The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy April 17, 2010 A World in a Word


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The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy
April 17, 2010
A World in a Word

A principal friend of mine was frustrated with attendance at evening literacy workshops for parents. Plenty of parents were showing up - but they were virtually all women. Finally, she changed one word on the invitation and saw the attendance of dads triple. The change? She described the events as "clinics" instead of "workshops" on the flyer that went home with students. "These guys know sports clinics, and I hadn't realized 'workshops' would sound so feminine to them," she explained.

Lev Vygotsky wrote "there is a world in a word," and it's surprising how small changes in language can influence perceptions. The pitfall of aiming for a common language in literacy is that someone higher up on the food chain may short circuit the process and hand everyone a teaching script. That's our challenge - learning to speak the same way about our core practices and beliefs, while still leaving plenty of room for teacher innovation and creativity. This week we've posted a provocative article to get you thinking about your language, and how it does (or doesn't) match the words your colleagues use to describe common practices in literacy. Plus more as always - enjoy!

Brenda Power
Editor, Choice Literacy

Free for All

As students move from classroom to classroom, they may find common literacy concepts described in many different ways. In Relentless Consistency: Finding a Common Teaching Language Without Scripts, Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan build on Michael Fullan's work to explain why consistent language is a crucial component of academic success in schools:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1146.cfm

If spring finds your school buried in those three-panel displays of student projects, you might be interested in Kevin Hodgson's suggestions for using "digital posters" with students. The spring literacy or science fair may never be the same:

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/6542?ref=search

Are you helping tweens get ready for the transition to middle school? Here is a terrific short booklist of fiction and nonfiction for students preparing to step up in the fall:

http://library.booksite.com/7055/nl/?list=CNL11

If you're new to literacy coaching, or just want a refresher on the many components of the job, you will enjoy the one-day Literacy Coach Jumpstart workshop with Jennifer Allen. The workshop includes practical advice and models for coaching in classroom, leading new teacher mentor programs, designing year-long study groups and staff development programs, and building resource libraries. This year the workshop will be offered in Tacoma, Washington; Wrentham, Massachusetts; Rockland, Maine; and Orlando, Florida. For details and registration forms, click on the link below:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/295.cfm

For Members Only

Our newest Choice Literacy Cluster has lots of suggestions for working with colleagues to develop a common language for literacy teaching and goals. Establishing Common Ground, Benchmarks, and Standards with Colleagues has contributions from Ruth Shagoury, Andrea Smith, and Karen Szymusiak:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1145.cfm

This week's video features Katie Doherty completing the "I Am the One Who" writing prompt during her sixth-grade writing workshop. This is a fun free-writing activity for late in the school year:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1143.cfm

Jennifer Morgan helps her intermediate students use their science journals to record observations as part of the science curriculum. This is the second video in a three-part series:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1140.cfm

We know we should share our reading with students and colleagues, but what if it isn't always high-brow texts? Karen Terlecky considers the problems that can emerge from full disclosure of literary tastes in Reading Preferences: Social, Pleasurable, and Sometimes Awkward:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1125.cfm

Video Updates: We continue to repost many videos in new formats and players (with higher resolution and full-screen options). As we make these improvements, we'll announce them in the newsletter. Here are updated videos you may want to revisit -

Jennifer Allen demonstrates how foam boards are a powerful tool for literacy coaches traveling between classrooms:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1144.cfm

Once young learners know how to decode text, what's next for developing reading skills? Gail Boushey confers with Amanda, an advanced young reader:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1142.cfm

Site Update: If you haven't visited the homepage in awhile, you might want to look at our new sections that group resources by grade levels, as well as many new categories. The site reorganization will be completed by the middle of May, with the video upgrades all installed by late August.

That's all for this week!