Literacy Lounge
News and Updates
Congratulations to our Reading Plus Combo Challenge winners! Gift cards and certificates will be delivered to our winners soon. Thank you to all students who worked hard during the competition window to complete combos and to our teachers who encouraged them.
StudySync Curriculum Refresh
During the February 19th workday, Secondary Literacy hosted an ELA/English Curriculum Collaboration where participants dug into the new StudySync core units and provided feedback on the scope and sequence of those units for the upcoming school year. Many schools had previously planned activities and few middle school ELA teachers were able to attend the collaboration.
It is important to me that our teachers have a voice in the curriculum planning as we move forward. Therefore, with your PLC partners at your school please complete the following before the end of April. Your Coach has been asked to help facilitate the conversation.
- Log into the StudySync demo account using the information below. They need to be signed out of their NCEdCloud account. Otherwise, they will be log into our current version.
- https://my.mheducation.com/
- UN: NCStudySync
- PW: 2023elaNC
2. Preview into the six Core ELA units for their grade level.
- Compare our current curriculum and focus standards overview for each quarter to the focus standards of each StudySync Core Unit.
- Use the StudySync Scope and Sequence Guide to identify which Core Units would best suit our instructional needs.
- Look at the text offered within each Core Unit
- Record feedback for Core Units on the appropriate document linked below. (All other links in this email are also linked to these documents. Feel free to share with your teachers)
3. Discuss as a PLC one of the three options:
- Continue to teach a four-unit curriculum.
- Identify which StudySync Core units will best serve our curriculum scope and sequence?
- In what order should these four units be taught (name units)?
- Move to a six-unit curriculum.
- In which order would the StudySync Core units best serve our curriculum scope and sequence?
- Combine StudySync Core units to best serve our curriculum scope and sequence.
- Identify which units to combine.
- In which order should the units preferred to best serve our curriculum scope and sequence?
5. All PLC members record their preferences by completing the Preference Survey.
Teachers are also encouraged to dig through the library and look at the new features.
- Fluency skills
- Morphology
- Foundation skills
- EL supports
Coaches in most schools will facilitate the conversation with PLCs. If you have any questions or concerns about the process, please feel free to email, call or text. I will be glad to help guide you in this process as well as come participate in the conversation at your school.
Help Wanted - Middle School ELA Standards Aligned Curated Resources
The Standards Aligned Resources - MS Curated Materials Google folder is a work in progress. The idea is that if a teacher is looking for a new resource, different idea/lesson plan, etc. to teach/reteach a particular standard, there would be a bank of resources curated by our district PLC partners. This resource is also a way to support new teachers as they become familiar with the middle school curriculum and be able to find grade level materials to enhance their classroom instruction.
Over the coming months I will begin sharing explicit lesson plans with linked resources. I am seeking your assistance in filling the folder with your best practices in order to support your colleagues and students. If you have a resource you would like to contribute, please email an explicit lesson plan with standards clearly outlined and all resources with open links.
I firmly believe that together we can build a usable bank of best practices to enhance teaching and learning for all. Thank you for any contribution you are willing to share to this resources.
#WeAre Readers #Somos Lectores
January-March
The elementary, middle, and high school with the highest ratio of engagements: enrollment will receive $1500 in books for their media center.
Two Ways to ENGAGE
Book Selfies
FlipGrid
Contact Person: Heidi Perez
Resources Available Through Our Media Centers
Middle School Literacy One Pager
Click the image below and bookmark our resource one pager. This is a one stop shop for the big rocks with are represented in our work as instructional leaders. If there are any resources that are currently missing and are valuable resources to have quick links to, please share your suggestions.
Get Ready for anything...
Please take 20-30 minutes a day over the next 2 weeks to make sure you are ready to handle quarantines, sick days, hurricanes, Martian invasions, or any other curve ball that may come our way.
Here are some concrete steps to take to make sure you and your students are prepared for whatever lies ahead quarantine, closure, inclement weather, and galactic worm holes.
Canvas
1. Teachers are required to create, use, and keep their Canvas courses up to date for all classes. Canvas is DPS's LMS. Consistent use of Canvas is a powerful strategy to build consistent access to class information and materials for all students and parents/guardians. If you haven't already gotten Canvas up and running this year, there is no need to start from scratch. You can use all your hard work from last year! Click HERE for directions.
2. CANVAS Buddies- Team up with two or three department members and add each other as teachers in your Canvas courses. If you have to be out for any reason, you have department members who can help out.
3. Connect with a parent/adult for each student- Make a concerted effort to reach all students' parent/guardian email or phone. This will help ensure each student has accurate contact information in PowerSchool, and open two way communication for the whole year, no matter what happens.
StudySync
StudySync books distributed to all students- The DPS Student Literacy Bill of Rights clearly outlines DPS expectations and resources to support teachers and departments as they work to get every English I-IV THEIR StudySync Reading & Writing Companion.
StudySync online access and use- The DPS Student Literacy Bill of Rights clearly outlines DPS expectations and resources to help teachers ensure all students have access and know how to use their StudySync online accounts.
Google Drive
Google drive use/organization- My Google Drive is OUT.OF. CONTROL. It needs an intervention. Don't be like me. Take some focused time to organize your most recent back to school work in Google. Make some focus time in class to ensure students know how to share permissions with you, find and organize their work according to your directions, and collaborate with classmates in a common Google doc/slides/spreadsheet.
Contact Information
Beth Spataro
6-12 Literacy Specialist
Curriculum & Instruction
919-560-2000 ext. 21752 (work)
919-406-4619 (cell)