In Touch, In Tune
ELA/Reading Reminders, Opportunities, and Inspiration
Thanks for Tuning In!
September 2015
International Literacy Day is September 8, 2015.
In September 1972, Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. Under martial law, Marcos curtailed civil liberties, abolished Congress, and limited access to education. As a result, the literacy rate in the Philippines plummeted to 75.4%. In 1986, millions of Filipinos surprised the world by nonviolently overthrowing President Marcos and re-instituting a democracy. They called this movement "People Power." The peaceful revolution led to significant changes for the country. A nationwide K-12 program was implemented. Today, 97.5% of the Filipino population holds a basic literacy level - an increase of 22.1% in 43 years. On International Literacy Day, we celebrate their inspirational story.
What can you do to start a literacy movement in your school or community? Join the movement! Download your free kit at literacyworldwide.org/ild.
(from the International Literacy Association)
In the Spotlight
Welcome New Hires!
Our new hires had the good fortune to work with Master Teacher Extraordinaire Carrie Mehl (OHS) at the FCPS New Hire Symposium. Carrie shared many ideas, including the suggestion to have students compose "I Am" poems during the first week of school, allowing teachers to get to know students and their abilities. "I Am" poems can then launch other lessons on writing and language usage. Many of our new hires inspired their teammates to kick off the year with "I Am" poems. Krista Maughan (MoMS) had students share poignant lines from their poems and displayed them in her room (pictured).
Managing the ELA Classroom
Scratch-Off Tickets
One effective form of classroom management is defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create positive learning environments. Kristin Ecton (MoMS) is having great success with scratch-off tickets for “Being Awesome!” To create the tickets, she prints, laminates, and cuts out tickets with varying point values; she covers the point value using a Sharpie Paint Marker. When students exhibit desirable behavior, she hands them a ticket, and they scratch off to see how many points they’ve won. Students collect their tickets until they are ready to exchange them for a prize.
Missing Work Log
Managing the collection of student work is often tricky. When collecting homework, Michele Gill (WHS) has students who do not have their work complete a “Yellow Sheet” that records the assignment, due date, and reason they did not turn it in. Michelle quickly counts to be sure every student has turned in either homework or the Yellow Sheet. This strategy increases student accountability and provides a log of missing assignments.MD Teacher of the Year Finalist
"The finalists were selected by a panel of judges from key Maryland education organizations representing principals, teachers, school boards, teacher unions, parents and higher education. Finalists were measured against a rigorous set of national criteria that include teaching philosophy and results, community involvement, knowledge of general education issues, and suggestions for professional and instructional improvement."
Anyone who knows Amanda knows how deserving she is of this honor. With a contagious passion and enthusiasm for literacy, she's touched the lives - personally, academically, and professionally - of thousands of students and teachers. We are all so fortunate that she calls Frederick County home.
Featured Instructional Strategy
Tracking Thinking Over Time
Sometimes we focus so intently on getting students to demonstrate that they can read a passage closely that we forget the bigger picture of teaching students how to track their thinking over the course of time. To help students monitor their thinking while they read, have students follow a news story over time - or a book from beginning to end. What students think at the beginning may be different from what they think at the middle or the end. Provide some sentence stems to prompt students to track their thinking as they read across time or chapters.
- I started by thinking __________, and as I read I added/learned __________.
- I used to think __________, but now I think __________.
- Some people think __________, but I think __________.
But don't stop there! Ask students to track their thinking with the intention of discovering a "big idea." When students annotate with the purpose of discovering a big idea, it drives a richer reading of the text. It encourages them to consider how they came to their big idea, and it prompts them to pay attention to what the author did to convey his or her message.
Need An Idea?
Why not have your students track their thinking about the next weather phenomenon or Olympic games? Sixth grade teachers, more artifacts from the Titanic are going up for auction. Why not have your students track their thinking about it between now and Unit 4, when they will explore it in more detail? Here is a recent article that can get you started.
(from Kelly Gallagher's In the Best Interest of Students, pages 147-149)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (But Mostly Good!)
Updated Databases
- Axis 360
- Britannica
- Gale Cengage
- Explora
- EasyBib
- SIRS Discoverer
- ScienceFlix
Your Media Specialist is familiar with these databases and is happy to work with you to select just the right resources for you and your students.
Testing Windows
- Narrative Writing Task: 10/12/15-10/23/15
- Literary Analysis Task: 1/4/16-1/15/16
- Research Simulation Task: 4/3/16-4/15/16
High School Fall Semester ELA CRES
- Narrative Writing Task: 9/28/15-10/2/15
- Literary Analysis Task: 11/2/15-11/6/15
- Research Simulation Task: 11/16/15-12/4/15
Scantron Performance Series (*optional)
- Fall Norming Administration: 8/24/15-11/20/15
- Winter Norming Administration: 1/4/16-2/22/16
- Spring Norming Administration: 4/5/16-6/15/16
*Scantron PS Winter Administration is required for 8th grade articulation; other administrations may be given as determined by school and/or central office staff for identified populations.
**Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) & Scholastic Phonics Inventory (SPI)
- Window 1: 8/24/15-9/9/15 (SRI & SPI) - EXTENDED
- Window 2: 11/4/15-11/18/15 (SRI only)
- Window 3: 1/25/16-2/5/16 (SRI & SPI)
- Window 4: 5/2/16-5/13/16 (SRI & SPI)
**All students enrolled in Read 180 and System 44 Next Generation should take the SRI. All students enrolled in System 44 Next Generation should also take the SPI.
CRES Pilot & Anchor Paper Plan
2015-2016 ELA/Reading Leadership Meetings
- September 2, 2015 from 8:15-3:00 @ SDC
- November 18, 2015 from 8:15-3:00 @ SDC
- January 5, 2016 from 8:15-3:00 @ SDC
- March 2, 2016 from 8:15-3:00 @ SDC
High School Department Chairs & Literacy Specialists
- September 15, 2015 from 8:15-3:00 @ SDC
- November 10, 2015 from 8:15-3:00 @ SDC
- January 19, 2016 from 8:15-3:00 @ SDC
- March 8, 2016 from 8:15-3:00 @ SDC
Middle School Reading Intervention Representatives
- October 5, 2015 from 12:15-3:15 @SDC
- December 8, 2015 from 12:15-3:15 @SDC
- February 18, 2016 from 4:00-7:00 @ SDC
- April 4, 2016 from 12:15-3:15 @ SDC
- May 18, 2016 from 4:00-7:00 @ SDC
High School Reading Intervention Representatives
- October 5, 2015 from 7:15-10:15 @ SDC
- December 8, 2015 from 7:15-10:15 @ SDC
- February 16, 2016 from 3:30-6:30 @ SDC
- April 4, 2016 from 7:15-10:15 @ SDC
- May 17, 2016 from 3:30-6:30 @ SDC
News from Intervention
Reading Intervention Updates
Middle School Literacy Specialists met on September 2 to discuss how they are supporting new and veteran intervention teachers in their schools. In addition, they analyzed placement data and considered next steps for instructional response. High School Literacy Specialists will meet later in the month to do the same.
See the Read 180 Training Plan and the 2015-16 Professional Learning Schedule for more information about how intervention teachers are supported throughout the year.
The Curriculum NOW Read 180 Site has been updated and houses the following:
- Recommended Model for Middle Schools
- Recommended Model for High Schools
- Planning Guides for Stage B Read 180
- Planning Guide for English 9 with Read 180
- Training Modules
- SRI/ SPI Progress Monitoring Schedule
- Entry and Exit Criteria
- Research Validated Implementation Check
Tech Updates for Read 180 and System 44
The SRI/SPI Window has been extended to September 9.
This is an ideal time to analyze the information that you have about each student, confer with him/her, and set goals for the year. The following quick-guides are provided to assist you with this process.
Instructional Technology Tips
Share to Classroom
This extension has already been pushed out to all FCPS users.
Row Call
Choice Eliminator
Leadership and Professional Learning Opportunities
#EdCampFCPS
What is an EdCamp?
EdCamp is a form of unconference designed specifically for teachers and their needs.
What makes EdCamp an unconference?
Unlike traditional conferences which have schedules set months in advance by the people running the conference, EdCamp has an agenda that’s created by the participants at the start of the event. Built on principles of connected and participatory learning, EdCamp strives to bring teachers together to talk about the things that matter most to them: their interests, passions, and questions. Teachers who attend can choose to lead sessions on those things that matter, with an expectation that the people in the room will work together to build understanding by sharing their own knowledge and questions.
Frederick County Reading Council
- To provide baskets of books for Frederick families in December
- To attend the SoMIRAC Conference
- To promote literacy in the community
- To speak at local workshops and state conferences
- To participate in activities that foster reading and literacy instruction
- To sponsor activities designed to promote parent involvement in literacy instruction
Members will also be invited to attend a the 2015 Fall Membership dinner at Ceresville Mansion on October 8, 2015.
The annual dues of $30 include membership in the FCRC and SoMIRAC. Read this brochure for more information and join today!
CCBC Composition Conversations Conference
A 21st Century Red Pen:
Writing, Grading, Commenting on, and Directing Students in Writing AssignmentsAttend this conference to discuss and share strategies that work best when providing feedback and direction to students. Hear from distinguished speaker Dr. Chris Anson as he describes and demonstrates the use of screencast technology for composition response and evaluation.
Where:
Community College of Baltimore County - Catonsville (CCBC)
800 South Rolling Road
Baltimore, MD 21228
When:
Friday, October 23, 2015
8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Presentation Proposal (deadline 10/1)
#EdCampMaryland 2016: Save the Date!
On February 15, 2016, the second ever #EdCampMaryland will be held in four regional locations across the state - one of which is Frederick! Every educator in Maryland is invited to attend for free.
Please check the website for more information.