Transforming Lives: Building a Literacy Focused Community

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Transforming LivesBuilding a Literacy Focused
Community

• Rita White
• Principal
• Egypt Elementary
• School

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Overview

• Today we will explore aspects of the multi-year
  journey of self-discovery and change that
  transformed the learning and the lives of the
  students and faculty of Egypt Elementary School
• School history?
• Why change?
• Where do I begin?

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Develop a Shared Vision

• The principal must have identified beliefs
  regarding children and learning
• The principal must use these beliefs as a
  foundation when forming a vision
• The principal must have a mental image of the
  vision
• The vision must be the basis for all decision
  making
• The principal must consider the beliefs of all
  faculty members and other stakeholders in order
  to move them toward the vision
• All stakeholders must have opportunities to
  transform the vision into reality
• The vision must be continuously reinforced with
  all stakeholders

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Where to Begin

• Assess current barriers
• Prioritize the barriers
• Begin removing barriers
• Egypts 1 barrier was student behavior
• Educated all stakeholders on positive
  discipline
• Developed new discipline plan
• Conducted staff development using the
  books
• Positive Discipline in the Classroom
  and Yardsticks
• Created a school wide climate of mutual
  respect

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Barriers

• Student behavior
• Student readiness
• Parental involvement
• Teacher knowledge
• Classroom materials
• Classroom space
• Classroom environment
• Time

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4 Step Model for Change

• Exposure
• Deep Study
• Practice
• Accountability

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Environments That Support Literacy

• Inviting and engaging environments

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Environments That Support Literacy

• Comfortable reading places

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Environments That Support Literacy

• Extensive classroom libraries

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Environments That Support Literacy

• Large gathering places

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Environments That Support Literacy

• Integration of literacy materials throughout the
  classroom
• Community supplies

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Environments That Support Literacy

• Classroom materials are organized
• and accessible to children

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Environments That Support Literacy

• Eliminating teacher only space
• Guided Reading Tables
• Guided Reading Carts

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Environments That Support Literacy

• Childrens work on display with description in
  child language that tells what was done and why
• Attractively mounted and displayed

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Environments That Support Literacy

• Connecting Home and
• School Environments
• Weekly Red Folders
• Home Projects
• Summer Friends
• Home Readers/Poetry Journals

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Successful Strategies

• Morning Meetings are held daily to establish and
  maintain community
• The most powerful tool to link social and
  academic goals

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Successful Strategies

• Morning Message
• All Grades Every Day
• Literacy Based
• Interactive
• Guarantees success at
• every childs skill level

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Successful Strategies

• Integration of Content Areas
• into the Literacy Block

Shared Reading Paired Reading Morning
Message Literacy Centers Writing
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Successful Strategies

• Daily journal writing both free and prompted
• Quick Word Books Thesaurus
• Interactive Word Walls
• Integration of writing into all content areas
• Learning Logs
• Observation Journals
• Science Journals
• Math Journals
• Real writing for real reasons

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Successful Strategies

• Learning Lab

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Successful Strategies

• Engaging, meaningful literacy centers

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Successful Strategies

• Teacher assistants are used to facilitate
  learning
• running records
• tutoring
• testing
• guided reading
• Peer Tutors
• STAR Tutors
• Literacy Corners

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Successful Strategies

• Connecting art and literacy
• Bookmaking
• Project based learning

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Successful Strategies

• All space enhances literacy and social growth
• Water Fountains and sinks
• Bathrooms
• Stopping Places

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Successful Strategies

• Outdoor Classroom
• Amphitheater

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Successful Strategies

• Creating a Media Center that is
• reflective of the classrooms
• Flexible Library Schedule
• Book Fairs

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Successful Strategies

• Resource Materials Library
• Manipulatives
• Big Books
• Guided Readers

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Successful Strategies

• Extensive Professional Development Library

Books Videos Audio tapes
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Successful Strategies

• Selected professional books and videos for
  checkout are kept in display by mailboxes

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Successful Strategies

• Literacy Based Lesson Plans
• Assessment driven
• instruction
• Learning Pyramid

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Test Results

• State TVAAS in Reading continue to climb
• 97/98 80.8
• 98/99 91.7
• 99/00 114.0
• 00/01 110.9
• 01/02 114.0
• 02/03 124.0
• 03/04 4.1
• 04/05 4.3
• National NCLB Reading
• Proficiency Percentiles
• 02/03 73
• 03/04 77
• 04/05 86

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Why ???

• The best way to see the future is to create it.
  
• 
  

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Where to Get More Information

• Tours and training sessions for your school can
  be arranged through Egypt Elementary
• Northeast Foundation For Children
• www.responsiveclassroom.org
• Classroom Spaces That Work
• Marlynn K. Clayton
• The Morning Meeting Book
• Roxanne Kriete
• Teaching Children To Care
• Ruth Sidney Charney
• Positive Discipline
• Jane Nelson
• Positive Discipline In The Classroom
• Jane Nelson, Lynn and Stephen Glenn