Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone is staying cool, both physically and mentally! Now that the 4th has passed, many retailers, families, and educators are already looking towards August and September. My local Target has already put out their back-to-school supplies. A boy who looked about 7 years old saw the display and exclaimed – “OH, COME ON! ALREADY! IT JUST ENDED.” I echo his sentiment! And while I *may* have a countdown ticking away the days until pumpkin spice returns (54 days), the summer is still very much here, with humidity, aphids, and all.
For those looking for a way to fill their days, I invite you to join our summer book club. We’ll be reading Black, Brilliant and Dyslexic edited by Marcia Brisett-Bailey – together over the next 8 weeks. You can join the conversation in our Facebook group here!
Since the summer and schedules are hectic, we will be doing this group asynchronously. Discussion prompts will be posted on Mondays, but feel free to add your own and engage with each other throughout the week and at your own pace as your progress through the book.
We also have an updated Facebook page I’d encourage you to follow for all things Everyone Reading!
Happy Reading, and stay cool.
LAST CALL FOR RESPONSES:
Professional Development Needs Survey
Throughout the summer, into the 2023-2024 school year, and beyond, I want to ensure we offer the professional development you need most. Please take 3 minutes and fill out this linked survey on your greatest needs and interests so we can have an amazingly productive summer full of fun and useful learning.
Professional Development Opportunities
thinkSRSD “How to Teach Writing” – August Session
This course will enhance how you teach writing (and close reading) based on the latest advances in the science of writing. thinkSRSD equips students with the strategies and discrete skills (word and sentence level) needed to write independently and effectively. It demystifies what effective writing looks like and how to produce it with its comprehensive, easy-to-use system. The approach has been proven to work in studies that meet the most rigorous research quality and outcomes. You’ll learn to help your students write better at the word choice, sentence formation, and paragraph genre levels so they can use their voice to share their messages with the world and improve it.
The course costs $395 and consists of 3 online classes from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Aug 3, 10 & 18. You will have access to eLearning modules that you will complete over 6 hours between the course meeting dates. You will also receive a book with a step-by-step lesson plan. The registration deadline for the June course is Wednesday, July 26. This course is also eligible for CTLE credit. To learn more and to register, please click here.
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ASPDP Course: Teaching Vocabulary All Day, Every Day
This workshop will address this simple view of reading by providing instructional strategies in three of the five pillars of reading: phonological awareness, phonics, and vocabulary because mastery of those pillars leads to proficiency in fluency and comprehension as well. It will concentrate on building a foundation of word recognition skills and enabling teachers and students to build a large and varied working vocabulary and strategies for acquiring new words. It will specifically address the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students whose language comprehension may not match the demands of the school system. Those needs include activities that include and validate the students’ language and experience, as English is constantly being enriched by language and experiences that are not “standard.” Participants will embrace the idea of expanding vocabulary, not substituting one word for another. They will discuss and practice strategies for using students’ vocabulary to enhance their own.
Participants will learn a variety of quick and easy activities and drills to teach phonological awareness and phonics effectively and efficiently. They will also learn to teach vocabulary formally and informally, using morphology, syntax, and context clues, explicit instruction, and correct practice in targeted words, and by embedding vocabulary development into every activity during the school day.
Participants will also practice designing quick and effective assessments, which, instead of diagnosing students’ deficiencies, will reinforce skills taught and measure the impact of that instruction on students. To learn more and register, please click here.
