1. 1 Name: Nadine Katsanou, Maria Kokorikou, Gianna Solomou, Maria Manoli, Chara Tziovara, Erasmia ChatzikaimidouLiteracy for the 21 st Century: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners in the Classroom We chose this topic because we thought it would be a great opportunity to encourage young learners to become interactive through free writing without always being restricted by grammar or/and spelling rules.With whom did you pilot this new practice and at what grade level did you undertake your pilot? Teachers: Nadine Katsanou, Maria Kokorikou, Gianna Solomou, Maria Manoli, Chara Tziovara, Erasmia Chatzikaimidou Grade level: 1 st Grade (6-7 year-olds) Engaging Children in Collaborative Literacy Learning

2. 2 Connections with Colleagues Describe in a few brief phrases what connections you made with colleagues in experimenting with this new practice. Connections were made as we exchanged information and ideas and established common goals and objectives. We were willing to be exposed to different teaching techniques and methods in order to nurture and develop our own teaching practices. We used our experience, knowledge and skills to adapt the curriculum to models of co-teaching. We set common criteria for assessment. We were engaged in the co-planning process.

3. 3Successes Name two or three 'successes' you experienced with this pilot. What changes did you notice? Students were given different pictures, they put them in the order they wanted so as to create their own stories. Students were strongly motivated, when writing their own stories, to be creative and use their imagination to the fullest. This activity developed group work, team spirit and engaged students of different learning styles (visual etc). This activity promoted learners autonomy while students became responsible for their own learning. Pictures gave students the chance to imagine situations far beyond their classrooms, generate ideas, show original thought and take initiative. Students expressed themselves and developed the for communicative skills not in isolation but as a combination (listening, speaking, reading, writing).

4. 4Challenges Name two or three challenges you experienced with the pilot. What got in the way of your success? At the begging a lot of students found it difficult to express their ideas because they were more concerned about grammar and spelling rules than their free thinking. Some of the parents were more interested in grammar and spelling rules. Some students were passive during the activity whereas others were more dominating. A few students dropped out of the group commitment.

5. 5 Next Steps Name two or three next steps with this material. What will you try next? How will you build on your experiences with the institute? We will encourage students to get involved in role play activities based on their own story making. We will encourage students to share their stories with their parents, read them aloud and discuss them in order to get (the parents) more involved in the whole process. We will trigger the students to write similar stories with their parents at home, giving them certain guidelines, and present these stories in the classroom.