I am currently teaching sixth grade digital literacy.  The students I teach have their ‘own’ laptops that they use and bring with them throughout the school day.  The laptops stayed at school. The last day of in school class we had was Friday, March 13. The following week was spring break.  At 2:30 that day we were told to have their laptops chargers ready for them to pick up and bring home with them ‘just in case’. The students were a little confused about the idea of them bringing their laptops home.  The students did bring home their laptops, for that I am grateful. They all were already used to going to Google Classroom most days for most of their classes and had in class time to learn how to use different applications and programs. Below is a list of resources I have been using weekly since online learning began.    

Screencastify- I record weekly videos reviewing material from the week before and going over the assignments for the next week.  Screencastify has allowed schools to have the extended version for free. All videos are automatically stored in Google Drive.  

Google Meet- This is the app that my school uses for meetings.  It is also used for open office hours for students to say ‘hi’ or ask questions. 

Google Forms- I use this weekly for attendance and checking in.  I also use it for formative and summative assessments.  

Teachers Pay Teachers- When I know what I am looking for (essential question, practice, skill) I will go to teacherspayteachers to see if something I was hoping for has been created already or find something for inspiration. 

Google Classroom- This is where communication, assignments, and feedback are shared with students.  

Padlet- I have been posting a weekly social question for students to answer in padlet.  It is a place to share and be social for my students. 

Common Sense Media-  I have been using the resources and lesson plans on Digital Citizenship  that are available on Common Sense Media. The lessons and resources are great and can be applied to an online learning environment.

YouTube- If I have a question about how to do something in Google Classroom or another application I will watch a youtube video about it or if I want to learn more about an application I will watch videos about it. 

Simplek12- SimpleK12 often has free webinars about Google Classroom, Forms, and other Google apps and how to use them for the classroom.  

Typing.com- This is a site that my students have been working in throughout the school year.  The curriculum and lessons are sequential. Student information is saved. Students can login with Google and see their progress.  

Canva- This is a site I have just started to use and would like to learn more about it and hopefully introduce it to my students soon. It is a place to design.  

Resources- 

Google Classroom–  This is my first year using Google Classroom and I have learned a lot about how to use it throughout the school year.  It has become a very valuable resource. It is a great way to post work, collect work, share resources, add videos, and check for understanding.  I do feel fortunate now that I started the school year using Google Classroom. My students are very familiar with using it, and little academic time was lost on learning how to use it.  

With moving over to online learning, I watched several videos on youtube and attended several webinars on tips to help with moving to online learning.  The ones I found most useful are to try and make yourself ‘visible’, clarity is crucial, and be organized.   

Screencastify– I have been making weekly videos- going over lessons and instructions using screencastify.  It has been a very valuable tool.  

Common Sense Education– I have used the resources (videos, worksheets, slideshows) and lesson plans available on Common Sense Education  The lessons are great. They are complete and full of resources. The lessons I have used parts of are netiquette, finding balance in a digital world, and digital footprint.  The focus of my PLC is helping kids learn how to be online, making them aware of their actions and consequences of their and others online behavior, and how to use online resources.  

Most Important Things to Consider

Emotional well-being–  Emotional well-being is always the most important and now is a very crucial time to be aware of others wellbeing.  Education is second. Families may have more stress than before. Children could be scared, anxious, bored, and/or not have the best home-life.  As educators I feel that our role is to be making connections with students and families in ways that work best for that family, and to be a resource for them if they need it.  Keeping communication, expectations, and classwork clear, easy to follow, and predictable is key. 

Digital equality– Schools should be reaching out to find out what families have for technology.  If they need technology, schools should be helping them get what they need. Families may need laptops, ipads, or Internet connections.  If they are not able to access their education through technology then other methods of access need to be provided.  

High Quality Professional Development 

The purpose of professional development is to answer the question ‘how will this help me teach and help my students learn?’. 

High quality professional development looks like it is a cohesive system.  The person or people leading the professional development have gathered information, made goals, created steps to work on goals, and progress is shared and celebrated.  

Gathering Information- Time has been spent gathering information and feedback about what the school, and team of teachers would like to focus on, learn more about, and learn how to implement. 

Setting Goals- Setting goals will give a clear focus and help create a timeline of learning and actions steps that are doable. 

Valuing team members- All members are valued and met where they are at as individuals.  New teachers can offer insight into new ways of learning and excitement.  Vetern teachers can help guide and share what they have tried. Administrators can share time, resources and show support.  Special education teachers can share alternative methods for teaching. 

Creating Steps- Steps are created for what is focused on when.  The timeline is created and clear.  

Sharing and Celebrating-  When a session is over or the school year is over time is spent on reflecting.  Reflecting on what went well, what didn’t go well, what was achieved, and a continuation of planning for the following school year. Time for celebrating the successes of the school year. 

A Session of Professional Development includes-

Inviting– The space is inviting.  Maybe food is available, enough seating for everyone, resources are easily available.

Value input/feedback and plan for discussions– Lively discussion is part of every effective professional development (Lyons 2001).  Discussions should happen between teachers/participants- small groups/pairs. Exit tickets could be used to receive feedback from the session and to check for understanding. 

Good use of time– The agenda is clear.  Time is honored. If the session is set to end at a certain time that is when it ends.  There is time to share and have conversation at the beginning, introduction of activities, time for participants to engage in the topic and share their understanding.  

Resources– Resources could be readings, artifacts, examples of student work, and curriculum for teachers to take with them.  Other resources could be pens, markers, paper, chart paper. Items to be used during the session or items for teachers to take with them to try new learning.  

Action Steps- Set goals for the next session, make assignments if appropriate Lyons 2001) 

The ultimate goal of professional development is continuation of valuable learning for educators.  

References

Lyons, C. A., & Pinnell, G. S. (2001). Systems for Change in Literacy Education. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

High Quality Literacy Programs

Elementary School

A  high quality literacy program for elementary schools includes the five pillars of reading instruction. 

The Five Pillars of Reading Instruction are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 

Phonemic awareness is the foundation.  It is the understanding that all spoken words are made using a subset of 44 individual sounds.  

On top of this comes phonics.  Students learn that the sounds in spoken words relate to patterns of letters in written words. 

When phonemic awareness and phonics are being developed techniques to improve fluency can be taught.

Vocabulary is learned directly and indirectly.  Students may need explicit instruction to learn new words to increase their comprehension of a story or concept.

Comprehension is the end goal to all reading rather it reading to yourself, or a book being read aloud.  In order for students to comprehend what they are reading they need to have phonemic awareness, know phonics, be able to read the text fluently, and know what the words mean.  Strategies should be modeled, reinforced, and practiced. 

Middle School and beyond

The thought that students are only reading to learn in the middle school years and beyond is no longer true.  Adolescents need to continue to learn about reading and literacy. They need explicit instruction, teacher modeling, fair assessments, access to a wide variety of text, taught how to use and create graphic representation, self- directed in-depth inquiry, instruction that values connection, and opportunities to engage in critical literacy.  Students also need close reading, modeling, scaffolding, and visible literacy learning (Shearer 2019) .

Literacy Plans for Schools need to include: 

• Goals- It is important that the plan be measurable, coherent, concrete, and comprehensible to teachers and administrators.
• Resources
• List of strategies 
• Screening and assessments
• Tier Support
• Intervention 
• Progress monitoring
• Parent Communication
• Staff Development

Most Important

“Every child deserves a great teacher, not by chance, but by design.” (Shearer 2019) The biggest factor in student growth comes from the quality of their teacher.  Administors and others involved in the development in student planning and assessment need to know that the largest factor in student growth comes for the quality of their teacher.  Teacher development will produce the greatest benefit for students.  

Allington, R. L., & Cunningham, P. (2016). Classrooms that work: They can all read and write. Allyn and Bacon.

Armbruster, B. B., Lehr, F., Osborn, J., & Adler, C. R. (2009). Put reading first: The research building blocks of reading instruction : kindergarten through grade 3 (3rd ed.). [Washington, D.C.?]: National Institute for Literacy.

The National Reading Panel: Five Components of Reading Instruction Frequently Asked Questions.  (n.d.) Retrieved from

Click to access National_Reading_Panel_Reading_Instruction_FAQ.pdf

Shearer, B. A., Carr, D. A., & Vogt, M. (2019). Reading specialists and literacy coaches in the real world. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press

Osseo Area Schools (2017). ISD 279 Osseo Area School local literacy plan. 

Retrieved from https://district279.org/images/Dept/CIES/LocalLiteracyPlan.pdf

Rush City Schools (2012/2013). District 139 Rush City School local literacy plan. 

Retrieved from https://www.rushcity.k12.mn.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_922064/File/Forms/Minnesota%20Local%20Literacy%20Plan.pdf

High Quality Literacy Programs

Elementary School

The Five Pillars of Reading Instruction are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 

A  high quality literacy program for elementary schools includes the five pillars of reading instruction. 

Phonemic awareness is the foundation.  It is the understanding that all spoken words are made using a subset of 44 individual sounds.  

On top of this comes phonics.  Students learn that the sounds in spoken words relate to patterns of letters in written words. 

When phonemic awareness and phonics are being developed techniques to improve fluency can be taught.

Vocabulary is learned directly and indirectly.  Students may need explicit instruction to learn new words to increase their comprehension of a story or concept.

Comprehension is the end goal to all reading rather it reading to yourself, or a book being read aloud.  In order for students to comprehend what they are reading they need to have phonemic awareness, know phonics, be able to read the text fluently, and know what the words mean.  Strategies should be modeled, reinforced, and practiced. 

Middle School and beyond

The thought that students are only reading to learn in the middle school years and beyond is no longer true.  Adolescents need to continue to learn about reading and literacy. They need explicit instruction, teacher modeling, fair assessments, access to a wide variety of text, taught how to use and create graphic representation, self- directed in-depth inquiry, instruction that values connection, and opportunities to engage in critical literacy.  Students also need close reading, modeling, scaffolding, and visible literacy learning (Shearer 2019) .

Literacy Plans for Schools need to include: 

• Goals- It is important that the plan be measurable, coherent, concrete, and comprehensible to teachers and administrators.
• Resources
• List of strategies 
• Screening and assessments
• Tier Support
• Intervention 
• Progress monitoring
• Parent Communication
• Staff Development

Most Important

“Every child deserves a great teacher, not by chance, but by design.” (Shearer 2019) The biggest factor in student growth comes from the quality of their teacher.  Administors and others involved in the development in student planning and assessment need to know that the largest factor in student growth comes for the quality of their teacher.  Teacher development will produce the greatest benefit for students.  

Allington, R. L., & Cunningham, P. (2016). Classrooms that work: They can all read and write. Allyn and Bacon.

Armbruster, B. B., Lehr, F., Osborn, J., & Adler, C. R. (2009). Put reading first: The research building blocks of reading instruction : kindergarten through grade 3 (3rd ed.). [Washington, D.C.?]: National Institute for Literacy.

The National Reading Panel: Five Components of Reading Instruction Frequently Asked Questions.  (n.d.) Retrieved from

Click to access National_Reading_Panel_Reading_Instruction_FAQ.pdf

Shearer, B. A., Carr, D. A., & Vogt, M. (2019). Reading specialists and literacy coaches in the real world. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press

Osseo Area Schools (2017). ISD 279 Osseo Area School local literacy plan. 

Retrieved from https://district279.org/images/Dept/CIES/LocalLiteracyPlan.pdf

Rush City Schools (2012/2013). District 139 Rush City School local literacy plan. 

Retrieved from https://www.rushcity.k12.mn.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_922064/File/Forms/Minnesota%20Local%20Literacy%20Plan.pdf

A resource I would like to share is the Daily 5 book.  This book changed the framework for how I taught reading in my classroom.  I remember the first days I taught the lessons of ‘read to self’ and had the children work on their stamina for reading.  I trusted very anxiously the first steps they (The Sisters) had said to do- have the children review the expectations and start reading.  When someone begins to not follow the expectations bring them back and go over the expectations and have them start again. Well I followed the steps and it worked!  It really worked! In several days all the students were reading the whole time! I went on to teach the other parts of the Daily 5 and the children were busy bees going about their work and being purposeful.  I also used the same framework for math time- math with teacher, math on my own, and math with someone. It created a positive learning environment.  

The Daily 5.  Authors Gail Boushey (Author), Joan Moser (Author)

Federal Legislation

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015.  It helps ensure success for students and schools. It increases investments in preschools, and ensures that statewide assessments are done annually and information is shared with educators, families, students, and families. If a school is not making progress or has a low graduation rate over time- those schools are held accountable and actions will take place that have a positive impact.  It requires that all students in America be taught to high-standards and help prepare them for college and careers.

  The impacts this could have on literacy leaders are more children receiving quality preschool therefore increasing students reading skills earlier in their education.  Literacy leaders have more information about students from their annual testing. The tests could show areas of growth and weaknesses in a school overall literacy plan and/or curriculum. 

State Legislation

120B.12 Reading Proficiently No Later Than the End of Grade 3

Includes 5 subdivisions:  Literacy goal, Identification- parent notification and involvement, intervention, staff development- local literacy plan, and Commissioner.

Literacy Goal– The goal of the legislature is to have every child reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade and teachers teach comprehensive and scientifically based reading instruction. 

Identification and Parent notification and involvement-  School districts must identify children in kindergarten, first, and second grades that are not reading a grade level before the end of the school year.  If a child is behind they must be screened for characteristics of dyslexia. If a child is in third grade or in an older grade and they are behind the district must screen for characteristics of dyslexia as well.  

Reading Assessments need to be done to evaluate and identify a child’s area of literacy needs.  Assessment results need to be reported annually to the Commissioner by July, 1. The school district needs to also annually report a summary of the districts screening and identification process of students with dyslexia, and convergence insufficiency disorder.  A student that is identified under this subdivision must be provided alternative instruction.  

Parents must be notified at least annually if their child is not reading a grade level.  They also must be notified about what assessment was used, what reading services their child is currently receiving, and strategies they can use at home to help their child.  

Intervention- School districts must provide reading intervention to accelerate a student’s reading growth to ensure that they are reading at grade level by the end of the school year.  If the student does not reach grade level proficiency by the end of the school year, the district must continue to provide reading interventions until they do reach grade level reading. 

A school district is strongly encouraged to provide a personal learning plan for students who need reading at grade level by grade three.  The personal learning plan needs to include the guardians, knowledge gaps, skill deficiencies, strategies, when the strategies will happen, assessments, and a timeline.

Staff development- local literacy plan-  Each school district will use data from assessments to identify staff development needs.  Elementary teachers need to provide instruction in the five areas of reading- phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.  Licensed teachers are provided regular opportunities to improve reading and writing instruction. 

The school district needs to have a local literacy plan that includes a process to assess a students’ reading level, a process to notify parents, a process about reading strategies and interventions, identify staff development needs, and the plan must be posted on the school district’s website. 

Commissioner-  The commissioner will make recommendations about assessment tools, and give examples of national recognized and research based instructional methods about reading instruction and interventions. 

Literacy leaders need to know the statutes and when laws change.  They need to be aware of the rules and regulations to ensure their school district is meeting the requirements of the laws, and the needs of students and teachers.  They need to work with teachers to guide, help assess, develop plans, make professional developments effective, and be a point of contact for questions. 

Teachers need to be aware of the rules and regulations to be ready to implement the requirements in their classrooms, work with their literacy leaders, be flexible to changes and ongoing learning.  

References

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2020, from https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=policy

Revisor of Statutes. (2019). Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved February 22, 2020, from https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/120b.12

I appreciate the CURRV model developed by Peter Afflerbach.  CURRV is an acronym for- Consequences, Usefulness, Roles and Responsibility, Reliability, and Validity (Shearer et al., 2019).  Assessments need to be looked at through this lens. If the assessment is deemed fit to be used, it should successfully guide teaching practices.  

Schools should use assessments as a screening instrument to find students that are not on par with their peers and to have a baseline.  When a student performs poorly on a screening, a diagnostics test should be done to find where the difficulty lies. When a student begins receiving additional support in the area the need help in they should be given progress monitoring tests to see if the intervention plan is working (Shearer et al., 2019).  

When assessments are used effectively it looks like students know the learning goals and are learning.  Instruction is adapted to meet students immediate needs. Feedback is given to students and they are able to act upon it.  

Risks from using data depends on the validity of the assessment and how the student responded to the assessment. Some things to consider are did the student try their best, were they distracted, did they answer the questions on their own, or did the way the test was given get in the way of them showing what they actually know?   

Reference

Shearer, B. A., Carr, D. A., & Vogt, M. (2019). Reading specialists and literacy coaches in the real world. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press

A resource I would like to share is the Daily 5 book.  This book changed the framework for how I taught reading in my classroom.  I remember the first days I taught the lessons of ‘read to self’ and had the children work on their stamina for reading.  I trusted very anxiously the first steps they (The Sisters) had said to do- have the children review the expectations and start reading.  When someone begins to not follow the expectations bring them back and go over the expectations and have them start again. Well I followed the steps and it worked!  It really worked! In several days all the students were reading the whole time! I went on to teach the other parts of the Daily 5 and the children were busy bees going about their work and being purposeful.  I also used the same framework for math time- math with teacher, math on my own, and math with someone. It created a positive learning environment.  

The Daily 5.  Authors Gail Boushey (Author), Joan Moser (Author)

Literacy leaders are important in K-12 school settings because classrooms are filled with students that need differentiation- special needs, English language learners, gifted/highly able.  To meet the needs teachers need to be highly competent. Teachers need to be able to teach all students to learn and read successfully, and integrate literacy in various subjects in ways to facilitate students’ reading and writing to learn.  Literacy leaders can help assess students, develop programs, and lead professional development to help classroom teachers fill this immense need.  

Currently literacy leaders work with teachers and students to meet the goals of improving classroom literacy and student learning, and they facilitate or lead school improvement efforts the prioritize effective literacy standards, assessment, and instruction.  

Literacy leaders need to stay current on literacy research, practices, and policies to lead their school district in making strong decisions.  They need to facilitate positive interactions among school and district administrators, principals, classroom teachers, students, and parents. They also need to maintain high expectations for interventions, including research and investigations of the approach and needs of the students in the school district. 

International Literacy Association.  (2015). Retrieved from

Click to access literacy-professionals-research-brief.pdf