I have learned so much about reading and writing during my time at NCSU. I am so thankful for the opportunities I have had to learn from some truly great professors who inspired and encouraged me. I wanted to share some of the reading and writing resources I have created that have helped shape my teaching and my student's learning. These are teacher resources that I hope others will find helpful.
Writing Resource Application Project (WRAP) In Dr. Grifenhagen's ECI 509 - Teachers as Writers class, she asked us to read and review a writing resource text that was completely new to us. Young writers need to understand the different purposes for writing and be provided with authentic writing opportunities. Cabell (2013) states that “early writing is one of the best predictors of children’s later reading success.” (p. 651) She also believes that by “providing young children with rich writing experiences we can lay a foundation for literacy learning.” (Cabell 2013 p. 650) In order for students to have those experiences they must understand the purposes for writing. I chose to read The Writing Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo because I was looking for new writing strategies to use with my K/1 students. I read the book and used one of the lessons with my Kindergarten and First grade students. The lesson focused on "A Series of Pictures to Show Change". My students created a series of pictures to show the changes a pumpkin could go through. I used Jeanne Titherington's Pumpkin, Pumpkin as my mentor text and my students did a great job showing the different ways pumpkins can change. For the WRAP assignment, we also had to create a Book Talk to share a brief overview of the book and our feelings about it. The Writing Strategies Book is an excellent writing resource for teachers and I have continued using it in my classroom!
Action Book Club (ABC) In Dr. Harrington's ECI 540 - Reading in Elementary School, we were asked to choose a professional text to read and put into action. Our action could be trying out lessons and ideas in the book, sharing information from the book with colleagues, or planning PD for our PLC. It did not matter what we chose, we just had to put the ideas from our book into action in an authentic and meaningful way. To conclude our ABC we created a Book presentation all about Jan Richardson's book The Next Step Forward in Guided Reading. We felt like this book would be the perfect addition to any teacher's classroom. This book is practical with resources included that teachers can just copy and use. Scholastic has resources that teachers can download if they have the "code" word and Jan Richardson has more resources on her website.
Word Study In Dr. Honeycutt's ECI 543 - Literacy Assessment and Intensified Instruction I class we learned about the different aspects of literacy. We were asked to create a video to share information about a topic of our choice, that we had previously discussed in class. I decided to make my video about Word Study. I use Words Their Way in my classroom and I feel that it is beneficial to my students and how they work with word patterns. Scanlon, Anderson and Sweeney, authors of Early Intervention for Reading Difficulties: The Interactive Strategies Approach, believe that Words Their Way is a useful tool for gaining insights into children's phonemic awareness analysis and phonics skills. I have seen a lot of growth in my little spellers and I think Words Their Way has been a guiding force.
Cabell, S. Q., Tortorelli, L. S., & Gerde, H. K. (2013). How Do I Write? Scaffolding a Preschoolers’ Early Writing Skills. The Reading Teacher, 66(8), 650–659. Scanlon, D. M., Anderson, K. L., & Sweeney, J. M. (2010). Early intervention for reading difficulties: The interactive strategies approach. New York: Guilford Press.