Cobb ELA
January Newsletter
ELA Department message
Welcome back! With the start of each year, it's a great time to reflect and remember some of the great happenings in our schools. We welcome you to explore this newsletter for resources, links, updates and up and comings in our district and ELA department.
We'll take a look back at the 2015 and then spring into the look fors of 2016!
A look back at 2015.
ELA Teacher Leader Spotlight
Check out our Teacher Leader Spotlight's posted on the ELA blog: elacobb.com
Lindsay, our December Teacher Spotlight, shares some great happenings in her classroom including using twitter as an outlet for engaging her students in conversations outside the classroom.
Book Chats
Teachers around Cobb became involved in a book chat around two text: Rigorous Reading and In the Best Interest of Students. Teachers participated in twitter chats to discuss the implications of these text in their classrooms.
Learning Walks
Our ELA department has taken learning walks in feeder patterns through many schools around our district.. This has aided in a K-12 perspective of our Literacy classrooms and to identify our greatest strengths in a balanced literacy environment.
Winter Professional Learning Opportunities
Join us for upcoming learning opportunities this Winter :
January 26th: Professional learning evening at Clarkdale: A make and take session for PBL.
February 9th: Webinar (Check with your administration for the link and times)
February 27th: District Professional Learning Day
Cobb ELA is on twitter!
This fall the ELA department has worked to build ongoing opportunities to share, learn and grow using digital outlets. We have started twitter book chats with our Teacher Leader Academy participants and a few fellow ELA friends have joined us as well. Our digital journey is also continuing in building our ELA blog with Teacher Leader Spotlights. This avenue showcased exceptional teachers around Cobb sharing favorite strategies, reflections and ways they will continue to grow. If you have yet to check out our blog (elacobb.com) or our twitter page (@cobb_ela), please do! Connect with us!
instructional Strategy Focus: Writing
Writing about Reading in all content areas is a highly effective way in which to gather information about Reading comprehension. The R.A.F.T. strategy is one simple way to think about the four main areas that all writers consider: Role of the Writer, Audience, Format, and Topic. RAFT writing combines the best of both worlds; creative responses with a focus on prompted writing. This strategy spans all learners needs, ages and interests. Visit the links below to explore examples and articles!