Signs All Around Words, at their core, are how we make sense of the world. There is a word for just about every concept, no matter how concrete or abstract. Vocabulary, then, might be one of the greatest tools to help our children purposefully navigate the world around them. While there has been much debate, research indicates that the best way to develop a child’s vocabulary is suspiciously simple: children need to talk, be spoken to, and ask many questions, but they must also read…

     As 2019 begins, many of us are reflecting on the current school year. We started the year with a set of goals and expectations for our students. And, at the mid-point of the school year, we step back and reflect upon the content we have covered, the growth of our students, which then leads us to ask ourselves some important questions. Have I accomplished what I wanted yet with my learners? What else can I do to encourage them? How can I prepare them for the state assessment?…

WHY COACHING? As Jim Knight (2018) describes in his book The Impact Cycle, coaching is one of the most effective ways to improve teaching and learning in ANY instructional setting. Coaching involves the reciprocal relationship of giving and receiving feedback, discussion and reflection, and it benefits both experienced and novice teachers alike. Like most divisions, we believe that all teachers can and will improve their practices if they have clear goals and receive consistent coaching. …

The first month of the New Year is coming to a close, and many of us have spent some time reflecting on the past year and contemplating changes we wish to make in the New Year. This year, I decided to take a survey about my past year in the classroom, and draft a few goals I wish to achieve with my students this year. Below you will find the guiding questions along with my responses. A link to these questions can be found in the Resources section of the READ 180 Community page as well. I…

     "Million words?" "What?" "Are you kidding me?" "How am I going to read a million words?" These were the comments on the first day of school after the students saw the "Cruise Through Reading" marker from 0-1,000,000 on the wall of our classroom.     We discussed the different ways they could earn a million words: eReads, paperback books, digital books, or listening to an audiobook. The comments started to change to, "Um, maybe", "I can at least try!", "Never…

"Your mission, READ 180 students, should you choose to accept it, is to work together as a class to read a million words by the winter break." This mission is one of the key ways we get students in our district to read often. We support our teachers to help them get their students to engage in the work. Once we have our first class hit the million-word mark, it motivates other classes, who then work on the goal with more effort. Soon, we have many classes that have hit the mark.  Reading a…

Do your students know how to compose and send an email? Do they know how to check for new messages and reply to them? Sure, they may be familiar with texting, Snap Chat, Instagram and snapping photos, but are they aware that email is an effective way to communicate with their teachers, parents, friends, and future "job" personnel? Hmm...Yes, the title of this blog says it all. At a team meeting a few weeks ago, a parent mentioned that their child didn't understand what an email was. Well, that…

Teaching READ 180 allows educators to be creative. The following lesson can be applied to Universal Stage C ReaL Book Workshop #2. This paired reading helps to answer the question "What Makes Us Who We Are?" To extend opportunities for the exploration and to go further into the text within the Workshop, I wanted to share the following successful activities that can be used with an excerpt from Untwine by Edwidge Danticat. On the first day, of the Workshop, play a few minutes of…

Independent Reading has been my nemesis since I began teaching READ 180 and System 44 three years ago. We have a wonderful weekly Enrichment program for our whole elementary school, but this means that my intervention time with students is scheduled four times a week for 45 minutes each. My dilemma? How could I fit independent reading time in and still give students enough time in small-group and on the software? I tried several things unsuccessfully:Independent reading every other…

Get Out! Twenty-five Years of Doing What I Love? This part of the Professional Learning Cycle is by far the most challenging. It requires each of us to get real and do this often, which let’s face it, is not something that is easy. You can ask my friend Patricia, last Friday was a challenging day, full moon, immersed in planning, and a cancelled flight. It took a conversation with her to spark my desire to flip into my reflective mode. What did she remind me? Her words were simple, "You matter…