Looking for ELA Resources?

Angie, can we add a screen shot???

Check this out:

http://rpdp.net/ccss.html

There are tons of ELA resources for grades K-6 from the Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program.   Scroll down to find your grade level, pick an ELA heading, and choose standard/s that you are getting ready to teach, reteach, or review.  See what helpful resources you can find. Resource pages for each standard include:

• Questions to Focus Learning
• Student Friendly Objectives
• Performance Targets
• Suggested Vocabulary
• Teacher Tips
• Vertical Progressions

Thanks for sharing this wonderful resource, Jennifer Williams.  

What's Wrong with Round Robin Reading?

Thanks for sharing this informative, research-based blog post, Anita Young.  It's a quick read that makes one think about the way we were taught round robin reading and the way we teach reading now...because we know better.  Click on the link below to read wonderteacher's post What's Wrong with Round Robin Reading?

http://wonderteacher.com/whats-wrong-with-round-robin-reading-and-some-alternatives/

Story Sparks

Free writing is great.  But what if your students can't think of anything to write about?  Sometimes looking at pictures can spark the author in you!

Just think about the stories that can come from these pictures!

 

There are also sites that have daily pictures you can use!

NASA Picture of the Day

National Geographic Picture of the Day

History Picture of the Day

Reading Moves: What Not to Do

The October 2014 Educational Leadership issue is all about "Instruction That Sticks".  One article titled Reading Moves:  What Not to Do discusses two moves the author, Richard Allington, feels need to be made in reading instruction.

The first move that Allington addresses is the overuse and misuse of oral reading.  The author maintains that the ultimate goal of literacy instruction is independent reading with good comprehension.

Another instructional move that should be changed is asking low-level questions.  Allington calls for literate conversations with peers and higher-order questioning from teachers both verbally and in written form.  

You can read the entire article HERE.

Writing Inventory Scoring Guides--UPDATED!

The writing inventory scoring guides have been updated!  You can find the updated scoring guide by clicking on your grade level on this post, but you can also find them on your grade level page on the district site by selecting ELA resources, and choosing "Writing Inventory Materials" under the assessments heading.

The inventory scoring guides are for NARRATIVE writing. 

Kindergarten

First Grade

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth and Sixth Grades 

Launching Writer's Workshop

Lisa Price sent us a very helpful link for Writer's Workshop this week.,  It's a unit of study for LAUNCHING WRITER'S WORKSHOP for 3rd grade!  After a little investigating, we found that they also have launching units for K-4.  Thanks for sharing, Lisa and Portland Schools. 

Kindergarten
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/files/curriculum/GKLaunch_2014.pdf

1st Grade
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/files/curriculum/G1Launch2014.pdf

2nd Grade
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/files/curriculum/G2Launch2014.pdf

3rd Grade

http://www.pps.k12.or.us/files/curriculum/G3Launch2014.pdf

4th Grade
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/files/curriculum/G4Launch2014.pdf

Writing Inventory Analysis

Using the same Excel format that Stephanie Williams uses in her standards-based grading record keeping, we created a writing inventory analysis spreadsheet.  Of course, this is not something that you HAVE to use, but if you're data nerds like us, this type of thing just makes you happy. :-)  

Here's an example of what it looks like:

Because the second grade and third-sixth grade writing scoring guides slightly differ, we have posted links to them both.  Please remember to MAKE A COPY of the Google doc before you begin using it. 

SECOND GRADE Writing Inventory Analysis

THIRD-SIXTH GRADE Writing Inventory Analysis

 

Happy data collecting, friends!