1. Professional Growth Plan
Alyson Newhouse
EDUC640

2. Read Alouds
I would like to incorporate more read alouds in my literacy instruction. I used them daily as a fourth grade teacher. Now that I teach eighth grade, I’ve gotten away from using read alouds, but I realize that students of all ages enjoy being read to. Furthermore, read alouds are a great way to introduce and model strategies that students will need to use as they become proficient readers.
I keep two things in mind when I choose books to use for read alouds:
1. Is the book an exemplar to model the skill / strategy for which it will be used?
2. Will the book be appealing to eighth graders (not too “elementary”)?

3. Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne Used to teach VOICE
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
Used to teach POINT OF VIEW
The Wreck of the Zephyr
by Chris Van Allsburg
Used to teach FLASHBACK

4. Going Home by Eve Bunting Used to teach AUTHOR’S MESSAGE
Night Noises by Mem Fox
Used to teach POWERFUL LANGUAGE
Our Gracie Aunt by Jacqueline Woodson
Used to teach AUTHOR’S STYLE

5. Sierra by Diane Siebert Used to teach PERSONIFICATION
The Rough-Face Girl
by Rafe Martin
Used to teach METAPHOR
Sierra by Diane Siebert
Used to teach PERSONIFICATION
An Angel for Solomon Singer
by Cynthia Rylant
Used to teach IRONY

6. Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco Used to teach SYMBOLISM and DIALECT
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting
Used to teach ONOMATOPOEIA
John Henry by Julius Lester
Used to teach FORESHADOWING

7. Final thoughts on read alouds…
After using a book as a read aloud, I do two things:
1. Keep the book at the front of the room (and eventually add the book to our classroom library) so that it is readily available for students to look at and refer to.
2. Refer to the book in future lessons whenever applicable

8. Independent Writing – Interactive Reader’s Notebooks
I used interactive reader’s notebooks with my fourth graders. The notebooks had several sections (i.e.: powerful words, books read / want to read lists, terminology), but the section that we utilized most was the “my thinking” section. This was where students responded to the text using strategies learned and practiced in class, such as visualizing, predicting, making connections, etc.
These entries were very helpful for a number of reasons:
Gave students an opportunity to apply strategies to their individual text; demonstrated proficiency in utilizing these strategies
Gave students a starting point for discussion when meeting with their guided reading groups / literature circles
Provided discussion points when conferencing between student and teacher

9. Now that I teach only reading, I struggle getting students to make connections between reading and writing in my classroom. I did not use reader’s notebooks this year, because I had a hard time deciding how to make it work with 135 students (versus the 25 that I was used to).
I realized how much I miss having that component in literacy instruction, and I plan to begin using them again next year. This will enable me to incorporate some writing in my class, but still keep the focus on reading comprehension and ability to respond to text.
I met with the seventh grade teacher as she uses reader’s notebooks with her students. I plan to organize my notebooks the same way she does so that students are already familiar with the format.
In the past, I graded written responses using a rubric. I will be using the rubric on the next slide for my eighth graders.

11. Student / Teacher Conferences
I worked very hard on creating and using formative assessments this year to identify individual students needs and guide my instruction. Although this helped me get to know each student’s abilities, I’d like to take that one step further and begin to have regularly scheduled conferences with students.
The reader’s notebook will be a point of discussion when conferencing with students. It will give me a chance to talk with each child about what books they’re reading, address questions they have, and prompt them to think deeper about the text and apply strategies we’re learning about in class.
I will keep track of conferences using the recording sheet on the next slide.

12. I will keep a binder with copies of this form
I will keep a binder with copies of this form. Each time I meet with a student, I will fill out one of the boxes. This will allow me to:
Ensure that I meet with all students on a regular basis
Keep track of student progress/needs
Provide a record that I can refer to when meeting with parents and other teachers to discuss students

13. Final Thoughts
I have grown so much as an educator this year, between teaching a new grade level/subject and learning about new strategies and resources from the various classes I’ve taken toward earning my 316 license.
Implementing read alouds, interactive reader’s notebooks, and student/teacher conferences will improve my future literacy instruction. The read alouds will provide a basis for discussion and opportunity for modeling. The interactive reader’s notebooks will allow me to incorporate writing, and the student/teacher conferences will ensure that I am meeting the needs of each individual in my classroom. These three components will help me take a more “balanced literacy” approach when teaching reading.