District Literacy Resource Teachers
Grades K - 4 – Lynda Henney
Grades 7 - 9 - Erin Louis
Lynda Henney
Erin Louis
The Goals of School District #22's Grades K - 9 Literacy Project:
We will (ALL) learn together how to explicitly teach reading and writing within a Balanced Literacy Framework.
Teachers will feel supported by their administration, their RT’s, the District Literacy Resource Teachers and District Office personnel.
ALL stakeholders will work corroboratively toward the goal of enhancing the literacy skills of our students.
Teachers will become familiar with and apply the 6 Assessment For Learning Strategies.
Our students will be competent readers and writers.
Our ‘struggling’ students will be supported and show improvement; we are working toward closing the achievement gap.
90% of our students in each grade will be in the ‘Minimally Meeting Expectations' band or higher based on the established district bands/targets, PM Benchmarks, Whole Class Reading Assessments, and Writing Performance Standards.
The Literacy Assessment Tools:
K-3 teachers will begin field testing the district Primary Screener.
All students in grades 1-3 will be assessed using the PM Benchmarks Kit. Any students in grade 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 who are considered ‘at risk’, will also be assessed with this tool.
The Whole Class Reading Assessment will be used for students in grades 4-7.
RAD will be used in grade 8
Writing will be assessed using Performance Rubrics (adapted from the BC Performance Standards)
Information gleaned from these assessment tools will be used to inform instruction and help determine district and school goals.
The Plan:
Each school develops a literacy team and a literacy plan.
Each school literacy plan is unique to that school and its goals are based on student's needs. Student needs are determined by district assessment tools, school developed assessment tools and/or provincial assessments.
Literacy Lead Teachers attend district meetings with the District Literacy Resource Teachers to learn about collaboration, assessment and literacy instruction.
After school in-services are provided on district assessment tools and literacy topics.
4 Individual schools are supported by the District Literacy Resource Teachers with: developing school-wide projects to improve student reading and/or writing such as the Sight Word buddy program and the Letter Name Kits. Teachers at these 4 schools are also supported with: writing collaborative school literacy plans, resource teachers attending/co-facilitating collaborative school literacy meetings, demonstration lessons, professional development around school literacy goals, and selecting and purchasing literacy resources.
Teachers Observing the lesson with students
Teachers in-service collaborative ideas
Key Components of Our Literacy Project:
Focus on student learning.
On-going in-service and support for teachers and administrators.
In-class support for teachers.
Common assessment tools throughout the district.
Assessments used to inform instruction.
Common language in the district around literacy strategies.
District collects data on PM Benchmarks in Gr. 1-3, whole class assessments Gr. 4-7. RAD in grade 8.
Focus on ensuring that all children have access to books they can read with 95-99% accuracy.
Individual school book rooms have leveled books that are consistent with the district assessment tools.
Access for all teachers to the District Resource Centre (DRC): leveled books for guided reading and literature circles, fiction and non-fiction classroom libraries, big books, differentiated texts to support the Science and Social Studies K-7 curriculum.
Lynda Henney providing in-service for administrators
Recommended Websites:
Writing Fix - Books and Lessons for teaching writing traits
Recommended Readings:
Start Where They Are
PM Benchmark Kit 2
Units of Study For Teaching Writing Grades 3-5 by Lucy Calkins
Learning by Doing by Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker and Thomas Many
Grand Conversations Thoughtful Responses, A Unique Approach to Literature Circles by Faye Brownlie
Is That a Fact? by Tony Stead
The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades "is written by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser"
Building reading Comprehension Habits in Grades 6-12
Q Tasks
How to Empower Kids to Ask Questions and Care About Answers
"by carol Koechelin and Sandi Zwaan"
Writing Essentials: Raising Expectations and Results While Simplifying Teaching by Regie Routman
Reality Checks: Teaching Reading Comprehension with Nonfiction K-5 by Tony Stead
Mosaic of Thought:
Teaching Comprehension in a Reader's Workshop
Ellin Oliver Keene and Susan Zimmermann
Strategies That Work:
Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding
Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis
What Really Matters for Struggling Readers:
Designing Research-Based Programs
Richard L. Allington
Reading with Meaning:
Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades
Debbie Miller
I Read it, But I Don't Get It:
Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers
Cris Tovani
Reading Power:
Teaching Students to Think While They Read
Adrienne Gear
Units of Study for Primary and Intermediate Writing
Lucy Calkins
Children's Play The Roots of Reading
"Edited by edward F. Zigler, Dorothy G Singer,Sandra J. Bishop-Josef
Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early Childhood Environments by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter
Learning Together with Young Children by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter
Authentic Childhood: Expeeriencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom by Susan Fraser
The CAFE Book: Engaging All Students in Daily Literacy Assessment and Instruction by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser
