HMES Reader
A Literacy Newsletter
New Year, New Goals!
Can you believe 2016 is already here? I hope you all had a relaxing break and enjoyed doing some things unrelated to school. You deserve it! Being a teacher is one of the most rewarding, yet hardest jobs a person can have. It's easy to be overwhelmed by our constantly growing "to do" list, but I want you to take time to reflect on the reason we're here. OUR STUDENTS! They need us to encourage them, love them, teach them and help them grow. At this point in the year, you're seeing growth and we want to keep the momentum going by setting some goals and taking time to celebrate.
Reading Goals
Work together with students to choose a specific reading goal for them to work on and write it on a sticky note. It could be related to accuracy, fluency or comprehension. Any of the strategies from your new Serravallo book would be great!
Classroom Goals
We all set some personal goals for our classroom at the last PD in December. Reflect back on your goal and your progress so far. You may be working on engagement or guided reading. I'll be getting in touch with you to see how I can support you.
Celebrate!
Celebrate student progress, no matter how big or how small, but also take time to celebrate your hard work! As you reassess and level students come down and move their cards on the data wall so we can all celebrate the progress you've made.
The Books are Coming! The Books are Coming!
We are SO excited about all of the new guided reading resources we have ordered. They should be arriving in the next few weeks and we'll be working as quickly as possible to get everything unpacked, labeled and into the hands of your students. I've already started reorganizing to make room for the new titles and also to combine all levels, A-Z, in the same room as discussed during our PD. Thanks for being patient during this transition of getting everything put back together. If you're in need of a book for guided reading and are having trouble finding a level I will be happy to help. We will also be placing a computer and scanner in the book room for easy check-out and check-in. Once everything is up and running there will be a quick training session on all the new materials.
Mark Your Calendar...
Our next Reading Professional Development half day will be during the last two weeks of February. Each session will be in the afternoon to give you time to meet with reading groups in the morning and hopefully make sub plans a little easier. During this time we'll focus on guided reading and how to meet the needs of our struggling readers.
Please bring the following items:
- The Next Step in Guided Reading
- The Reading Strategies Book
- Data for one (or more) student that is not progressing- reading log, running records, writing about reading, anecdotal notes, interest inventories, current SEI's, and any other data you think will help us learn more about the child. The more pieces of data the better.
We'll be discussing and analyzing this information, setting goals, and planning activities to use.
Dates:
Tuesday, February 16- K3, K4, and K5
Thursday, February 18- 1st Grade
Friday, February 19- 2nd Grade
Monday, February 22- 3rd Grade
Tuesday, February 23- 5th Grade
Thursday, February 25- 4th Grade
Michael Jr: Know Your Why
Know Your Why
We all know WHAT we're doing, but do we really think about WHY? This speaker illustrates that when you know your WHY for doing something, it gives your WHAT more impact. It's the same thing with our children. We know WHAT to do in terms of literacy instruction (mini lessons, guided reading, independent reading, conferences, read alouds), but think of the power that comes along with it when we focus on our WHY. Our children are riddled with challenges and struggles greater than we can imagine making our teaching essential. Continue doing what you do best and remember WHY.
Keep Calm and Ask Your Reading Coach
I can support you with...
- modeling/co-teaching/observing guided reading lessons.
- writing guided reading lesson plans.
- analyzing student data to determine goals.
- conducting SEI's.
- working with your schedule to allow for more groups.
Thanks for all you do! My door is always open so please let me know how I can help!
Email: smithmb@apps.anderson1.org
Website: http://www.anderson1.k12.sc.us/Domain/447
Location: 420 Hunt Road, Easley, SC, United States
Phone: 864-630-8424
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hunt-Meadows-Literacy-Connection-1477337065901455/?fref=nf
Twitter: @mrs_mbsmith