Literacy Team

June 4, 2015
4 p.m.

GOAL: To prepare the groundwork so that W.A. Pattillo can be a literacy rich school.

Welcome

Literacy Culture
What are your own beliefs about helping children become readers/writers?
first must know where students are , provide student choice and not force the reading,
culture of reading, making it enjoyable, reading for pleasure, component of reading for
leisure and research
What about the other teachers in your building? Administration?
A lot people are not sure how to be literacy teachers
What is the role of professional development to enhance literacy efforts and
understanding?
How do teachers currently reflect on their teaching and receive support?

Professional Dev. will help.
Are teachers given time and space to effectively plan and implement
programs?
Teachers are not given time at the beginning as an expectation. Teachers know at the
beginning of the year to roll it out. AR was rolled out in early November. Transitioning
from an elementary to middle school at the start of the year - we did not have the correct
leveled material. We have to set high expectations for students regardless.
Challenging aspect helps students

How are parents and the community engaged in literacy initiatives?

Not at all. Possibly partner with community libraries and have students get library cards.
Try a Literacy Night to ask parents to come. Combine with another event to get parents to
come out.
 BOB requires family support AND District support (time - or a separate enhancement class)
during day to read & practice) if we want it to succeed in this District (Region 3 counties
Halifax & Northhampton have dropped it now)

Social Hour or Mixer to get to know students and parents to build the relationship with
parents.

Literacy Practices
What literacy programs currently exist in your school?
AR, Battle of the Books, Articles of the Week
How have they changed over recent years?
Students are burnt out over the course of time of reading focused instruction.
Teachers have not been focused
Lack of training. If AR is to be used, training ($) needed specifically for: Media
Coordinator and ELA teachers by AR Teacher-Rep
Transfer of skills from the test to other text
Laying out the expectations to students and parents early
Piper Boyd from Tarboro High is trained
Whats next?
Reading role models
Reading Cafe
Im Currently Reading
Book Talks
Theme for each month - have all teachers read a book a month from different genres (i.e.,
September = biographies, October = science fiction) and post it outside their doors/discuss
with their homeroom class
What literacy materials are presently used and available?
Teacher personal magazines
SCOPE magazines
What pedagogical practices are commonly used in the classrooms?
Vocabulary that go with the standards, vocabulary portfolios, read aloud, popcorn reading,
 What interventions are available for struggling readers, both in the regular
education setting and outside? (Do these interventions occur both inside and
outside the regular classroom?)
Teachers attempt to work with students in class.
Need more professional staff development to help teachers become comfortable with
strategies to use with reading.
HillRAP with a small group of students.
HillRAP comprehension strategies
Need a schedule for HillRAP

Assessment Practices

What literacy assessments (local, district, state) exist in your school?

EOG, District Benchmark, STAR test

Are assessment data primarily used as a grade or for information?

Data retrieved for information purposes

How is assessment data used to develop a personalized growth plan for

students?

Used for students with an IEP. used for classroom grouping

Literacy Gaps & Opportunities

What gaps exist in the literacy initiatives, programs, and practices in

your school?

Nobody knows what is going on

Lack of information and communication

Training

Ideas of what to do with the results

We have the expectation for students to read but we are not supporting books

No evidence of the focus of reading

More guidance to do with book sets

Reading circles or literature circles with students

Resources

What opportunities exist for developing a strong literacy culture and

stronger practices?

Staff book read to build the staff

Next Steps

Given the information you have uncovered, what are the critical next
steps as a school leader in your building/district?

Lay out a framework for what role literacy plays in our school

Reading visuals throughout the school (highlighting reading, displays)

At the beginning of the year set the tone for a foundation for reading

Expectation:

Each teacher have a reading corner, magazines, newspapers

Word of the Day
Science teachers (science fiction or biographies of scientist
Passport to Knowledge (Oneal lead) Head to Tarboro to California and then
from California to Rio De Janero (Huge Map, Road Path, Passport, Stickers
or Stamps, Homeroom Trackers cards to represent the homeroom
 Book Pep Rally (1st nine weeks)

Start early September after labor day. (Video to intro)

Setup one of the room for students to set up Reading Cafe (using soothing
music, cool decorations.
Use the reading lab as an incentive
All teachers are expected to take students to the library (no less than every
other week.)
Library orientation for all students
Celebrate Banned Books week (September 27-Oct 3)

In the first few weeks for school a chant about reading (KIPP format)

Choice Board for Reading for school year for each month

Book Challenge and Incentives

Next

Muse makes contact with authors - for Author Visit to Pattillo

Reading competition:
between homerooms
book counts when turn in a product
use book project ideas to give them a choice
if they read 5 books with different projects then get to go to a book party
need:
Lauchert puts book project options on choice boards
reading log to keep track of books theyve read
make sure homeroom teachers have access to books to offer kids,
have magazines or newspapers for after tests/quizzes/ work
track by homeroom in lobby
create google spreadsheet for homerooms to track books or google forms and kids
turn in form themselves
 use tickets to track as homeroom
when kids finishes project: turn in project, fill out ticket, and fill out form about
book
thermometer to track total books as a school?

homeroom with most books each quarter gets a prize= 1st 9 weeks movie with
popcorn and drinks; 2nd 9 weeks ice cream party; 3rd 9 weeks free time; 4th 9 weeks
outside time

individual prizes: wall of fame and certificate at awards day

40 book challenge= trip

frankies/ adventure landing/ extreme sports

implement after labor day

put homeroom tracker up in hallway to cafeteria, update weekly with tape

try writing to publishers to get free books

aug- summer
sept- dystopian
oct - banned book
nov-- historical
dec- fantasy
jan- biography
feb-sci fi
march- realistic fiction march 2nd read across america read favorite children's book
april- poetry
may- memoirs/ autobiography
Early College students come do a book talk
Acting out idea
Battle of the Books (attend)
Flipped Books-
Advice Books
Read Dr. Seuss books and other childrens books, short story
Students dress up as their favorite book
____________________________________________________
March

Monday-Favorite Dr. Seuss book

Tuesday- Poetry Day
Wednesday- Reading Superhero/Read Across America Day
Thursday- Dress as Your Genre
Friday- Book Out (3:15-3:40)

Pattillo Story Contest-(Parker)

Strategies Poster Contest
Freestyle Battle during lunch about reading
Guess the Characters

Prize: Snack Basket (3 different)