The Literacy Lowe-down
A Newsletter for Watkins Teachers
April 20, 2015
Assessment Reminders
All assessments need to be completed and entered into the data portal by May 8th! These include:
- DRA 2 for K-2
- Letter ID (Kindergarten only)
- DRA 2 for 3-5 (only for students reading below the Fluent Level. For students at the Fluent Level, use the Lexile from EOY i-Ready data. See email sent last week).
- QSI
- District Writing Prompt
- Classroom rank
District assessment information can be found on Canvas! Your EOY data also needs to be entered into the data spreadsheet and emailed to me.
New Resources for Writer's Workshop
Katy and Jodi tried out two new resources for teaching writing. After some discussion, we decided we liked the Schoolwide Units of Study the best! I order two units for each grade level... one is Informational, and one is Opinion. These will be shared within your grade level. I also ordered Grammar and Conventions units for third, fourth, and fifth grades.
Click here to preview the units! All but a few of the units have arrived. We will take a few minutes for you to look at them at team meetings next week!
Remember that all of our resources (Being a Writer, Schoolwide Units of Study, Lucy Calkins Units of Study, etc.) are just RESOURCES! We are not teaching a "curriculum"... we are teaching the standards. The resources are just tools to help you do that effectively. As the teacher, you have to become the expert on what your students need to know, and how to teach it!
Click here to preview the units! All but a few of the units have arrived. We will take a few minutes for you to look at them at team meetings next week!
Remember that all of our resources (Being a Writer, Schoolwide Units of Study, Lucy Calkins Units of Study, etc.) are just RESOURCES! We are not teaching a "curriculum"... we are teaching the standards. The resources are just tools to help you do that effectively. As the teacher, you have to become the expert on what your students need to know, and how to teach it!
Professional Books to Check Out This Summer
Reading with Meaning, by Debbie Miller
K-1 teachers will each get a copy of this! We will be looking at this resource in team meetings next year.
Rigorous Reading, by Fisher & Frey
We already started looking at this resource in team meetings. 3-5 teachers will each get a copy! Be sure to check out the videos that you can access with QR codes!
Notebook Connections, by Buckner
2-5 teachers will each get a copy of this! We will be looking at this resource in team meetings next year.
Summer Reading... Just for Fun!
Teachers who love to read have students who love to read! What are you planning on reading this summer JUST FOR FUN???