CURRICULUM CORNER
December 15, 2023
SLEDDING INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH DR. EVANS
The fact is that this black-and-white thinking is damaging. It's damaging to our profession and it's damaging to other people we work with. Knowing and working with many ELA teachers over the course of my career, I know that no one wants to cause harm. Unfortunately, journalists have written much about reading instruction in the past few years and this has added fuel to this heated rhetoric and has pitted educators against each other. One of the most damaging journalistic reports has been Emily Hanford's podcast "Sold a Story." I was recently at a presentation at NCTE and Tim Rasinski was on the panel. He said that he spoke with Emily Hanford as she was researching and he offered her a great deal of research. She thanked him and promised to read it and get back with him with questions. She never did and it is clear that she has chosen to ignore the research Dr. Rasinki provided to her. This revelation was very disturbing to me, as a researcher, because we need to investigate all sides of the equation--even the parts we may not like. This reinforced my belief that there has been a calculated attack against certain researchers and authors in the field of reading and the reporting has included information that simply is not true.
No one sets out to "do harm to children" as some claim certain reading approaches do. Knowledge evolves. The fact is that in the 5-10 years prior to the National Reading Panel report being released in 2000, we learned a great deal about the importance of phonemic awareness. Previous knowledge didn't include this area that we all know a great deal about now. The point is that science has evolved and it will continue to evolve. We know more now than we did then and we incorporate this into our daily teaching. It has changed our practice.
I was at a recent book study meeting with Rebecca Tolson, who is the chair of the Ohio Dyslexia Committee. She showed a video of Dr. Stanislas Dehaene (https://youtu.be/25GI3-kiLdo?si=z-CIwdI7P8maYrZl). He made a statement that really stuck with me. He said that teachers know more about how their car works than how the brain works and learns. As I reflected over the courses that I have taken in my education, I realized that I had absolutely NO courses on how the brain learns! For many of us, as we studied in education, this wasn't included in our coursework (especially if you went to school when the dinosaurs roamed the earth like I did). Fortunately, my reading training was clinical in nature, and as a teacher, I am driven by how kids think, so I have been driven to figure out what's going on inside a kid's head. But in thinking about this lack of coursework in the brain and how it learns, my thought is that it has made us MUCH more dependent on curriculum and our expectations of curriculum are sometimes unrealistic. ONLY a highly knowledgeable teacher, who not only delivers content but really watches what kids do when they encounter new learning, whether that is learning to read or solve problems, is going to be able to help kids learn.
Medical equipment has become much more sophisticated over time and there is medical research occurring about what happens in the brain when kids learn. This has the potential to further our own knowledge and skills. It already has offered us information about what happens when students are presented with learning tasks and approaches. Again, our practices have changed as a result.
Kids learn differently, yes. And so do we. Our motivation to learn and change our practice with the learning that we do is important. Our field is ever-evolving. There is still much that is not known, but as more is learned, we must learn, change our practice, and give each other the grace that we extend to kids. Everyone is coming at this in a different place. There will NEVER be a magic curriculum that works for every student. But the knowledge and skills that we gain about how kids learn and what best practice AT THAT TIME is will guide our practice. Continuing to monitor the field for additional knowledge about learning is where we, as a profession, need to be. Neither "side" of this heated reading discussion has all the answers right now. But we can certainly all work together to learn more, apply our learning, and move students toward increased outcomes.
I say all this to say that YOU matter. As I lead the Department of Instruction, I lead from the belief that knowledgeable teachers are our most important asset. I believe in providing great learning opportunities for teachers so that you are the most knowledgeable you can be in order to meet the needs of the students you work with each day. I take that responsibility very seriously. As our field evolves, we will continue to discuss and provide learning opportunities and materials that reflect new learning. The exciting thing is that this evolution means what is "settled" will change because we are always learning more. This makes our work challenging, but exciting. As long as we are learning and moving forward, we will never be "wrong." Trust yourself and trust your training. Enjoy your holidays and the time you will have to rest and refresh. See everyone in 2024!
GIFTED - WHAT'S A WEP?
As we approach the end of the year and the beginning of the new one, we will provide opportunities to advance our gifted students.
WEP Writing:
A Written Education Plan (WEP) is a personalized roadmap designed to meet the specific learning needs of each gifted student. These customized plans ensure our gifted students receive the support and challenges necessary for continuous intellectual development. The district has over 500 second through twelfth-grade students who receive WEPs. Starting in December, we will conduct WEP writing sessions. Behind every successful WEP is a collaborative effort. The collaborative sessions will involve a group of teachers from CIS and the high school. The sessions will provide valuable insights into the WEP development process.
REMINDER - UPCOMING TESTING DATES - QUESTIONS? CONTACT KRISTEN RODKEY
ELEMENTARY
- Acadience Reading/Math- January 8- February 2, 2024
CENTRAL INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
- SRI- November 27-January 11th, 2024
- Identified 6th Grade Gifted Testing- January 2024
THE TECH ELFS ARE HERE TO HELP
Season's greetings from the Technology Integration team!
As the year comes to a close, we're excited to share some news that will make your video creation experience with Screencastify even better! Screencastify added a valuable feature: the ability to seamlessly include captions in your videos. Whether you're developing educational content, and tutorials, or sharing important information, this new feature allows you to make your videos more accessible and engaging.
Here is a quick video sharing the details. Watch now or save for later.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season filled with joy and relaxation. As you wrap up your projects or enjoy some well-deserved time off, consider exploring this new feature or others. Reach out to Elizabeth or Jeff to set up a time to meet and discuss new ideas for integrating tech into your classroom.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Tech Integration Team!
Merry Mentoring & Holly Jolly New Year from Lit Specialist Elizabeth, Kelly & Stephine
We want to express our gratitude for the incredible work you have been doing as educators. Despite all the changes and challenges we have faced, we are thrilled to see the positive impact it is having on our students.
Our collective efforts in the classroom have resulted in student growth, and it's truly paying off. It is a testament to your dedication, hard work, and commitment to our students' success. Each day, we are making a difference in their lives, and we are so proud to work alongside each of you.
As we approach the start of the New Year and a fresh start in January, we wanted to share a suggestion that will help us get even more out of our teaching resources. Keep coming back to those mentor texts or passages again and again and again. These texts can serve as valuable tools for phonics work, retelling and summarizing activities, fluency checks, vocabulary instruction, and even creative or shared writing opportunities. By leveraging the power of these mentor texts, we can continue to enhance our students' literacy skills while fostering their creativity and critical thinking abilities.
Looking ahead to the New Year, we are filled with enthusiasm as we embark on a fresh start. We are confident that, together, we will continue to inspire and empower our students to reach new heights of success.
We hope that as you pour into your students and families these last couple of weeks, you also remember to find ways to fill your own cups.
More ideas for using mentor texts can be found here!