NEW HOPE SCHOOL

DISTRICT CURRICULUM

INITIATIVEAnne Hoover

ISLLC Standards Components Addressed by the Reading Workshop Initiative

Standard 1: The Vision of Learning Facilitating the development,

articulation, implementation and stewardship of a school or district vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community by

• 1.17 --Developing the vision• 1.19 -- Communicating the

vision • 1.22 -- Implementing plans to

achieve goals• 1.23 -- Using data to develop

goals• 1.28 -- Monitoring and

evaluating

Standard 2: The Culture of Teaching and Learning Advocating, nurturing and

sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth by

• 2.29 –Promoting student growth• 2.34 -- Developing assessment

strategies • 2.40 –Monitoring the student

learning focus• 2.43 – Expecting lifelong learning• 2.44 – Using professional

development• 2.55 –Having high expectations• 2.67 – Meeting students’ needs

Standard 3: The Management of Learning Ensuring management of the

organization, operations and resources for a safe, efficient and effective learning environment

• 3.76 -- Making management decisions to ensure successful teaching and learning

• 3.80 -- Supporting quality instruction and student learning

• 3.82 -- Creating a safe, healthy environment to ensure successful teaching and learning

• 3.84 -- Developing procedures to ensure successful teaching and learning

• 3.81 & 3.96 -- Developing distributed leadership

• 3.92 -- Allocating resources to ensure successful teaching and learning

SWOTS Applicable to the Reading Workshop

Strengths

Tradition of excellence

Committed staff

High expectations of professional growth through education/training for teachers

Opportunities for students to be civically involved

Parent Involvement

High standardized tests

Culturally strong ethnic groups/communities

Weaknesses Blanketed directives/policies

from school board

Summative assessment is primary method of assessment

Student data not driving instruction

Outdated curriculum/textbooks

Insufficient professional development

Opportunities

Increasing population of retirements/hiring of new teachers

Parent Volunteers

Staff/Administration communication

Full day kindergarten

Scheduling

New initiatives for new assessment methods

T h r e a t s

Budget

Cut programs/personnel

Global change

Traditions holding back progress

Time testing/teaching to the test

Time stolen to NCLB

Federal and state mandates without funding

Activate Your Thinking

Think of your favorite book and why it was your favorite book.

Was it a book you had to read or one you choose to read?

Why Read?

To become functional literate?To score proficient on a test? orTo nurture lifelong readers and thinkers?To cultivate social responsibility?To inspire relevant 21st century thinking?To make a difference?

Non-negotiables in the Teaching of Reading

•A set of beliefs about how children learn to read•Beautiful settings in which to read•Real reasons to read•Big blocks of time•High-quality books and plenty of them•A school wide stance that reading is “cool”•Powerful models•Well-informed teachers (Harwayne, 2000)

Why a Reading Workshop?

Problem:Districts implementing scientifically based commercial reading programs to move students to proficient reading levels which has caused teachers to dramatically change their pedagogy (Miller & Higgins, 2008)

The Real Problem:Districts are not focusing on characteristics and abilities of the readers they are teaching (Serafini, 2005)

What is a Reading Workshop?

Components:

Mini-lesson -Whole Group10-15 minute lessonBased on students’ needs Strategies, skills, and literary

analysis

(Fountas & Pinnell, 2001)

What is a Reading Workshop?

Components:

Independent Reading/Conferencing-One to one or small group

instructionTeaching a student, not a textStrategy groups based on needStudents become lost in their

books which they are reading with approximately 98% accuracy (Ivey, 2000)

What is a Reading Workshop?

Components:

Peer Discussions –Students paired with students on their level

Motivates, substantiates, validates, investigates, and evaluates (Cole, 2003)

What is a Reading Workshop?Components:

Closure –Whole groupSummarizesGuides instruction

more than compiling materials and methods, must infuse them with a sense of priority and vision, passion,

and grace (Calkins, 2001)

Strengths and OpportunitiesSpecific to New Hope

ReferencesAssaf, L. (2006). One reading specialist’s response to high-stakes testing procedures.

The Reading Teacher, 60, 158-166.Assaf, L. (2008). Professional identify of a reading teacher: responding to high-stakes

testing pressures. Teachers and Teaching, 14, 239-252.Calkins, L. (2001). The art of teaching reading (1st ed.). New York: Addison WesleyCole, A.D. (2003). Knee to knee, eye to eye circling in on comprehension.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann.Fountas, I. C. & Pinnell, G. S. (2001). Guiding readers and writers grades 3-6.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann.Ivey, G. (2000). Redesigning reading instruction. Educational Leadership, 58, 42-45.Lause, J. (2004). Using reading workshop to inspire lifelong readers. English Journal,

93, 24-30. Miller, D. (2009). The book whisper. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-BassMiller, M. & Higgins, B. (2008). Beyond test preparation: nurturing successful learners

through reading and writing workshops. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 124-127.Reutzel, D. R. & Mitchell, J. (2005). High-stakes accountability themed issues:

how did we get here from there? The Reading Teacher, 58, 606-608.Santman, D. (2002). Teaching to the test? Test preparation in the reading workshop.

Language Arts, 79, 203-211.Serafini, F. (2005). Implementing a workshop approach to reading. Academic

exchange quarterly. Available: http://www.frankserafini.com/PubArticles/ImplentRdgWkshp.htm.

Swift, K. (1993). Try reading workshop in your classroom. The Reading Teacher, 46, 366-371.