Teacher Development Section Update
Spring 2020
"What are you writing?" - A Word From the Chair
This year, however, there is one very constant thought that has been ever-present in my mind since January. In Rebekah O'Dell's session, she challenged all of us to see ourselves as writers, claiming that writing is a force that breathes life back into the work we do daily. I hear her voice, full of joy and encouragement, asking the question, "What are you writing?" and I remember her invitation into the edu-writing community.
Reader, I haven't published a book in the past couple of months, nor have I published the perfect academic journal. But I've been writing. During lunch, I take out my iPad and pen some reflections, thoughts, or ideas. I've written a few blog posts. I've submitted a piece to Texas Voices. I'm working on my first ever academic journal submission. And, I'll be honest...I'm loving it. Writing reminds me what I love about this content. Writing reminds me of the power of voice in the world, and the incredible opportunity/privilege we as teachers have to equip young people with such a powerful tool.
I'd love to hear what you're writing...and I'd love for this section to be yet another "O'Dell-ian" voice in your head and heart...your words matter, and you have something to say.
-Caty
Professional Development Resources
Elementary
The Writing Teacher's Companion: Embracing Choice, Voice, Purpose and Play by Ralph Fletcher
Secondary
The true understanding of rigor is masked by an absurd quantity of questions and long, difficult texts. Frey and Fisher offer an extremely bright light at the end of the reading instruction tunnel. In this book, Frey and Fisher explore five layer points to access and comprehend complex text:
- Purpose & Modeling
- Close & Scaffolded Reading Instruction
- Collaborative Conversations
- An Independent Reading Staircase
- Performance
This book offers teachers a guide to creating scaffolded questions, and chunking texts, across all grade levels. The text comes with access to planning tools, strategy outlines, and informational videos.
All Levels
This book offers a new framework to elevate instructional practices with technology and maximize student learning. The T3 Framework helps teachers categorize students’ learning as translational, transformational, or transcendent, sorting through the low-impact applications to reach high-impact usage of technologies. Teachers and leaders will find:
- Examples of technology use at the translational, transformational, and transcendent levels
- Activities, guides, and prompts for deeper learning that move technology use to higher levels of the T3 Framework
- Evaluative rubrics to self-assess current technology use, establish meaningful goals, and track progress towards those goals
Monthly Themes
March: Women's History Month
April: National Poetry Month
Voices From the Section: Lois Marshall-Barker
Lois graduated from Midwestern State University with a B.A. in English and a minor in Journalism. She also possesses a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Literary Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is currently working on her Ed. D in Organizational Leadership with a concentration on Learning with Emerging Technology. She is also certified in English Language Arts and Reading, 8-12, and English as a Second Language, 9-12. Lois serves on the TCTELA Teacher Development section as a regular contributor to the newsletter.
For six years, she served some of Dallas ISD’s neediest populations teaching Reading, English I-III, ESOL for Newcomers, and AP Language and Composition. She also served in leadership capacities as her campus’s LPAC and ELA department chair, Dyslexia Facilitator, and Lead AP teacher. After leading the work in turning her school around, Lois moved to Houston to become a Teacher Development and Professional Development Specialist. For the last seven years, Lois has worked with Houston’s striving campuses to improve ELA best practices, increase leader and teacher capacity, strategically integrate technology, revamp curriculum, and promote literacy across contents.
In addition to her work with Houston area campuses, she works to promote anti-racist curriculum, diversity in classroom libraries and flipped learning in the ELA classroom. She is an advocate for mobilizing teacher learning and virtual coaching. Her goal is to facilitate mindset shifts in how campus administrators and teachers approach literacy and English instruction, moving away from a traditional, standardized testing focus to a whole-child approach through the lens of anti-racism and sound research.
"Where I'm From" by Lois Marshall-Barker (based on the George Ella Lyon model)
from Reggae and wine-yuh waist Soca.
I'm from the whitie-becays
and the red mongoose,
from Macko! and Gurl Hurry Up NAH!
I'm from the African Drum,
from Blessed Assurance
and Jah Rastafari.
I'm from the Spice Isle and the Country,
sulfur springs and white rum.
From the board house on stilts and galvanize roof that creaks at night,
the wet towel across my back and
the Silk-Cotton in the back-garden where Loupgarous have tea with the Devil.
On a shelf in my closet was an aged gift box,
spewing old photos,
a collage of bloodlines
to live for their dreams and mine.
I am from those moments--
snapped before I budded --
leaf-fall from the family tree.
TEA Updates for ELAR Leaders
What will the STAAR/EOC tests look like during both the overlap years and the 2021-2022 school year?
- The blueprints for STAAR/EOC during the overlap years will not change. Students will only be assessed on overlapping standards.
- Currently, TEA has not yet released what this means for EOC writing, specifically persuasive/argumentative, which are not identified as overlapping standards.
- Test design schematics for the overlap years can be found HERE.
- It is currently unknown as to what the new test will look like in 2021-2022. However, law requires there to be somewhat of an integration of writing into all ELAR tests in the future. Several writing items will be field tested this year.
What standards are considered "overlapping"?
- TEA has released the overlapping curriculum for reading, grades 3-8. You can find these documents HERE, alongside the vertical alignment documents.
- We are still waiting for writing overlapping standards to be shared.
- 9-12 documents have not yet been released.
Where can I find the most updated information on HB3 Reading Academies?
- ESC Region 11 has been selected by TEA to develop the online content and facilitate the rollout of Reading Academies.
- Their Reading Academies website has an FAQ page, links to TEA, and other information that is updated frequently.
Tech Tool Highlight
Google Keep
Filling Your Classroom Library Shelves
Elementary (meant for late elementary/intermediate)
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
The lives of five middle schoolers intersect at a well one summer day. This tale centers on Virgil, a gentle, uncertain Filipino-American boy. He earns to find the courage, that the other men in his family have, to approach Valencia Somerset. In Virgil’s eyes, Valencia is confident and cool. But Valencia who is deaf and a nature lover is seeking a friend. Both Virgil and Valencia finds interest in the services of Kaoria, a self-professed call psychic. Chet Bullens is the neighborhood bully. On the surface, he is obnoxious and immediately unlikely as he frequently torments Virgil. However, Chet like Virgil has many insecurities and so desperately wants to please his father. To find answers to their lives Virgil and Valencia journey to Kaoria’s house on separate paths; however, when one of them goes missing the universe answers.
Hello Universe is an authentic, touching examine at family, friendship, and self-discovery. Erin Entrada Kelly beautifully intertwines Filipino myths with each character's story as perspectives switches throughout the book. There are serious themes highlighted in this book and are great avenues to deep discussions about bullying, disabilities, family tradition, and identity. It is appropriate for all grade levels.
Middle School
Seventh-grader Tristan Strong is at a loss after failing to save his best friend, Eddie, in a bus accident. All he has left of his dear friend is a journal full of Eddie Stories. Tristan is sent to recover at his grandparents’ farm in Alabama. On his first night, something strange happens: a sticky creature appears in his bedroom and steals the journal. As Tristan fights the creature for Eddie’s journal he punches a Bottle Tree ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a place with a burning sea, iron monsters, and haunted bone ships that hunt the inhabitants of this world. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a great battle. He must muster the strength and courage to join black American gods such as John Henry and Brer Rabbit to seal the hole in the sky.
High School
National Poetry Month is an opportunity to share relevant, vibrant, and emotionally charged poetry & novels-in-verse with our students. Shout is a response to the 20 years of reaction to Anderson's novel Speak, a novel about sexual assault. Anderson shares rants, reflections, and calls to action through poetic form; this text will not only capture the attention and affection of high school readers, but gives voice to those who may have none. Excellent text for a classroom library shelf as well as excerpts to use as writing mentor texts.
ELAR TEKS Resources
PD2Teach
PD2Teach is a project from TCTELA supporting teachers and curriculum leaders in the implementation of the new ELAR/SLAR TEKS for K-8 beginning in 2019-2020 and continuing with high school TEKS in 2020-2021.
This link will take you to a portfolio of videos that you can use in PLCs, department meetings, or in other professional learning contexts. The videos feature classroom teachers engaged in conversations about adapting instruction for the new TEKS.
Access these incredible resources HERE.
TEKS Resources for District Coordinators
Are You a Literacy Leader?
Stay Connected with TCTELA
Submit your proposal for the 2021 conference! Deadline is June 5, 2020.
High School Section Podcast: Conversations with Teacher Leaders
TCTELA Teacher Development Chair: Caty Dearing
Email: catydear@gmail.com
Website: catydearing.blog
Twitter: @catydear