Environmental Print

Last week I presented a session at the National I Teach K! Conference in Las Vegas that focused on the use of environmental print in the classroom.  We know that environmental print, or the print of everyday life such as signs and logos, offers excellent entry points for young children, learning-disabled students, and English language learners to interact with print in their own environment as they learn to read, write, and do math. 

Children get excited when they realize that they can "read" the print in their environment.  This excitement helps build motivation in young students.  I'm always thrilled to use materials that help students learn much quicker and that create excitement in learners -- especially when the materials don't cost much money!  All I have to do is collect (and invite students to collect) things like catalogs, coupons, flyers, labels, magazines, menus, newspapers, posters, telephone books, and print-outs from websites. 

I promised the participants in my session that I would post some environment print from candy that I use to help students cross the bridge from phonemic awareness to phonics.  I have found a pretty common candy wrapper for each letter of the alphabet.  Usually, most students can use the incidental visual clues from the wrappers to "read" many of the wrappers long before they can recognize and name letters of the alphabet.  This vital first stage of development of word recognition, the logographic stage, is highly context-dependent.  Therefore, I make sure that I have the wrappers in full color available to the students as we begin working on the alphabetic principle.  The wrappers also can be used as engaging manipulatives for word work in literacy work stations.  I hope they're helpful!

March Madness

As April is rapidly approaching, the warmth of spring is definitely upon us -- as is one of my favorite times of the year -- the NCAA basketball tournament (go Wildcats!). While the tournament is frequently referred to as "March Madness", I realize that March inherently brings much madness to the world of educators, as well. March means that Spring Break occurs, or is soon to occur, for most of us. This, of course, results in a frequent rise in distractions for our students. Educators have to be creative in planning lessons that build upon the known and the predictable (to keep students in a comfortable zone for learning), while continuing to seek innovative ways to add novelty and unexpected elements to lessons (to keep students attentive and engaged). Attempting to meet our students' simultaneous need for predictability and novelty is a constant balancing act that can result in teachers feeling overwhelmed.

We also look at our calendars in March and realize that there is still SO much content and SO many strategies that we want to equip our students with before the end of the school year, yet there isn't a whole lot of time left to get it accomplished. It reminds me of watching the basketball games and seeing teams who are losing a game. As the clock ticks down the remaining seconds, many teams who are losing but are still within reach of victory, often begin making careless errors in their stress. Great coaches know to call a time-out when this happens and refocus the players on their mission. Similarly, in our classrooms we must "keep our eyes on the prize" (our prize, of course, is our students -- especially when they successfully meet or surpass academic and behavioral standards).

March also means, for most of us, that our state tests have been administered to our students -- or they will be very shortly. This results in even more stress for our students and ourselves (and our students' parents, and our administrators, and ...). Let's all take time to have our own personal pep rallies and reflect on ALL that we have accomplished this school year with our students -- and all that we WILL accomplish before this school year ends!

A great book that I believe should be required reading of educators is Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov. This book explains relatively simple instruction methods (49 of them!) that put students on the path to college. If you are a relatively new teacher, or a seasoned veteran, and you're looking for ideas to implement during March Madness -- and to help you end the school year on a wonderful high note, I strongly recommend this book!

I have had another great month of working with great educators in March. The faculty of Wendell Elementary continues to impress me by the energy that is put forth for expanding the vocabularies of the students of Wendell. I spent two great days (minus the tornados -- that part wasn't so great!) working with the educators of Rutherford County on comprehension and test-taking. We explored ways to refine and expand QAR so that students truly internalize the thinking processes for answering questions and generating questions. As I write this, I'm preparing to leave to work with the educators of Medford County. During our two sessions, we'll examine meaningful, research-based methods for vocabulary instruction.

May April be a wonderful time for learning and teaching for everyone!

Professional Development This Summer

I’m so excited to be presenting this summer at SDE’s 2012 I Teach K! National Kindergarten Teachers Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Be sure to save the date and mark your calendars for July 9-12, 2012. http://www.sde.com/IteachK2012/

At this year's conference, I'll be making presentations on four different topics. One of my presentations will focus on Environmental Print in the Kindergarten Classroom, where we'll explore practical strategies for using everday objects, such as toy labels and cereal boxes, to guide young children in building essential literacy and math skills. Another session that I'll lead will focus on Nurturing Voluminous Vocabularies in Kindergarten Classrooms, where we'll examine research-based ways that we can strengthen students' oral language development. I'll also share ideas for Meaningful and Independent Practice in Kindergarten through Work Stations that help students build reading skills and stamina. Finally, I'll make a presentation on Bringing Young Males into the World of Literacy through Informational Texts where we'll explore what motivates beginning male readers to engage with texts and ways that we can nurture that motivation in classroom settings.

In attending SDE's National I Teach K! Conference, you’ll discover how to build extraordinary kindergarten classrooms that prepare our children for the rigorous and evolving demands of the 21st century— while keeping the fun factor alive and well. Please share this news and tell your friends and colleagues!

I’m also excited to be presenting this summer at SDE’s 2012 National Conference on Differentiated Instruction, which will also be in Las Vegas, NV. Be sure to save the date and mark your calendars for July 10-13, 2012. http://www.sde.com/DI2012/
I'll be making four different presentations at this year's conference, too. One of my sessions will be Working with Word Walls, where I'll share ways to make a word wall an interactive tool to promote growth in decoding, spelling, and vocabulary skills, rather than a mere classroom decoration. Another session that I'll be presenting will be Fluency: Teaching the Rhythm of Reading. In this session, we'll explore ways to differentiate instruction in reading accuracy, reading rate, reading expression, and reading comprehension. I'll also present a session on Nurturing Voluminous Vocabularies in which I'll share ideas for refining and expanding students' vocabularies by involving multiple learning modalities. Finally, I'll present a session on Increasing Motivation and Achievement through Tiered Partnering Activities where we'll examine practical ways of differentiating both the content and the methods of teaching (i.e., tiering our instruction) so that grade-level standards can be attained by ALL students.

In attending the National Conference on Differentiated Instruction, you’ll pack your toolbox with a wide range of relevant, research-based, immediately applicable strategies that have powerful theories into best practices. Please share this news and tell your friends and colleagues!

I hope to see many of you at one, or both, of these conferences in Las Vegas in July!

Professional Development Resources

March seems to have blown in like a lamb pretty much all over the country! I know that many of you enjoy the cooler weather of winter, but I love hot weather! I'm always so excited to see spring on the horizon, because I know that summer is just around the corner.

I would like to send a special "shout-out" to my colleagues at Casa Grande Middle School. I concluded my work with the faculty there in February. We've been exploring instructional methods for differentiating instruction throughout the school year. I had such a blast working with such energetic, dedicated professionals!

I also was able to attend some wonderful professional development myself in February. Specifically, I attended (and presented at) the Wisconsin State Reading Association Conference in Milwaukee and the West Coast Kagan Academy in Las Vegas. I met so many wonderful people and learned so many exciting instructional strategies.

People with whom I work frequently ask me for recommendations on professional resources to enhance their professional development work with other educators. While I am constantly reading blogs, websites, journals, and professional books to refine and expand my abilities as a professional development provider (as well as attending as much professional development as I can!), I want to personally recommend Sharon L. Bowman's work. While she tends to focus on training in the corporate world, her research and writings are extremely applicable to any group of adults, including educators (I know we are a special, unique breed!). For some quick ideas to make any professional development that you might be leading more engaging for your adult learners, check out her wonderful book The Ten-Minute Trainer: 150 Ways to Teach It Quick & Make It Stick! Another great page-turner is her book Training from the BACK of the Room! 65 Ways to Step Aside and Let Them Learn. I also recommend her latest book (I believe it's her latest, although she is so filled with brilliant ideas, she may have another one that I'm not aware of), Using Brain Science to Make Training Stick. This is the book that my presentation at the National Title I Conference in Seattle was focused around. I have to admit that I have only read excerpts of the book at this point. However, it is at the top of my agenda for this weekend to study closely the entire book and internalize as much as I can. I'm sure I'll be referring back to it for ideas for many years, as I have her other resources. I've never had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Bowman or hearing her speak. I can only imagine how amazing she must be! I have had the honor of communicating with her via e-mail, though, and I'll let you in on a little secret -- she is one of the kindest, most respectful people I've ever communicated with. I hope I get the chance to hear her in person one day soon!

Take care everyone, and try to get some extra rest as most of the country turns their clocks ahead!

New Learning in the New Year -- The Power of Humor

Now that we're in February, I trust that we've all settled in to the new year well. I have been extremely busy! I have had the opportunity to speak at a couple of conferences (the East Tennessee Title I Conference in Gatlinburg and the National Title I Conference in Seattle), where I also was able to attend numerous sessions and learn from some great educators. Marcia Tate, who is always exceptional, did not disappoint in the two sessions I attended in Seattle that she presented! One thing that I took away from her presentations is the power of infusing humor into our teaching. Humor helps the brain retain information -- so it's good for the receiver. However, humor and laughter also increase the percentage of type T lumphocytes (T cells), as well as endorphins in the bloodstream, for the sender (i.e., the teacher). Our body's immunity and ability to fight infection are strengthened when we laugh. During this cold and flu season, I'm always looking for more ways to stay healthy! I guess laughter truly is the best medicine! Thanks for reminding me, Marcia.

During January, I also had the opportunity to work with some amazing educators at some wonderful schools -- specifically, Wendell Creative Arts Elementary School and Hunter Magnet School, both in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Casa Grande Middle School in Casa Grande, Arizona. As we have focused on vocabulary development and differentiating instruction, I have been so excited by the energy and enthusiasm that I see educators in these schools display! I can't wait to work with you again!

Spring Conferences

I had an amazing week this week at the IRA Conference! The International Reading Association Conference is always a great one, and this year was truly exceptional! I enjoyed learning from some phenomenal presenters like Richard Allington, Regie Routman, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser -- who I personally adore!), Sharon Taberski, Lori Oczkus, Karen Bromley, and many others. It was also nice to run into and catch up with some long-time friends and colleagues from around the country. I appreciate everyone who came to my presentation. I was beyond shocked that there was "standing room only" for my session -- especially when I saw the other presenters who were on at the same time in the program!

Sharon Taberski shared a quote from Myrtle Simpson from the New Zealand Department of Education in her presentation: "A child's school day should make sense. It should be about something. Ideally the various components of the day should work toegether, building upon one another for some purpose. A teacher's day should make sense [also]. Teachers who can see a wholeness and simplicity in their curriculum have an easier task of organizing their day than those who are frustrated or intimidated by what they interpret as the increasing complexity of the curriculum demanded of them." I've been re-reading this quote for the past couple of days since Sharon shared it. This beautifully captures and sums up why I stay excited about the professional development work that I do with educators! In our mad rush to equip students with all the standards that we're held accountable for, we have to make our own professional development a priority so that we are able to hold such a view.

I've been blessed to be able to speak at several large educational conferences in the last couple of months. In addition to IRA, I've had a great time meeting educators at the National Title I Conference, the Maryland State Reading Conference, and the Wisconsin State Title I Conference. While I've hopefully shared something that has enabled educators to have an easier task of organizing and implementing quality instruction, I certainly have taken away ideas from each of these conferences that have propelled me to greater insights about my work with both educators and with young people. Personally, I think that one of the most fun aspects of being an educator is the fact that about the time that we have a firm grip on implementing the latest reform effort, that effort changes and it's time to learn something else. It's by having a solid understanding of young people and of the learning process that we are able to see the "new" as a tool to make our teaching more simple, rather than as another innovation to try to endure.

Thanks, loyal educators across the world, for continuing to learn and grow, thereby enabling young people to stay engaged in the learning process!

Some Great Read-Alouds That Feature Word Learning and Word Usage

I had the great privilege this week of working with some wonderful teachers who are utilizing research-based indirect vocabulary expansion techniques. Of course, one of the great things that teachers can do regularly to expand and refine students' vocabularies is to expose them to rich, well-written literature through read-alouds. The teachers asked me to share some of my favorite read-alouds that specifically focus on characters who are learning about vocabulary, who learning to use vocabulary more effectively, or who are getting excited about words. I promised I would post my favorites, so here they are:

Baloney (Henry P.) by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith (2001, Viking)

Henry P. Baloney needs to come up with a very good, very believable excuse for being late to szkola yet again--or he's in big trouble with his teacher Miss Bugscuffle. But never fear! Henry has a doozy of a story. You see, it all started when he misplaced his trusty yellow no. zz zimulis. One thing led to another, and before he knew it, he was on a razzo blasting off into space, where he eventually landed on the planet Astrosus. All went well there, as the intrepid explorer entertained the Astro guys with his funny piksas--until they decided Henry and his piksas would be entertaining to eat. Things go on in this vein until somehow, miraculously, Henry P. Baloney ends up back in his classroom, a mere seven minutes late--but still one writing utensil short! This is a great book to introduce the concept of context clues.

The Boy Who Cried Fabulous by Leslea Newman (2007, Tricycle Press)

Roger, a quirky, enthusiastic boy, is fascinated by the world around him. On the way to school, the clothes in a shop window catch his eye and he stops to exclaim over everything in the "fabulous" store. When he arrives late, his teacher yells at him, admonishing him to go straight home at the end of the day. Roger tries to obey, but he finds more "fabulous" things to shout about and doesn't get there until after dark. His parents are at a loss and end up sending him to bed and banning the word "fabulous" from the household. Roger wants to abide by their wishes, but during a family trip into town he is swept away by "a world too wondrous to ignore" and, in turn, leads the adults on a rollicking, adjective-filled journey through the streets until they come to understand and appreciate their "fabulous" son. This is a great book to introduce and/or reinforce the need for synonyms.

The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Schotter (2006, Schwartz & Wade)

Some people collect shells or stones; young Selig collects words. Whenever he hears a new one he likes, he jots it down on a slip of paper and stuffs it into a convenient pocket, a sock, a sleeve, or a hat. When you're a kid, such eccentric behavior doesn't go unnoticed, and soon his classmates have given him a new name, "Wordsworth," and a new word to add to his collection, oddball. Ouch! But with the help of a friendly genie, who calls him "Voidsvoith, a lover of voids," Selig finds his life's purpose and romance, to boot. This book can help students discover the fun of being a wordsmith!

Donavan’s Word Jar by Monalisa DeGross (1994, HarperCollins)

A gentle, thoughtful story of a young African-American boy's discovery of the power of words. Each time a word strikes Donavan as special (e.g., extraterrestrial, orchestral, perseverance, boisterous), he writes it down on a slip of paper and puts it in a jar. When his collection no longer fits in its container, he asks several people (Mom, his teacher, Dad, Grandma) what to do, but in a serendipitous way comes upon the solution himself. While visiting his Grandma, the other senior citizens in her building find that reading the words they pull from the jar is just what they need to cheer them up, and Donavan realizes the pleasure of sharing. Deciding he'll start a new collection right away, Donavan concludes, "It would be fun finding new ways to give his words away." This book serves as a nice springboard for becoming word conscious.

Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor (2005, HarperCollins) – and the entire Fancy Nancy series

For Nancy, there's no such thing as too, too much; she loves her frilly bedroom, her lace-trimmed socks, and her pen with a plume. Nancy teaches her family how to be fancy, too. Then following Nancy's lead, the fancied-up family heads for a festive night out. A messy food mishap puts a damper on Nancy's joy, but her supportive family smoothes everything out. O'Connor, the author of the Nina, Nina Ballerina stories, delivers a delightful story of dress-up and cozy family love, with a charming protagonist who enjoys, and enjoys sharing, glamour. Nancy's perky narrative, in short, simple sentences, incorporates some "fancy" vocabulary for kids to absorb (stupendous, posh), along with a sense of the rewards of a family doing things together. This is a great book to introduce students to the idea of searching for richer language to replace overused words.

Frindle by Andrew Clements (1996, Aladdin)

Ten-year-old Nick Allen has a reputation for devising clever, time-wasting schemes guaranteed to distract even the most conscientious teacher. His diversions backfire in Mrs. Granger's fifth-grade class, however, resulting in Nick being assigned an extra report on how new entries are added to the dictionary. Surprisingly, the research provides Nick with his best idea ever, and he decides to coin his own new word. Mrs. Granger has a passion for vocabulary, but Nick's (and soon the rest of the school's) insistence on referring to pens as "frindles" annoys her greatly. The war of words escalates--resulting in after-school punishments, a home visit from the principal, national publicity, economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs, and, eventually, inclusion of frindle in the dictionary. The two sides eventually come to a private meeting of the minds and the power of language triumphs over both. This is my personal favorite “vocabulary-themed” book of all-time! I use this book to get students excited about the power of words. This book never fails to get kids to start creating their own “secret words.” This book can also be a great introduction to morphological word studies and word origin studies.

I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin, Jr. and Michael Sampson (2002, Candlewick)

The authors break the Pledge of Allegiance into digestible phrases or words and explain their meaning along with some history. As the text defines and explains each phrase or concept, the illustrations bolster the passages with child-friendly images. For "allegiance is loyalty," readers see a dog wagging its tail while, for "liberty" (described as an individual's freedom "to make his or her own choices"), individuals literally choose their own path as they step out onto stripes of various colors. The authors also include interesting background, such as the meaning behind the colors in the American flag ("Red is for courage. White is for purity and innocence. Blue is for loyalty and fairness") and the pledge's origins (it was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892 as a poem for children). Simple without being simplistic, this cleverly designed volume spells out the concrete meaning behind the words in the Pledge of Allegiance while deftly communicating the democratic spirit and principles that inspired it. This is a great book to help students understand the need for making meaning out of technical vocabulary.

Max’s Words by Kate Banks (2006, Frances Foster Books)

Max's brother Benjamin collects stamps; his brother Karl collect coins. Max wants to collect something too; he decides to collect words. He begins with small, familiar ones--ate, who, big--which he cuts out of magazines and newspapers. Then he finds longer ones--alligator, baseball. He collects words of things he likes to eat, words that describe colors, and strange words that he finds in the dictionary. When his collection grows too big for his desk, he spreads his words on the floor. Lured by the creative power of words, his brothers rearrange, change, and move the words to create a story. This book serves as a wonderful model of USING vocabulary, not just memorizing words and their meanings.

Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier (2000, Harcourt)

Sniffling and coughing through a week at home with a cold, Sage (one who shows wisdom, experience, judgment") misunderstands one of Mrs. Page's vocabulary words in the homework assignment, and the resulting embarrassment in front of her fifth-grade class leaves her "devastated: wasted, ravaged. Ruined: destroyed. Finished: brought to an end." Miss Alaineus is not, as Sage determined in her "defective and delirious" mind, "the woman on green spaghetti boxes whose hair is the color of uncooked pasta and turns into spaghetti at the ends." Sage slumps home after the vocabulary bee fiasco, to her mom's comforting, if seemingly impossible words: "There's gold in every mistake." Fortunately, and as always, mothers know best. This is a fun book that can be used to help students understand the need to not just copy dictionary definitions, but to make sure that they have concrete understandings of newly acquired words.