F A M I LY I N V O LV E M E N T : W HAT C A N P A R E N T S D O ?

Literacy Leadership Roles and Responsibilities

Northern School has a highly trained staff to ensure that our literacy needs are addressed and being met. Below you will find all stakeholders in the Northern School literacy initiative. Principal - Our principal is the driving force behind our literacy initiatives at Northern. She assesses our needs and ensures that all staff are adhering to our literacy initiatives. More than that, our principal serves as a model and a cheerleader. Vice Principal - The vice principal is the director of curriculum at our school. He is responsible for utilizing test data to see where our needs are greatest. Also, our vice principal works with teachers in modeling the expectations of our literacy plan. Literacy Coach - Northerns literacy coach does not formally evaluate staff, but instead works with teachers to create the most effective lesson plans for the students literacy needs. Teachers - Everyday teachers work with your children to create a stimulating and safe environment in which to nurture literacy. They deliver data-based literacy instruction. Additionally they support other teachers with instructional coaching, and collaborative planning. Interventionists - With our RtI model we utilize our innovationists to help groups of students who need additional instructional practice. If the student needs intense interventions, the interventionist will assist the teacher in their class (or with small groups), while the teacher focuses their attention on the student needing the most help.
Parents - YES YOU ARE PART OF THE TEAM! We cannot hope to achieve our literacy goals without your help. By working with your children at home on their reading, writing, and comprehension skills we can share in our students successes. We value your input!

Communication

At Northern School, families and teachers are in constant communication regarding student progress. Through face-to-face conversations, phone calls, emails, newsletters, and conferences, teachers inform families about how their child is managing the curriculum, learning objectives, assessments, school programs, behavior, and social skills. Teachers will meet with parents regarding any special services their child will be receiving. Teachers will also suggest at-home activities families can do together to enrich curriculum. Every effort is made to provide non-English speaking families with translation.

N ORTHERN SCHOOL K-8 READING ACTION

P ar e nt I nf or mat i o nal B r o c hur e

Family Involvement

Families are encouraged to volunteer in their child's classroom, in the school, and in organizing school events. All volunteers must go through a screening process. Families are always invited to have lunch with their child at the special family seating area in the cafeteria (families must check in and out of the office for each visit). Families can also inform their child's teacher of cultural norms and practices. Cultural diversity is always welcome and celebrated.

Families Support Education at Home

Families can be proactive in their child's education by assisting with homework, reading school correspondence, maintaining regular bedtimes and school attendance, and communicating with their child about school.

At Northern School we are dedicated to implementing the best practices for reading and writing instruction. Our literacy initiatives are data driven, supported by all staff members, and are student focused. We strive to have 100% parent involvement in our literacy initiatives!

150 MINUTE ENGLISH L A N G UAG E A RT S B L O C K !

At Northern School we firmly believe that students need the opportunity to write about what they read, and to read about what they write. This is why we have implemented an ELA block of 150 minutes. Research has shown that comprehension improve when reading and writing are taught together, because they help strengthen and support one another (Hammond & Nessel, 2011). Our students are able to recognize similarities between professional texts and their own by teaching reading and writing together. An example of their ELA block is below: Whole Small Group Group Instruction Instruction 30 Minutes 60 Minutes Independent Reading 25 Minutes Independent Writing 25 Minutes Additional Literacy Activities 10 Minutes

L I T ER AT U R E C I RC L ES & WRITERS WORKSHOPS

Our staff believes student engagement in their learning is crucial to student comprehension. Two of the most effective strategies we utilize are literature circles and writers workshops. Literature Circles - Literature circles are a great way for students to collaborate, discuss, and analyze their own thinking regarding a text. Each student should take on one of the various roles for reading. This gives each student a purpose, and it helps them learn more about the book and the text. Scene Setter create a graphic detailing where action is taking
place. Scene changes should be considered and addressed

RESPONSE

TO

I N T E RV E N T I O N RTI MODEL

Response to Intervention (RtI) is an instructional early intervention program. It utilizes all resources within the school in a collaborative manner to create interventions and instruction driven by student data. RtI is a multi-step process of providing researchbased instruction and interventions to help students who struggle with learning and behavior. The interventions are matched to the individual students needs and closely monitored at each level of support.

Word Wizard Choose words that have special meaning or are powerful. Lead discussion on why author chose those words. Researcher Find background information related to the author, reading, time period, etc. Help with context. Connector Find connections between text and self, text and other texts, and text and the world Summarizer Create a brief summary of the section read. Highlight main ideas. Questioner Prepare questions for the group to think about as they are reading. Example: I wonder what will happen next? Literary Luminary Find quotations, scenes, or sections for the group to discuss more fully. Illustrator Draw a picture related to something in the reading. Ask group to respond to picture.

How Will Your Children Be Taught?

Balanced Instruction - We believe that students need to experience whole, small, and independent instruction. That means we will move throughout these instructional strategies during the day. Individual Student Needs Are Important - We continuously assess student progress, and we determine the needs of each individual student. We feel it is important that each student is challenged at their level. Teachers also plan their lesson collaboratively and in advance to best prepare for student needs. Gradual Release - Teachers at Northern apply the gradual release model, where: first the teacher models, then students do it with the teacher, students do the activity together, and then they move towards independence. Student Engagement and Positive Classroom Environment - In order for students to be successful they must be engaged in their lesson. We want learning to be positive; therefore teachers appeal to the interests of the students. Students will have the opportunity to work together as well as independently at their level.

Writer's Workshop - During writers workshop students are given

extended amounts of uninterrupted time to work on their writing. Mini Lesson (2-3 times per week): Teach a whole-group lesson on skills students need the most help in (organizing, adding supporting details, revising, etc.) Uninterrupted Writing Time (5 times per week): During this time, students may work on graphic organizers, pre-writing, writing a first draft, revising, editing, and publishing. Teachers circulate through the room and conference with students and small groups. Students are also encouraged to get assistance from and offer help to their peers.

The three-tiered model is the most popular RtI model as it allows for the easy delineation of students into their needs. The Guiding Principles of RtI: Instruction - intense instruction that challenges student at their level Responsive Teaching - creating lessons that is individualized and is done in small group or one-on-one. Assessment - tests assessing students needs utilized frequently Collaboration and Expertise - Teams of experts should decide on best possible approaches with an individual student. Improving Instruction - Lessons should continuously be improved to meet students needs.

Share: Students share their unfinished and finished writing with the whole class (Peha, 2009).