Spring 2015 irc communicator

BOARD BRIEFSFrom the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 From the IRA State Coordinator . . . 3

IRC ACTIVITIES2015 IRC Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Renewal Reward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Illinois Reads Launch . . . . . . . . . . . . 6IRC and Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . 16

FORMSStatic Stick Decal Contest . . . . . . . 8-9

FEATURESStudies and Research . . . . . . . . . . . . 439th Day of Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4PARCC Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Family Reading Night . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Illinois Authors’ Corner . . . . . . . . . . 10The ISBE Connection . . . . . . . . . . . 10The Collaborative Classroom . . . . . 11Empower Lives Through Literacy . . . 12Memories and Motivating . . . . . . . . 12A Peter Johnston Event . . . . . . . . . 13 Advocacy Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Cool Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15

C

What exactly is ‘lifelong’ learning? Has the word lifelong become an overused cliché embedded in school mission statements? The authors of the Common Core State Standards might argue the word lifelong means college and career ready. Others would argue that because lifelong is so overused, it no longer has meaning. Instead, I would argue that its meaning warrants deep reflection. For me, the meaning of lifelong is crystal clear and it drives every decision I make within my classroom. I ask myself repeatedly throughout the day, “How will this instructional decision help my kids internalize the learning process so they can apply the learning process independently in the real world for the rest of their life?” I often explicitly highlight for my kids how learning in my classroom is connected to and applied in the ‘real world’. I do this, because I believe the goal of education is for our students to internalize the learning process in order to apply this process to become independent critical thinkers who can contribute to a greater community throughout their lifetime. Therefore, the more our system of education becomes about creating dependent learners and tests takers, the more my reading heart and soul wants to push back and do the right thing for our kids; to do what the educational system is not – creating lifelong readers and learners. I devour books that help me to wrap my brain around creating a learning community in my classroom, and research shows us that the best way to create this culture is through books.

The next page outlines just a few ideas from some of my favorite literacy experts that I have tried in my classroom, and which have had a profound impact on my classroom community, which is rooted in a culture of learning.

From the IRC PresidentCindy Gerwin

Continued on page 2

Static Sticker Decal ContestDue April 10th

Volume 38 · Number 3 Spring 2015

ommunicator

Lifelong

“Learning is about living and as such is lifelong.” Bente Elkjaer

The Illinois Reading Council Communicator

2 Spring 2015

From Peter Johnston’s Choice Words and Opening Minds• Any paperwork, graphic organizer, etc., that I hand out no

longer utilizes the word ‘name’. Instead, the words I place at the top of paperwork are ‘reader’, ‘writer’, ‘mathematician’, ‘historian’, and ‘scientist’. Repeated exposure to these words helps kids to begin to see themselves as readers, writers, mathematicians, historians and scientists. This also leads to instruction based on Timothy and Cynthia Shanahan’s work on disciplinary literacy – how we communicate through reading and writing in each discipline/content area is different. (The Reading Teacher, May 2014, V. 67, No. 8)

• I no longer use the phrase “good reader” when I speak. This is a form of praise that incorporates a judgment (good) about a person (reader). This causes students who do not see themselves as good readers to shut down. Instead, I focus on the process of being a reader, which opens up the possibility of accomplishment to every student in the classroom.

From Donalyn Miller’s Reading in the Wild • I start the year out by inviting students to share their Favorite

Read Aloud – it could be a book read to them by a parent when they were little, a favorite teacher from the past or a librarian. Everyone is able to share one favorite. The kids either bring their favorite book into class or I check them out of the library. One of our first reading workshop activities is gathering on the carpet reading our Favorite Read Aloud to each other in small groups and sharing reading memories. Then all the kids write a reflection about how the book they chose impacted their reading lives. It is a great way to begin the year with a positive reading experience for everyone – even the ‘struggling’ readers.

• Readers have a reading plan. I have stacks of books I plan

President’s Column continued from page 1 to read all over my house. The kids can take a reading ‘Shelfie’ and we post the pictures on our reading graffiti wall. (See Cindy’s picture on pg. 1)

• My reading ‘Shelfie’ looks similar to the Preview Stack kids get when they ask for a book recommendation. I am now careful not to steer kids towards one book when they ask for a recommendation. I give them a Preview Stack to choose from, and often ask other students in the classroom to assist with the recommendations. I do this to ensure kids have the power of independent choice when reading and to help them trust in their ability to preview and choose the right book.

From Steven Layne’s Igniting a Passion for Reading• The Someday Wish List is a place/log to record book

recommendations from various sources that might be incorporated into future plans for reading. I love to see kids take out their Someday Wish List and bring it to the library when searching for their next book to read – this is also a big time saver in the library. (Note: This chapter in Layne’s book also has excellent information on how to teach kids to preview a book for reading.)

• Book Chats (Miller refers to them as Book Commercials) is by far one of my favorite ways to get kids talking about books in an authentic and meaningful way. I model Book Chats for the first month of school and gradually release the responsibility to kids. It amazes me the creative ways my students have come up with to deliver a commercial for a good book – and those who are interested in the book immediately add it to their Someday Wish List.

If your goal is like mine, to create a community where kids can internalize the process for becoming independent lifelong readers and learners, check out these books for more amazing ideas from some of my favorite literacy experts.

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” -Socrates

MISSION

The mission of the Illinois Reading Council is to provide support and leadership to all who promote and teach lifelong literacy.

Illinois Reading Council Email: [email protected]

203 Landmark Drive, Suite B Website: www.illinoisreadingcouncil.org Normal, Illinois 61761 Join us on Facebook

Phone: 888-454-1341 Twitter @ILReadCouncil

Fax: 309-454-3512


Spring 2015 3

The year 2015 promises to lead down a road of change with new PARCC testing, a new teacher evaluation system and even a new way to grant professional development clock hours. Hopefully this article will provide some information on ways we can traverse this change, move on and join the dance.

PARCC Testing: The new PARCC testing offers a great change in the way we have tested our students in the past. To access several excellent resources to help you align curriculum and instruction to the New Illinois Learning Standards, choose appropriate texts for study, create valid assessments that mirror the PARCC assessments and prepare your students for their testing experience, read the article entitled “Preparing for the PARCC Assessment” in this issue of the IRC Communicator.

The New Teacher Evaluation System: As we know, the new Illinois teacher evaluation system is based upon Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching, and the Framework is closely connected to the New Illinois Learning Standards. To learn more about how teachers can implement the standards while they satisfy the Danielson requirements for excellence in teaching, check out the May, June, July, August and October issues of iCommunicate.

Professional Development Clock Hours: Beginning in January, the pathway to granting Clock Hours for professional development credit has changed, and local reading councils need to be sure they have a path to providing these hours to their membership. To accomplish this, councils have several alternatives. Local councils can partner with any of the following:1. Regional Office of Education2. College or University3. Local School District4. Illinois Reading CouncilI urge local councils to make their choice in a timely manner and contact their chosen entity as soon as possible to assure that a partnership deal has been brokered. If your local council wishes to partner with IRC, contact Bobbie Sejnost at least one month prior to your council’s activity to obtain approval and necessary paperwork so that the clock hours can be granted.

From the IRA State Coordinator

Roberta Sejnost

New Position Statements by IRA: Finally, in the wake of all these new changes, IRA has handed down two new position statements: Using High-Stakes Assessments for Grade Retention and Graduation Decisions and Leisure Reading.

Using High-Stakes Assessments for Grade Retention and Graduation Decisions: http://www.reading.org/Libraries/position-statements-and-resolutions/ps1081_high_stakes.pdfIn this position statement, IRA presents an overview of current United States policies that show an extensive use of high-stakes assessments and stresses the limitations of an overreliance on them for high school graduation and grade retention decisions.• Grade retention and graduation decisions should be based

on multiple assessments, including teacher professional judgment, results of formative assessments, and student and family input, as well as results from standardized literacy

assessments.• Schools, school districts, and policymakers should be guided by the expertise of professional associations and literacy professionals when making decisions about how to best utilize results obtained from high-stakes literacy assessments.

Leisure Reading: http://www.reading.org/Libraries/position-statements-and-resolutions/ps1082_leisure_reading.pdf

Partnering with the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and the National Council of Teachers of English, IRA posits that “students’ reading comprehension, vocabulary, general knowledge, motivation to read throughout their lives and positive attitudes toward reading are enhanced when they have regular opportunities to choose reading materials for leisure reading” and recommend the following• Students should choose their own reading materials.• Students are better able to choose engaging and appropriate

reading materials when teachers and family members scaffold their selections.

• The benefits of leisure reading are increased when teachers scaffold school-based leisure reading by incorporating reflection, response, and sharing in a wide range of ways that are not evaluated.

• Students should be encouraged to engage in self-selected reading outside of school.

As Allen Watts, British-born philosopher, writer, and speaker, said, “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” Hopefully the information provided above will allow us all to do just that.

“The only way to make sense

out of change is to plunge

into it, move with it, and join

the dance.” ~ Allen Watts


4 Spring 2015

Location! Location! Location! The annual IRC Conference is on the move to the Peoria Civic Center and the Pere Marquette Hotel, and what a fantastic conference venue they are! With a backdrop of the Peoria River, the Civic Center and the Pere Marquette Hotel, conveniently located across the street from each other, feature large and easily

accessible meeting rooms with Internet, beautiful banquet halls, and accommodating staff members. Housing for overnight guests will be available at the Pere Marquette and nearby hotels, and there are plenty of restaurants within walking distance.

While at the conference, you will enjoy a stimulating and entertaining line-up of featured speakers, including:

In addition, we will offer hundreds of teacher-practitioner sessions presented by colleagues. You might also choose to attend one of the IRC breakfast, luncheon and dinner functions that highlight our speakers and Illinois authors. And be sure to tour the booths in the lively exhibit hall. So, please, plan to join us in Peoria next October 1-3, where you’ll find your Passport to Possibilities!

Passport to Possibilities - 2015 IRC Conference Patti Tylka, Conference Chair

• Louis Sachar• Maria Walther• Jan Richardson• James Howe• Mac Barnett• Peter Brunn• Dave Burgess • Jim Burke• Georgia Heard• Penny Kittle• Christopher Lehman

• Dav Pilkey• Jon Bergmann• Steve Sheinkin• Jane Yolen • Tanny McGregor • Donalyn Miller• Marilee Sprenger• Nancy Steineke• Heidi Stemple• Jan Burkins• Kim Yaris

The Studies and Research Committee of the Illinois Reading Council is actively beginning the preliminary design and planning stages of an exciting new study. Studies and Research is devising a plan to study the impact that teacher membership in a professional organization has on students’ achievement. We are excited to investigate the possible link as so many districts are utilizing Charlotte Danielson’s model for teacher evaluation. Danielson’s model incorporates membership in professional organizations as a part of Domain 4. Committee members are reviewing literature regarding professional development and professional organizations. A teacher survey on professional organizations is being designed regarding qualitative issues associated with membership in professional organizations. The committee is also creating a working definition of an “active member in a professional organization.” We all know that every member views and participates in a professional organization differently, from those who just pay dues up to those with leadership positions in one or more councils and the IRC Board. We’d like to have minimum criteria established in order to qualify an active member in order to have consistency in our research. In the near future, the committee will be seeking volunteer districts to participate in the data collection portion of the study. If your district is interested in participating in this exciting research, please contact either Katie Ludes at [email protected] or Nancy Paprocki at [email protected]. If you are interested in serving on this committee and joining us for this and other research, please feel free to contact either one of the committee members as well. We hope you will join us as we research this exciting and timely topic.

Study on Impact of Membership in a Professional Organization

Nancy Paprocki, Studies and Research

An Exclusively Secondary Literacy Conference for Grades 6-12Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park, IL

Pre-Conference WorkshopFriday, November 13, 2015

Mary EhrenworthNational Secondary Literacy Consultant

39th Day of ReadingSaturday, November 14, 2015

Matt de la PenaYoung Adult Author


Spring 2015 5

R E N E W A L REWARD

Do YOU want to win $25 to Barnes and Noble?!

IRC will be rewarding two members who renew each month. In the month you renew, your name will be entered into a drawing to win one of two $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Cards. Don’t delay and lose out on your member-only benefits from IRC! Your membership card can be used as documentation for Domain 4 of your evaluation also!

Congratulations to our December Winners!Kristin Fuller & Mary Griffel

With the vision of PARCC testing looming high, here are some last minute resources you will find valuable to help both teachers and students prepare.

1. Tune in to the Free PD Webinars on Common Core State Standards.

2. Check out the articles in iCommunicate that focus on text complexity and close reading.

3. Investigate the following website which offers a series of ways teachers can help students prepare for the assessment.

Other resources are available on the PARCC website at http://www.parcconline.org/top-12-resources-educators. The site includes:

Professional Development Modules• The PARCC Assessment Overview provides information

about how students will be assessed throughout their school career and an assessment walkthrough based on one’s educational role (administrator, primary, secondary or content area teacher) as well as downloadable resources focused on the PARCC Model Content Frameworks

• The PARCC Accessibility System offers an overview of accessibility features and how they are built into the PARCC design in addition to how teachers can use accommodations in the classroom

Educator Leader Cadre Portals are a collection of presentations, videos, and instructional tools related to curriculum, instruction, diverse student populations and more educators can use to build their own expertise.

Model Content Frameworks provide voluntary resources to use as a companion to the New Illinois Learning Standards in order to facilitate curriculum alignment and instruction.

Performance Level Descriptors outline the knowledge, skills, and practices students performing at a given grade level should demonstrate to show they are academically prepared to be successful in further studies and will be/are college and career ready.

Text Complexity Worksheets help educators (a) determine the complexity of a text, (b) select a variety of text types, (c) select passages that allow for a range of standards/evidences to be demonstrated, (d) pair passages effectively, and (e) meet demands of bias and sensitivity guidelines. The December issue of iCommunicate investigates this resource in detail.

Preparing for the PARCC AssessmentRoberta Sejnost

Blueprints and Evidence Statement Tables were created to help educators understand the design of the PARCC assessments. They describe the content and structure of each assessment and define (a) the total number of tasks and/or items for any given assessment component, (b) the standards measured, (c) the item types, (d) the point values for each and (e) the knowledge and skills each assessment item or a task elicits from students. These tables are valuable in creating classroom assessments that mirror the PARCC assessments.

Computer Based Sample Items offer an opportunity for students to sample test questions on the technology platform that students used during the spring 2014 field test. This is a must-do for all students before the spring 2015 testing begins.

Technology Tutorial provides students online instruction in how to use the PARCC assessment technology and functionalities on their school’s devices to help them become confident in using these technologies. This is also a must-do for all students before the spring 2015 testing begins

Give these resources a try. They provide a route to helping your students traverse this challenging road.


6 Spring 2015

ILLINOIS READSA READING STATE OF MIND

Saturday, April 18, 2015Westmont High School909 North Oakwood DriveWestmont, Illinois10:00 am - 1:00 pmEveryone is invited to the launch of the 2015 Illinois Reads Program. Many authors will be present. Bring your books and have them signed at this event! Books will also be available for purchase from Anderson’s Bookshops.

Visit our website for more informationwww.illinoisreads.org

Birth-4Classic Bedtime Stories il Scott Gustafsonhello! hello! by Matthew CordellIf You Were a Panda Bear by Florence Minor, il Wendell MinorMay There Always Be Sunshine by Jim Gill, il Susie Signorino-RichardsPugs in a Bug by Carolyn Crimi, il Stephanie BuscemaToes, Ears, & Nose by Marion Dane Bauer, il Karen Katz

K-2Ben Franklin’s Big Splash by Barb Rosenstock, il D. SchindlerCarnivores by Aaron Reynolds, il Dan SantatEdward Hopper Paints His World by Robert Burleigh, il Wendell MinorLittle Lucy Goes to School by Ilene CooperLion, Lion by Miriam Busch, il Larry DayTales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider

3-5Iggy Loomis, Superkid in Training by Jennifer AllisonOn the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck Rump by Liesl ShurtliffThe Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne MaloneStar Wars Jedi Academy by Jeffrey BrownWhat the Moon Said by Gayle Rosengren

6 - 833 Minutes by Todd Hasak LowyThe Art of Secrets by James KliseThe Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace FlemingInhuman by Kat FallsThe Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh JohnsonThe Ugly One by Leanne Statland Ellis

9-12Boundaries by Sally M. WalkerFault Line by Christa DesirIn The After by Demitria LunettaLooking For Alaska by John GreenRotters by Daniel KrausWicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

AdultThe Borrower by Rebecca MakkaiThe Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted by Elizabeth BergHeroes Are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth PhillipsIdentical by Scott TurowMonsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football by Rich CohenWhile Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell


Spring 2015 7

Family Reading Nights Across IllinoisTammy Potts, Illinois Reads Committee Chair

Illini Reading Council: Illini Reading Council sponsored Illinois Reads author Janice Harrington during the University of Illinois Literature Festival on October 18, 2014. Janice was able to visit 4 schools on October 16 and 17. Illini Reading Council purchased two copies of Illinois Reads featured book, Busy, Busy Little Chick for each of the school’s libraries she visited. On Saturday October 18th, Janice read to participants at the Youth Literature Festival, was part of a panel of authors, and also signed copies of her books.

Iroquois West Elementary School: On November 20, Iroquois West Elementary School in Gilman, Illinois celebrated their 10th Annual Family Reading Night. Over two hundred children and their families enjoyed a fun night of reading as a family. The theme consisted of a bingo card with different activities families can participate in, including making a bookmark, enjoying a snack, or listening to one of our twelve different rooms with readers in them. The twelve classrooms featured different readers and stories in each room. Readers included teachers, high school students, and members of the community. This year also featured three Illinois Reads books that included Winnie Finn Worm Farmer, Guyku, and Cha-Cha Chimps. Other rooms included a Clifford room, a princess room, a pirate room, a shark room, and a Lion’s Club room. There were four different reading sessions and families had to pick the top four stories they wanted to hear. Every time they completed an activity they got their bingo card stamped. At the end of the evening the children returned to the registration table with their stamped bingo card to receive their goodie bag (items that promote literacy) and picked out their free book for attending the event. The Iroquois West Elementary School would like to thank the Illinois Reading Council for their generous support of the event through the Literacy Support Grant Program.

New Baden Elementary: On Thursday, November 20, New Baden Elementary held their Family Reading Night. This was held in conjunction with the State of Illinois’s Family Reading Night. Children and their families were welcomed to an evening celebrating the joy of reading. Everyone received a Passport to take on their reading journey. The school was set up with various stations for the students to enjoy. Stations included four Reading Rooms, a Used Book Exchange, Crafts and a Snack. Children were delighted to hear the stories Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude, Ninja Red Riding Hood, The Book With No Pictures and The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf and Grandma! and Pete the Cat and His Rocking School Shoes. Stories were read by teachers and community members. Students were allowed to bring used books from home and exchange them for different books. Some of the books at the book exchange were collected by the Life Skills Class at Wesclin High School who collected over 50 books! Everyone enjoyed making a book mark and writing their own little books as well as having popcorn and juice. At the end of the evening, every student received a goody bag with a new book and a pencil inside. Wesclin High School students also helped at this event. The event was very well attended with over 100 students and their families participating. The Reading Night was made possible by a generous grant from the Illinois Reading Council as well as the New Baden PTO.

Northern Illinois Reading Council: On Thursday, November 20, a few families and readers gathered to celebrate Reading in Any Language. Readers included local teachers and community members who shared their favorite book that included Spanish language and culture. Families strung together beads and foam holly leaves to be hung on the library’s Christmas tree on the village square. The evening concluded with some traditional Spanish pastries and cookies.

As the third year of the Illinois Reads program is set to launch, the Illinois Reading Council would like to highlight some of the wonderful Illinois Reads Family Reading Nights held in the fall of 2014. Illinois Reads is the statewide literacy initiative held from March to November. Six books by Illinois authors are selected for each age range (birth-adult) to promote reading and literacy at all ages. Book clubs, author events, online blogs, Skype visits, and other fun activities happen throughout the year. The program cumulates in a statewide celebration of literacy during the anuual Family Reading Night sponsored by Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White and Illinois Center for the Book.

The Title Grants Division piloted a new monitoring program in the fall of 2014. The proposed programmatic monitoring process is designed to help increase student achievement and improve communication between the Title Grants Division of the State Board and school districts across the State.

Programmatic monitoring is different than auditing, in that it is focused on technical assistance rather than finding deficiencies. Programmatic monitoring allows the Title Grants Division to work with Local Educational Agency personnel (LEAs) in implementing best practices in Title I and Title II, along with assuring that there is compliance with state and federal requirements.

As each of the pilot districts were visited, the Title Grants Division was focused on the following key questions: Is the district engaging in activities and practices to prevent potential compliance findings? Is the Title I program being implemented with fidelity? And is the Title I program improving student achievement?

Those districts that participated in the pilot include Rockford SD 205, Champaign CUSD 4, Richland 88, North Chicago SD 187, Quincy SD 172 and Granite City CUSD 9. Pilot districts were asked to complete a monitoring tool, have pertinent Title documentation in place for review and then provide feedback on the process.

Districts were visited by their assigned principal consultants and Melina Wright, the Title Grant Division Administrator. Susan Zola, Assistant Superintendent for Achievement and Curriculum and Instruction for Champaign Unit 4 Schools, described the process in the following way. “We spent about three hours engaged in real conversations around the work of the district and how the Title dollars are helping make that work a reality.

This site visit was very different than others I have participated in over the years. The core dialogue was to not only ensure compliance but ensure that the important work to accelerate student outcomes can occur using district and Title dollars aligned to our district improvement plan.” If approved, the programmatic monitoring program would be in place in 2016.

Welcome to the Illinois Authors’ Corner, showcasing new releases from our fabulous Illinois Authors and IRC members. If you’d like to include your new release, please visit the IRC website to find out how to submit information.

The Common Core Coaching Book: Strategies to Help Teachers Address the K-5 ELA Standards

Written by Laurie Elish-Piper and Susan K. L’AllierGuilford Press April 2014Category: Professional Grades: K-5This book provides essential coaching tools to support teachers in planning and implementing instruction aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The authors present an effective yet manageable model of literacy coaching that focuses on building teacher capacity, creating a sustainable coaching program, prioritizing time with teachers, and focusing on student reading and writing achievement. The book contains eighteen specific strategies for coaching large groups, small groups, and individual teachers, including clear-cut procedures, vivid examples, and reproducible forms. The book also highlights profiles of highly effective coaches and examines coaching challenges and how to overcome them.

The Last ResortWritten by Maureen Holtz . . . . . .maureenholtz.comLittle Creek Press . . . . . . . . . . . . August 2014Category: Commercial Fiction . . Age: 40+

ILLINOIS AUTHORS’CORNER


10 Spring 2015

The ISBE Connection: News from the Illinois State Board of Education

Nancy Paprocki, ISBE Liasion


Spring 2015 11

21st Century Learning and the Collaborative ClassroomGail Huizinga, Educational Initiatives and Professional Development Co-Chair

When looking at the shifts in instruction necessary to meet the demands of 21st century learning, creating a more student-centered, collaborative learning environment is one of the most prevalent. A collaborative environment is a school or classroom where students and teachers work together on shared academic and social goals. This collaboration goes beyond conventional cooperation and compliance, but builds the students’ capacity to be caring members of a learning community.

In collaborative classrooms, academic and social goals are valued equally in teacher planning. By being intentional in setting dual academic and social goals for their instruction, teachers ensure their lessons focus not only on what students are learning, but how they are working together. It is an expectation of the CCSS Speaking and Listening Standards that students “prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.” For this to occur, students need to learn to think, talk, and share ideas as well as value the thinking of others. We cannot assume they come into our classrooms knowing how to do this. Just like academic skills, we need to provide direct instruction and opportunities to practice these skills within the classroom setting.

In The Lesson Planning Handbook: Essential Strategies That Inspire Student Thinking & Learning, Brunn (2010) offers examples of academic and social goals.

The Center for the Collaborative Classroom has published Inside the Collaborative Classroom: The Core Principles (2014) as a guide to recognizing principles that promote 21st Center learning.

In the Collaborative Classroom, we believe that:

Academic GoalsIn what ways can we infer cause and effect?

How do we visualize as we listen to a story?

How do we correctly punctuate dialogue?

Social GoalsHow can we agree and disagree respectfully in discussions?

How might we share work equally?

How can we listen to one another respectfully?

• How we teach matters as much as what we teach. Research informs our practice and instruction centers on student

thinking and action. • Fostering caring relationships and building an inclusive and

safe community are fundamental practices.• The social and academic curriculum carry equal weight and

are interdependent. • Honoring and building on students’ intrinsic motivation

leads to engagement and achievement.• Fostering collaboration, connectedness, and community

among adult learners in a school is essential.

You can download the complete document and find out more by visiting www.collaborativeclassroom.org.

There is a large body of research around how social and emotional factors can have positive and negative influence on student learning. We have all worked with students whose lack of motivation and/or persistence has limited their capacity to perform to their full potential. Conversely, we have recognized the positive influence of social and emotional factors when students demonstrate persistence when working and engaging with content. Integrating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) with academic instruction has been found to improve academic attitudes (motivation and commitment), behaviors (attendance, study habits, cooperative learning), and performance (grades, test scores and subject mastery) (Zins et al., 2004). If we continue to think of social emotional learning as something we might get to when we have time or focus on one day of the month with an all-school assembly, we miss a tremendous opportunity to help our students develop into productive members of a school and learning community. Incorporating SEL into classrooms provides students with the skills they need to be successful in school and, more importantly, in life.

References:Brunn, P. (2010). The Lesson Planning Handbook: Essential Strategies That Inspire Student Thinking & Learning. New York, NY: Scholastic.Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/K/Developmental Studies Center (2014). Inside the Collaborative Classroom: The Core Principles. Retrieved from http://www.collaborativeclassroom.org/sites/default/files/media/pdfs/ccc_principles_whitepaper.pdZins, J.E., Weissberg, R.P., Wang, M.C., & Walberg, H.J. (Eds.). (2004). Building Academic Success Through Social and Emotional Learning: What Does the Research Say? New York: Teachers College Press.


12 Spring 2015

At Freeport High School, we are privileged to have two programs in place. One is a high school reading course, which services students who are below an 8th grade reading level. The other is a preschool program, which offers the community a daycare service, as well as helps to prepare students for a career in education. During the month of November, these two programs worked in partnership, along with the help of the Northwestern Illinois Reading Council, to participate in the Illinois Reads initiative.

At the beginning of August, we found ourselves having the good fortune of being given a variety of books from the NWIRC, which could be used with students at Freeport High School. These books were significant because they were written by Illinois authors, and were provided in order to support the Illinois Reads initiative. The books were perfect because they ranged from birth through an adult reading level, and could be used by both preschoolers as well as older students.During the planning stages, the books were first used with the older students. They practiced reading the selection of books that were geared for young children. We knew that we needed to keep the toddlers interested and entertained, as we prepared to read the books aloud to them. The teenagers practiced reading these books with expression, not only with their voices, but with their faces. They practiced talking about the pictures, pointing out sight words, as well as asking questions about the story. As we talked about the preschoolers, our hope was that these young minds were given an amazing experience with these books so that a love of literacy would be nurtured.

We then were invited to the preschool program to meet the toddlers. At first, the older children were very nervous, the younger students were very shy. Once the students met and talked, they became fast friends. The next day we walked down the hall to the preschool room, books in hands, ready to inspire these little ones. There certainly was a feeling of excitement in the air. All of the students found their reading partners, and the books were shared. When the readings were finished, the preschoolers were surprised because they got to keep the books that were read to them. The high school students were also given books from the preschool students. These books, again a donation from the NWIRC, were written for teenagers. Both parties were surprised and smiling, with the gift of a book given to each other.

As I reflected on this experience with the high school students, comments were made such as: • I got to work on my reading skills and had fun at the same time.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!• I really loved it, can we do it again? • It helped me to read better, and it boosted my confidence in front of

the little kids.• I liked seeing their faces when I gave them the books to keep.

We are grateful to the Northwestern Illinois Reading Council for the donation of these books, which provided the opportunity to give the gift of reading. This day is one to be remembered, not only by myself, but by many young people at Freeport High School.

Empowering Lives Through Literacy

Christine Reinders

Making Memories and Motivating Students

Tara K. Kawa

In a school where 63% of our students come from low income families, students do not have many chances to meet a New York Times best-selling author, let alone receive their very own copy of one of her texts.

A little over a hundred and fifty students at Blackhawk Middle School were given a copy of The Testing before they had the chance to meet Joelle Charbonneau. The purpose of this author visit was to motivate students to become lifelong readers and writers. The students were newly familiar with Joelle Charbonneau’s work, and hearing her speak at their school will be something they will remember for years to come.

Joelle Charbonneau is a graduate of their school, Blackhawk Middle School, and the opportunity to meet her and write with her will be one that they will keep with them forever. During their Math and Reading Strategies class, students were given the opportunity to hear her speak. Her message to them was that they too can be successful, even after struggling.

She also shared with students the importance of all their classes. When speaking to the students about writing The Testing, she explained that writing was not something she ever pictured herself doing. As she started working on The Testing, she realized she would need every subject she studied in school to help her write that story.

Steven L. Layne (2005), author of Igniting a Passion for Reading, believes author visits “expose students to the wonders of reading and writing in a unique way, one they may have never considered before. When authors come to speak to young people, they often inspire them to want to read great books and to write with more consideration for their audience,” (132). Charbonneau was able to inspire some of our most struggling readers to pick up her book and read it.

During the presentation, Joelle Charbonneau was able to share much of her life experiences and included many stories from her time at Blackhawk Middle School. Students were very thankful for her candid speaking style. One student spoke with her teacher saying, “I really liked how she was real with us. She answered our questions honestly; even the ones about making money as an author. I can’t believe she made so little money for The Testing!” It is conversations like this that make all the work involved in finding an author and bringing them to the school worth it.

I wanted students to get the experience of not only listening to her speak about writing and reading but also of actually participating in a writing piece. While not every student was able to work with Charbonneau, those who did were left with a wonderful memory and a story that they will take with them throughout their lives. I still have students, of all grade levels, stopping in to thank me for their books and to talk about how much they are enjoying it. Also, if students lose their signed copies of The Testing, they are distraught.

I know this was a “Top Ten” moment in the lives of my students.


Spring 2015 13

The Legislative Committee has transitioned into a new name and a new mission. The Advocacy Committee, as it is now referred to, has expanded its focus to advocacy for readers of every age throughout our state. The legislative piece is still critical to our mission, as we have had much support. We want to continue relationships with our Senators and Representatives, and build new relationships that can help the Illinois Reading Council make a difference.

Some of the new efforts we will be making pertain to libraries and providing more access to books throughout the state. We are currently advocating for every school to have a fully-functioning library, with reading materials and a library director. We are attempting to plan partnerships with social service agencies, Little Free Library, and several publishers to provide reading materials to people in high poverty regions within the state. We intend to use the most recent demographic data from ISBE and Illinois State Library as we move forward with these efforts.

Because the committee is expanding our range of advocates, we will be adding an Outstanding Advocacy Award to recognize an individual or organization that works with us to provide access to reading throughout the state. We will continue to recognize a legislator through the Political Advocacy Award.

Spring into a

Good Book

Advocacy Update

Julie Hoffman, Advocacy Committee Chair

During my 20-something years of teaching I have had the opportunity to read hundreds of professional articles and books. I do this not only because I enjoy my profession and my love of learning, but also so that I can have a larger, more successful impact on the students I teach. Very few articles or books have had as significant an impact on me and my teaching as Peter Johnston’s Choice Words and Opening Minds. They made me think and question and then make changes to the daily interactions with my students. The effect was powerful!

Words are powerful. Words help shape how children perceive themselves and others. The language we choose to use with children helps them to create worlds (or theories) in order for them to determine who they are, where they are and what they are supposed to do. In his book, Opening Minds, Johnston elaborates on Carol Dweck’s work related to growth mindset through his discussions of “fixed performance vs. dynamic learning.” He describes fixed performance as a belief system whereby children believe they have fixed traits such as intelligence, smartness and personality characteristics that cannot be changed. When teachers or adults give feedback to children that includes judgment about that child, it leads he/she to believe things are fixed or that they have failed. Why try to change things or adapt if it is “fixed”? For example, “You’re really smart” is a compliment. However, since most children believe that smart is fixed and is not something they have control over, such a compliment would eventually stagnate their learning. A better compliment would focus on a process, “you really worked hard” or “you used some great strategies to figure that out.” This allows the child to realize that he/she can have some control over their learning and the topic at hand.

The language we use with children impacts the successful students, those who do well in school and get good grades, as well as those who struggle with school in general. When successful students see things as “fixed” they become resistant to working hard, trying new things and to becoming a problem solver. They try to protect themselves, and in doing so, will suffer the loss of valuable learning. As educators we need to show and teach children that level of intelligence can change through hard work and persistence. We need to teach them the process of learning and how things get done (are accomplished). They need to know that they accomplished some things not because they were smart but because they problem solved and used strategies. When a child can articulate to the teacher how they solved a problem they develop a sense of accomplishment and the children around him/her also heard that information. Now, there are several teachers in the room! Uncertainty drives inquiry, gives children agency and knowledge. When students construct knowledge themselves it makes them realize that they have power.

If you haven’t heard Peter Johnston speak you have a chance to in Spring of 2015! He will be speaking at Hubble Middle School on April 11th from 9-12. For the first time, the Fox Valley Reading Council and the Prairie Area Reading Council will be partnering to bring Johnston to the Chicagoland area. You aren’t going to want to miss this event!

A Peter Johnston Event

Beth Herrig, Fox Valley Reading Council


14 Spring 2015

The study I’m going to describe uses the D word, which, as IRC members know, can mean a whole lot of different things, so let’s cut to the chase. A dyslexic in this study is operationally defined as someone who self-reports having had reading difficulty throughout school and who later is confirmed to do poorly on measures of phonological skill.

Atalia Weiss and her colleagues are cognitive psychologists and musicologists interested in the relationship between musical skill and reading ability. Their research review makes the case that musicians are more sensitive to sound and, therefore, should be well-equipped for reading. Musical skills in pre-readers predict subsequent phonological and reading skills. Among primary graders, auditory and reading skills are correlated. They even cite research that “tone deaf” individuals have significant deficits in phonemic awareness. Musicians’ elevated brain responses to auditory stimuli are quite the opposite of the responses of dyslexic individuals. “Thus, one would not expect to find individuals who are both musicians and dyslexic.” Yet, such individuals exist. They named a few famous ones including John Lennon. Lennon caused me to imagine many things, but that he struggled with reading was not among them, so I did some checking. He did struggle greatly with reading and with school in general. I can’t help but wonder if one of the attractions of his spouse was that her first and last names were so easy with only seven letters, three consonants and one simple vowel repeated four times. Could it be that reading easy text lets us fall in love?

The researchers proposed three possible explanations for the dyslexic musician phenomenon. Maybe musicians are very sensitive to auditory stimuli, but their poor reading is due to something other than auditory skill. Or maybe they are

sensitive to non-speech sounds but not so much to speech sounds. Or maybe their musical skill is the mystery, and their reading is much like other dyslexics with difficulty in perception and working memory.

They had data from a previous study of dyslexics who were not musicians. Then they added subjects who were students at the Music Academy of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem or professional musicians with an academic degree in music (hence all were very experienced in reading music). They filled out a questionnaire about their musical background and their reading background. Initially they were assigned to groups “based on their self report of either having adequate reading abilities or persistent reading difficulties.” Five cognitive and phonological tasks were given and subjects were kept in the dyslexic group only if they did very poorly on pseudo-word reading and on a Spoonerism task.

I love Spoonerisms. I used to teach my preservice teachers to do those with their preschool and kindergarten emergent readers. In a Spoonerism you switch the initial consonant sounds of two related words. If you do that with my name, I become Fou Lerroli. One dyslexic musician would be Lon Jennon; our past governor, Quat Pinn; the Bears quarterback, Cay Jutler; and IRC Past-President, Pammy Totts. Try it with your own name unless you have a name like Jerry Johns. Then you don’t get to play. I learned about using that activity with emergent readers in a study conducted by Connie Juel, a fabulous researcher at the University of Texas. I have long suspected that she chose the activity because if you do it to her name it comes out as something just too good to be true. In this study, then, the self-reported persistent reading difficulties were confirmed by phonological scores. Only dyslexics who scored below the tenth percentile were included. The other three “cognitive and phonological” tasks were a digit recall task, oral reading rate, and visual word recognition (choosing the real word versus a pseudo-homophone).

Cool Studies: Myslexic DusiciansLou Ferroli

Continued on page 15

“One dyslexic musician would be Lon Jennon; our past governor, Quat Pinn; the

Bears quarterback, Cay Jutler; and IRC Past-President, Pammy Totts.”


Spring 2015 15

Cool Studies Column to End The Illinois Reading Council is sad to announce that the final Cool Studies column will appear in the Summer 2015 issue. IRC is seeking a new columnist with a strong and consistent voice, who can write on timely topics of interest to IRC members. To apply, send two complete articles (750-1250 words) and ideas for at least two more by July 15th to Marjorie Henseler, the Editor, at: [email protected].

This is scientific work and a tough read. I’ve never before counted the number of references in a study, but I did this time. There are 157. No kidding. Perhaps I should have expected this in a journal named Neuropsychologia.

Reading this study had an unexpected benefit. I tutor a 7th grader, smart as can be, vocabulary off the charts, and very advanced language, but he reads like no one I’ve ever heard. Because of vision difficulties he has taught himself to read by looking only at the long words. He uses those words and his language skill to string together the rest of the sentence resulting in a reading that is grammatically correct, somewhat sensible, and riddled with omissions.

While I have tried many kinds of instruction to cause him to look more closely at the text I’m getting nowhere. A couple weeks ago I told him about this study I’m reading that involves reading music. He plays trombone and confessed that he doesn’t read the music because there are “too many lines.” I told him, “If someone reads music the way you read text where you play just some of the notes and make up what’s in between, that would be pretty lousy music.” He agreed. So, we went back to the book we were reading, John Grisham’s The Abduction, and I said, “Now read this like it’s music. Every note. In order.” He did. And it was music to my ears. Each reading now begins with “Read this like it’s music. Every note. In order.” His reading has never been better. Go figure.

References:Weiss, A., Granot, R., & Ahissar, M. (2013). The Enigma of Dyslexic Musicians. Neuropsychologia, 54, 28-40.

The researchers wanted to test auditory skills. I couldn’t imagine how to test someone’s skill in the perception of music? If it was left to me I would have had them play a few rounds of “Name That Tune.” Pretty lame, I know. Instead, the musicologists measured pitch by playing some tones measured in milliseconds and hertz. This frequency (pitch) discrimination measure required identifying which was the higher tone. The time interval measure required identifying which tone lasted longer. They measured beat by having participants tap on a wooden box along with a metronome. The metronome beats changed periodically and the score was the time between the metronome beat and the corresponding finger tap.

The last set of measures was about working memory. Verbal working memory was like a digit recall task but with syllables. The non-verbal memory task presented two sequences of tones and asked same or different. Melodic patterns memory played two sequences of nine tones. Participants chose whether the melodies were the same or different. Last was memory for rhythmic patterns which presented two sequences of beats of various lengths. Subjects identified same or different. I was amazed by the procedures for measuring perception of music.

As for results, the researchers asked if dyslexic musicians read differently from others who struggle with reading. Their answer was “no.” Both groups of dyslexics scored equally poorly on the reading and the phonological tasks. The researchers asked if the way one could be both dyslexic and a musician is by being sensitive to non-speech sounds (music) while still struggling with speech sounds. Their answer is “no” as the dyslexic musicians did similarly on the speech and non-speech auditory perception tasks. And they asked if musicians could possibly struggle with auditory working memory. Their surprising answer was “yes.” In spite of their intense musical training the dyslexic musicians (like the non-musician dyslexics) had very low scores on auditory memory tasks. And Spoonerisms, because they are phonological tasks which also have an auditory working memory requirement, were especially tough. A pretty stool cudy, huh?

Cool Studies continued from page 14

Verbal working memory was like a digit recall task but with syllables. The non-

verbal memory task presented two sequences of tones and asked same or

different.

“Read this like it’s music. Every Note. In Order”

Non-Profit Org.US Postage

PAIDPermit No. 800Springfield, IL

203 Landmark Drive, Suite BNormal, IL 61761

DON’T MISS OUT! FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETSfacebook: Illinois Reading Council twitter: @ILReadCouncil

Documents

Spring 2015 irc communicator