Literacy Plan READ 680 Summer 2015 Amanda Schumaker Chelsea Mayton

Section 1 Literacy Need O About the School O About the Data O The Data

School Information O South Hill Elementary O Mecklenburg County, Virginia O Rural Area O County Population (2013): 31, 426 O Title 1 School O 851 Students O 1 Reading Specialist

Data

O PALS Identified: 17 out of 113 students O Phonics (SOL the student will use phonetic strategies when reading and spelling) O PALS O 30% below grade level O I-Ready O 41% below grade level

Section 2 Possible Solutions O Word Study Program (Words Their Way) O Saxon Phonics Program O Hooked On Phonics Program

Word Study Program O Investigating word patterns O Phonics, spelling, and vocabulary O Students discover the spelling patterns and make sense of the patterns and relationships. O Building word knowledge O Word and picture sorts O Small groups-differentiation instruction O Pitfall: difficulty of implementing differentiated instruction. Teachers may not be in favor of differentiating in small groups.

Saxon Phonics O Supplemental or used alone O Phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, fluency, and phonics O Phonics rules and codes O Scripted-does not leave much room for differentiation when needed. O Pitfall: memorization of codes or rules

Hooked On Phonics O 3 step learning process: learn, practice, and read O 20 minutes O Pacing is up to the instructor O Systematic instruction O Program consists of 8 levels. O Spelling skills are NOT a primary focus. O Pitfall: Geared more towards homeschooling or for intervention at home, not any provided differentiation activities, only 20 minute blocks a day, and there is no continuation of the program after 2 nd grade.

Section 3 Solution O Word Study Program O Words Their Way O Adopted school-wide for consistency

Word Study Program O Hands-on fun activities that motivate the students O Analyzing and discovering word patterns O Phonics + Spelling+ Vocabulary Instruction=Word Study O 5 Spelling stages of development O Stages range from Pre-K through 12 th grade O Students discover the “meaning of layers of English orthography” O Therefore, they will create meaning of words and word patterns. This is a better way to create meaning and not memorize rules and codes.

Words Their Way Written by: Donald R. Bear, Marcia A. Invernizzi, Shane R. Templeton, Francine A. Johnston O Technology integration O Prepared word sorts, games, and templates O Explicit instructions on how to carry out the Word Study program in your classroom to engage the students and to help them succeed in their literacy learning.

Best Way to Implement Word Study O Make sure teachers understand the program very well and that they have access to all needed materials. O Teachers need practice and guidance with the inventories and feature guide. O Examples of small group lessons and the Word Study program in action should be provided. O This program should be implemented school-wide to help with consistency.

Section 4 Professional Development Plan O All teachers, Title 1, and support staff participate. O Words Their Way by Donald R. Bear will be given as a book study. O First session will start during teacher work week in August before the start of the school year.

First PD Session 1. Motivation for implementing the program supported by data. O Sharing and analyzing data to understand the need for change. 2. Explanation of Words Their Way. O Modeling O Providing resources and pre-made materials

Reading Coach Responsibilities O Collecting, analyzing, and determining needs based on data O Researching multiple solutions for the problem that could be used to meet the needs of the students in the building O Purchasing all resources needed to start and continue working through a certain program O Planning professional development sessions O Modeling how the program works during professional development sessions O Reflecting about professional development, and asking teachers to reflect on what they still need help with, what went well, and what could be done better in the future.

Section 5 Timeline for Implementation O August – November: Grade-level meeting every fourth week of each month. O Discuss book study chapters O Analyze data & adjust groups O Share materials, success stories, and failures O January: Prepare for gradual release. O May: Final grade-level meeting. O View data and growth charts O Reflect on overall program and year

Assessment Schedule O K-2: PALS O 3-5: WTW Inventory O September: Pre-assessment O December: Mid-year assessment O May: Post-assessment O Adjust groups accordingly after each assessment and as needed between assessments.

Hypothetical Problem O Second grade teacher moves. O Brand new teacher is hired. O Reading coach pushes in to assist with word study in the classroom. O Coach sets up individual meetings with new teacher and the teacher’s grade-level mentor to help catch him or her up on past meeting material. O All coworkers in the grade level pitch in to help with whatever is needed.

Questions?