MEGAN CROWE, LAUREN FLOOD, AMANDA HAYNES, & MILLIE KIDDER-GOSHORN Literacy Plan

Contextual Information This county consists of one elementary, middle and high school, with a small, wide spread population. The county is rural with only two restaurants, a Dollar General, and two gas stations. The internet accessibility is very scarce in this county, only being able to reach some homes.  However, even the homes that the internet can reach, these families cannot afford it. About 60% of students are on reduced or free lunch. Many parents of children, all part of the working class, work outside of the county in order to make an income.

A Description of the Need Recognizing organizational pattern in text  Chronological, sequential, spatial, compare/contrast, pro/son, cause & effect, problem/solution, and topical patterns  SOLs:  5.5: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry. 5.5j: Identify cause and effect relationships.  5.6: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction texts. 5.6f: Identify structural patterns found in nonfiction. 5.6h: Identify cause and effect relationships following transition words signaling the pattern. 5.6j: Identify compare and contrast relationships.

Data Used to Determine the Need:

Analysis of the Data 5 th Grade, Spring 2012 (Non-writing)  126 students were tested  Overall mean scaled score:  Reporting Category: Demonstrated comprehension of printed materials  Mean scaled score: 39.2 Overall, the percentage correct in both the school and division is excellent.  With only six questions falling below 80% (for the school and the division) The need of focus that we chose was the only question below 66% for the school and 70% for the division.

Possible Solution #1 McGraw-Hill Reading Wonders Grade 5  Reading Wonders is a program based on Common Core Standards for Reading/Language Arts. This program combines research-based instruction and modern tools to effectively and efficiently instruct our students.  How will this solution address our need of “recognizing organizational patterns in text”?  Varied genres allowing exposure to different formats and themes of text.  Nonfiction text; informational texts on content areas

Possible Solution #1 Implementation:  Teach & Model: Reading/Writing Workshop  Mini lessons for all core skills  Short reads  Apply: Literature Anthology, Leveled Readers, Classroom Library Trade Books  Anchored text  Paired reading  Writing in response to reading Cons of this program in regards to our need:  Unorganized scope and sequence.  Not all text is nonfiction.

Possible Solution #2 Pearson’s Reading Street Grade 5  Reading Street is a reading program created for Pre K-6. It is designed to help teachers build successful readers by engaging them in literature, implementing research-based instruction and providing teachers with many tools and resources.  How will this solution address our need of “recognizing organizational patterns in text”?  Plenty of materials available.  Trade books, which help with exposure to recognizing organizational patterns.

Possible Solution #2 Implementation  Teachers must complete at Reading Street workshop and by the end of it, be able to…  Describe the classroom components and resources from the Reading Street program  Summarize the philosophy, pedagogy, and basic organization of the Reading Street program  Examine resources and strategies to meet students’ diverse needs.  Determine the focus of your school because Reading Street provides so much for educators, that is essential to narrow it down, in order for it to be effective.

Possible Solution #3 Read 180, Scholastic  Read 180 is a computer based, specifically nonfiction, tiered literacy program created by Scholastic. It is designed to provide each student with tiered differentiated instruction based upon their Lexile Scores. How will the solution address our need of “recognizing organizational patterns in text”?  Focus on nonfiction comprehension text.  Provides students with pre-reading videos and essential background knowledge.  Allow students to move at their own pace and select specific areas to work on, like organizational patterns.

Possible Solution #3 Implementation  School district must purchase rights to the program and teachers must be trained on how to use the program with students.  Mainly used as extended independent practice, students work thought a variety of text structures to achieve adequate comprehension regardless of the text.  Teachers can monitor progress and tailor instruction to general weaker areas that are observed. Cons of this program in regards to our need:  Typically done independent of teacher instruction.  Students must have access to computer.  Read 180 provides more then just non fiction text, not the sole importance.

Solution: Read 180 Read 180 is a computer based, specifically nonfiction, tiered literacy program created by Scholastic. It is based off of fifteen years of research. Read 180 is designed to provide each student with tiered differentiated instruction based upon their Lexile Scores.  Read 180 gets students reading, writing, speaking and thinking critically every day through technology.  It provides flexible instructional models that complement district scheduling needs and maximize the number of students served.

Solution: Read 180

Why did we choose Read 180? Overall strong standardized testing scores, but…  This solution gives each child individualized instruction and time to work independently.  Read 180 not only gears towards general population students, but specifically to struggling readers.  It provides a variety of text structures which directly addresses their weakness to “recognize organizational pattern in text”.  Combination of traditional and technology instruction.

What do we need to implement Read 180?

Professional Development Plan Duration: One school year How will we motivate our colleagues?  Identify our school and district wide weakness: recognizing organizational pattern and text  Point out how successful our students currently are and that this independent time will only benefit our students, those who are strong and weak readers.  Used in all 50 states and over 10,000 classrooms since  Share success stories.  results/research-validation.htm results/research-validation.htm  Versatile – it will not take over your whole literacy block

Professional Development Plan Training: 2 and ½ day in-person professional development training with a provided specialist from Read 180.  Receive training materials and manuals.  Ability to ask any and all questions.  Online training for support, as well. Our role:  Short term: identifying weakness, motivating colleagues and organizing in-person training  Long term: continuous support for students’ progress and teachers’ overall morale, identifying successes

Timeline for Implementation Timeline:  June 2015: Announce the arrival of Read 180 into your school’s district. (Ex: Staff meeting)  August 2015: 2 ½ day in-person professional training (2 weeks prior to school starting)  September-June 2015: Read 180 is implemented and monitored by teachers, literacy specialists, administration, and parents. Monitoring Progress:  Ongoing diagnostic and formative assessment.  Curriculum-based interim & summative assessment.  Daily progress monitoring for writing and independent reading.