


This article came across my Facebook page this morning.  I immediately thought:  Our Action Plan for Literacy seems to be hitting the nail right on the head.

What do you think? 

Breadbox Poppy 

Would you like some seeds?  Leave a Comment :-)

Literacy Strategy of the Week!

Quick Writes

• This strategy helps our kiddos develop writing fluency and reflection skills...where I hear true learning takes place.  
• Terrific tool for informally assessing what your student actually is thinking about your lesson.
• 2-10 minutes in length
• Open-ended prompts work well.

Examples:
1.  Math:  Describe the difference between a factor and a multiple.
2.  Science:  After studying erosion... How does erosion change the surface of the earth.
3.  Social Studies:  How did humans use natural resources during the Stone Age?
4.  Phys. Ed.-  Describe the correct form for doing a push up.
5.  ELA:  What is a decision your character had to make which had significant consequences for them?

More info on p. 68  of Thinkquiry Toolkit!

MCLP Literacy Leadership Conference: April 2013

Hi Val, Cheryl, Renee, Megan, and Jen,

Please share 2-3 of your big take-away's from today's experience.

This is SOME team!  Thank you,  Megan, Renee, Valerie, Cheryl, Jennifer!!  We missed you, Rebecca and Jenn.

Our work today will make its way to every staff member as soon as we can arrange a time.  Stay tuned.

Our Literacy Team has reflected on our 2012-13 Literacy Action Plan by using an MCLP rubric to assess literacy across the content areas.  We're "mostly" there.  Based on our assessment using the rubric, we have listed these as possible topics for next year...our 2013-14 Literacy Action Plan:

Assignments:

• Assignments which require higher order critical thinking about content:  using Performance Tasks from Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium AND using these released items as exemplars for creating our own (Text, Task, Standards).
• Develop a plan for bringing more technology opportunities to K-5: i.e.  Buddy Grades and Projects which allow for presenting researching findings;  Planning 6 week units for each grade with IT support; getting an iPads into K-5 students' hands.

Research:

• Big need!  We hope to plan opportunities for all teachers to  regularly use a variety of print and electronic texts as sources of content info in addition to textbooks.
• Big need!  To implement consistently opportunities for all students to routinely conduct research and draw conclusions based on critical evaluation and synthesis of multiple sources.

Literacy Strategy of the Month: The Frayer Model

I found a wicked friendly idea for using the Frayer MOdel!

I will place a copy of the idea in mailboxes!!  This is one we need to be using grade 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8.  Leave a Comment for eligibility in the drawing...coming soon!

Literacy Strategy of the Week: a Linda Hoyt strategy

Alpha-Boxes 

An "after reading" strategy that encourages reflection...where the best learning takes place.  Possible uses:

• summarize main points
• increase vocabulary
• monitor comprehension 
• http://www.usd416.org/pages/uploaded_files/2alpha_boxes.pdf  

Thank you for sharing this one, Kathy M.!

Literacy Strategy of the Week

3,2,1


Terrific strategy for all grade levels and across content.  We've used these in teachers' meetings as well.  Our kids need these opportunities to show us what they know and what they're thinking. 

Carol Duffy, Lamoine's 5th grade teacher, challenges her students to mini- research exercises and asks students to use 3,2,1 for their notetaking.  It matches up well with KWL before they begin the research.  Neat way to encourage content reading and thinking.

Check here for more info:
http://www.readingquest.org/strat/321.html

  

Commenting Keeps Our Conversations dynamic and alive.  Please jump on board and leave a Comment.  Be sure to log in to Google first. 

Folks who Comment are eligible for a Goodie Basket Drawing.  Comment away...all you want!  Let your peers know about your experiences using Literacy Strategies. 

March Forum

A small gathering of four ELA teachers met from around the region, and wonderful conversations happened. We missed the presence of those who could not make this forum.   Sally Leighton and Lyn Wilson shared terrific news about their schools' NECAPs. Their readers and writers are showing fantastic achievement gains. Time to celebrate!!  Valerie Sprague and Jacquie Leighton were present and shared highlights and successes in ELA as well.  Here are a few of the forum topics from the afternoon session:

• Lucy Calkins and Writing Workshop. 

• What's ahead with assessment:  2014-2015 and the new face of local and national assessments?
• What's working well?
• School-wide Writing Prompt at Hancock
• Better answer protocols...a major factor for test prep.
• Readers' Theater...Jacquie shared her unit.  These practices allow middle school readers build fluency, self-efficacy as oral readers, and work collaboratively to perform weekly theater.
•  Closing Reading:  Sally shared her excitement for a new resource she's using to teaching close reading.  We all want to start up a Book Group on this one!!
• Next meeting early April, TBA.

Literacy Strategy of the Week

Give One, Get One, Move On

This one supports collaboration, reflection and builds community.  I am using it next week in Grade 7 so students can receive feedback on their speech topics.

Good for before and after reading/discussion.


I'll leave a few templates in the Teachers' Room.  This strategy works for all content areas and across grade levels.


pp. 169-170  Thinkquiry Toolkit 1

Tech

Our kids will get a charge when we use this Person Selector Tool to randomly pick names.

Literacy Strategy of the Week

Sum It Up

Click here------->  Sum It Up and Lesson Closure strategy
Scroll to bottom of this link where you'll see the red links for the templates.  

Leave a Comment or 2,3.... to qualify for the prizes.  TBA.

Tunk Lake

Think Spring!

A Suggested Scoring Protocol

This is an opportunity for teachers to practice using the RSU 24 Expository Writing rubric.  We won't have time to score ALL writings...just not enough time. 


1. Bring student writings with the SCORE SHEET stapled to front of each writing.
2. Make 3 piles and stack the writings according to grade level.
3. A good goal for the hour:  Score 2 different writings as 1st Scorer (Cover your score with a Stickie!!) AND score 2 more writings as a 2nd scorer.  Reminder:  Very few of the writing are likely to be scored because we are double scoring.  
4. Score papers until the last 15-20 minutes of PLC.
5. How do the scores match up? The two scorers for a paper will meet to discuss scores.  Reach a consensus if possible.  Use that rubric. 
6.It's okay if you only had time to discuss one or two papers with a partner.

Ticket to Leave:
Was this a worthwhile PLC? Explain.

Leave in Jacquie's mailbox.

Still won't let me comment!!  Probably need Abe to figure it out!

Cats

Made you look!! ... I want the White cat with the Black tail!

Or any Cat with Any Tale!!

I want the black cat with the white tail!

Literacy Team Meeting Agenda

Snack and Chat


1.  March 1st:  PLC
     Scoring Writing:

http://hancockteachertalk.blogspot.com/2013/01/school-wide-writing-prompt.html

2.  Weekly Literacy Strategy:  Brainstorm a list for the year

3.  Teacher Library & Blog Activity

4.  Close Reading and Text Dependent Questions:  Demonstration of Strategy

5. Other?

Next Meeting Date:  ??

Strategy of the Week

Click on the link --------->  Exit Slips | Classroom Strategies | Reading Rockets    

                                      

Leave a quickie Comment to be eligible for the drawing.
Grand Prize Winners:  3 teachers will win a goodie basket of prizes.  Stayed tuned for more details.  You may Comment more than once each week.  Oh, yeah.