Effective Literature Circles

 I am focusing on literature circles in the classroom for my ICDP. I want to focus on this area because we utilize them in the Language Arts classroom and they are not as effective as we would like to see them be. Currently, students are given directions on lit circles and expected to complete their assigned role, but there seems to be no additional learning taking place. Creating plans that will assist in student growth and using methods that have been researched should increase student engagement and understanding.

At the moment, I have one book that discusses mini lessons in lit circles. I plan to use the AEA library and experts in reading for my resources. I will know that I have improved in this area with student growth. The evidence will come from their papers/projects that show an increase in understanding.

Learning after Trauma

 I am going to focus this year on trauma and school.  I am finding more and more that my students are experiencing more trauma and they do not have ways to cope with it. In a day and age of technology, kids often turn to the computer to find the information and that can lead them down some very shady paths if not done correctly.  By learning more about how to help trauma and coping with today's issues, I will not only be able to help my own students but I will also be able to help the population as a whole in the building.  

Learning to handle trauma will help my students be more successful in their daily lives not only in my classroom but long after they are gone from these walls. Unfortunately, trauma is becoming a bigger issue each passing year.  As we know now, no student has had a normal school year in awhile.  The last time my 8th graders had a normal school year was in 5th grade. That was their first year with me.  The rest of the kids in this building have never had a normal school year in this building.  

Literacy Footprints with Guided Reading

 I will be doing my ICDP on using the Literacy Footprints Kit so that I can be a better with Guided Reading teacher.

Being consistent and more intentional about using the kits will hopefully allow our students to make more growth in Guided Reading.

I will be more intentional about taking notes during Guided Reading groups, I will be more consistent about seeing each of my groups and I will be intentional about using shared reading strategies. I believe this will allow students to grow.

My  plan to use some of the shared reading ideas that we learned from Jennifer Burns will also be beneficial and allow our students even more growth. EK now has the goal of getting students to a level C by the end of the school year. Last year our EK data showed that we had only 34% reading at a level C. The goal is to use the kits for the entire time we are doing our Guided Reading groups .

My research will be focused on improving student achievement by using the Literacy Footprints kit to improve student achievement and prepare them for kindergarten. I will also use strategies in Jan Richardson's book in conjunction with the kits as well as shared reading strategies from Jennifer Burns. Using the books "The Next Step Forward in Guided Reading and "The Next Step Forward in Word Study and Phonics", the Literacy Footprints kits and information from Jennifer Burns will improve my teaching.

I will know growth was made by using our leveling information from last year. 

To be successful with implementation of all strategies our leveling data will improve from last year to the end of this year.

Alternative Assssments

 For my ICDP I want to learn more about tying the essential elements to alternate assessment tests and how these assessments can be illustrated in my student's iep goals.  Teresa Kaloupek is the master of this, and I'd like to learn more on how to tie these all together.  We give these alternate assessments, and currently they seem to not reflect the topics we teach or progress is not reflected on student iep goals.  When essential elements and alternate assessment are used together, they can drive our iep goals for our students.  Current practice leaves these three pieces jumbled and confused.

 

My learning into the essential elements has been progressing this past year as I've taken the elementary life skills sped position, and I have more to learn on how to adapt these to students.  I've worked on looking at curriculum, student needs, and progression for teaching.  More work needs done in this area, as well as incorporating alternate assessment into this mix.  My learning will come from studying with Teresa as well as researching trainings from the internet.