Inside the ELA Classroom

The number of words in a student's meaning vocabulary is one predictor of how well he/she will comprehend text. Research says that measures of word meanings correlate with measures of reading comprehension in general (Anderson & Freebody, 1981). Moreover, knowledge of specific word meanings in a text or passage is an excellent predictor of how well the student will read the text.

One approach to help students all students increase their comprehension level is to increase their mental capacity of word meanings through the use of context clues (context cues) more efficiently and effectively.

Anderson, R. C., & Freebody, P. (1981). Vocabulary knowledge. In J.T. Guthrie (ed.) Comprehension and teaching: Research Reviews (pp. 77-117). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Context Clues

Context Clues presentation - pulled from PowerUP WHAT WORKS

Introduction to Context Clues (Teacher Professional Development)

Context Clues Review (Student Presentation)

Did you know that Social Studies and Science content can be an interesting mix of itemized information, and traditional paragraphs/imagery. Students are expected to read primary and secondary sources closely, analyze the text, determine central ideas, and distinguish between fact, fiction, and reasoned judgements. As students matriculate through school, they must acquire a keen set of skills and strategies to lift the knowledge from the source and combine it with previously taught information.

By incorporating reading strategies across the content areas, students are able to better understand texts not only in the reading class, but other courses as well as make connections to the outside world.

25 Reading Strategies That Work In Every Content Area

1. Reread

2. Activate Prior Knowledge

3. Use Context Clues

4. Infer

5. Think Aloud

6. Summarize

7. Locate Key Words

8. Make Predictions

9. Use Word Attack Strategies

10. Visualize

11. Use Graphic Organizers

12. Evaluate Understanding

13. Question the Text

14. Stop!

15. Monitor & Repair Understanding (While Reading)

16. Paraphrase

17. Annotate the Text

18. Adjust Reading Rate

19. Prioritize Information

20. Use Graphic Notetaking

21. Predict

22. Set a Reader Purpose

23. Text-connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world)

24. Skim

25. SSQ (Stop, Summarize, Question)

Retrieved from teachthought: We Grow Teachers at

https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/25-reading-strategies-that-work-in-every-content-area/

Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey & John Hattie assert that transitioning to online teaching doesn’t mean throwing out everything we know about how students learn. Yes, the effect size of technology is low; however, the effect of variables such as teacher clarity (at 0.75) and teacher credibility (at 1.09) are strong indicators of student success. Instead of worrying, let's focus on what we can control.

The authors recommend three strategies to when finding the connection between distance and face-to-face learning.

1. Optimize the social interaction (remember limited lecture and talking at students)

2. Listen to students and check for understanding.

3. Keep a balance between general knowledge and critical thinking. (pg. 5-6)

Strong relationships have the potential to directly affect achievement. Virtual instruction through distance learning does not negate this fact. This connection could be demonstrated through virtual office hours, get to know you questions, weekly check-in meetings, virtual Q&A, Tell me something "good" activities, etc.

Attention grade 6 ELA teachers: Review the updated 6th grade pacing guide for digital instructional support. New resources in deep goldenrod font. Ideas will be accepted until Friday, October 9th, 5:00pm.

Now in its 15th year, Jumpstart’s annual Read for the Record campaign brings together millions of adults and children as they read the same book on the same day, building an intergenerational community through reading.

I am ecstatic to announce that this month Coweta County Schools will continue our participation in this initiative whether in the classroom or at home, reading aloud with young children. Research states that through high-quality early education—rich with books and reading—young children gain the skills that lay the foundation for all future learning.

As you continue to plan, check out the FREE activity guides and promotional resources now available on our website.

Sample social media posts and graphics are also available to help you promote your celebrations. Don't forget to tag your posts #ReadfortheRecord and @PBakerEducates.

Have you seen this powerful, FREE, online software? There's nothing to buy or install. It works on any computer, tablet, or smartphone. Just point your browser to Rewordify.com and start reading and learning. You can print free, full-color literature.

Rewordify any block of text by copy-paste or typing into the box.

Don't forget to browse the classic literature!

If you have forgotten your password for Renaissance STAR, please select FORGOT PASSWORD. An email will be sent to the User with a temporary password. Once you enter the site - reset the password.

Click o HERE to access some step-by-step processes to help maneuver the new platform.

Don’t forget, we have the online support of Renaissance

• Live Chat: The link for the live chat is in the upper right-hand corner of your Renaissance home page when you are logged in.
• Email Support: Email us at answers@renaissance.com.
• Renaissance Refresher: Subscribe to the bi-weekly E-Newsletter and stay informed about key updates. The newsletter includes tips and resources.

The monitor passwords themselves are set in two separate preferences:

• the Monitor Password - Reading Quizzes preference (for Accelerated Reader quizzes)
• the Monitor Password - Star Tests preference (for Star Early Literacy, Star Math, and Star Reading tests)

Monitor passwords can be unique for each class; the passwords are case-sensitive, so teachers must enter the appropriate password exactly as it appears in the preference. Note that a monitor password is always required when you stop an Accelerated Reader quiz or Star test. Principals and APs use these directions to set the password preference.

A song to help students better understand Context Clues. click on the graphic above or here.

At Jefferson Parkway the staff "Jump-Starts Pride and Excellence in all Students.

Dr. Sean Dye, Principal

Mrs. Rebecca Minerd, AP

Mr. Anthony Rogers, SSC Admin

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

Foster students' interest in reading and writing while encouraging positive social skills.

Language and Literacy (PreK-4)

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving (PreK-4)

Diversity and Community (PreK-4)

Reading Foundational Skills - resources for emerging readers. Lesson plans include research based best practices for teaching print concepts. Over 150 videos correlated to standards!

Speaking and Listening is separated into: Comprehension and Collaboration and Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas.Digital media, rhetoric, and conversations are additional topics presented in this segment. Find lesson plans and over 490 videos!

Informational Texts explore strategies and techniques used to read and write. Resources are presented as Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, Integration of Knowledge and Ideas, and Range of Reading and LEvel of Text Complexity. Over 640 videos with resources for grades 6-12.

ELA Writing explores all genres of writing: argumentative, explanatory narrative, and personal. Lessons examine implicit biases and best practices. Workshops cover poetry and multigenre study. Over 375 videos for elementary and secondary support.

It is obvious that Teachers are Superheroes as we navigate and create this new reality for instruction. Follow this link to access the new landing page within the English Language Arts Curriculum Site that focuses on digital learning support.

Although writing can be scary, it is important for students to write about their learning. The learning process isn't complete until the learners share their thinking with others. Writing is a way for students to review their own learning, organize their thinking, and evaluate how well they understand what has been taught

There are many reasons for asking students to write:

• To clarify their thinking about what they've learned.
• To think deeply and clearly about the subject.
• To communicate what they have learned.
• To explore, extend, and cement ideas.
• To record learning.
• To evaluate the learning process.
• To explain ideas.
• To apply what's been learned to new situations and problems.
• to evaluate what they have learned.
• To organize new information.
• To make connections between what they know and what they are learning.
• To build confidence about their knowledge of the subject.

1. Write a day in the life of a Giant Pumpkin.

2. I can tell it is autumn (fall) because...

3. What happened the day that it rained candy corn?

4. What are your favorite sights, smells and sounds of autumn?

5. If I had a magic broomstick, I would...

6. Persuade someone to go with you on a nature hike.

7. So far my favorite subject of this school year is ______________ because...

8. Explain the tradition of trick-or-treating to someone who has never done it before.

9. You decided to create the silliest Halloween costume ever. Describe it.

10. If I could be any cartoon character, I would be _____. Share why you chose that character.

11. Describe how the weather changes from summer to fall.

12. Compare and contrast fall and spring.

13. Imagine you are the football during a Friday night game. What do you hear? What do you see? What do you feel?

14. Write a story on the day the leaves refused to fall from the trees.

15. Because Fire Prevention Week is in October, Smokey the Bear decided to visit your classroom. Tell us about that visit. What did he say? What did Smokey the Bear do? What did he wear? How did you feel to see a bear in your classroom?

October Events

World Teachers' Day - October 5th

Teen Read Week (Oct 8-14)

National School Lunch Week (Oct 9-13)

Fire Prevention Week (Oct 8-14)

World Food Day (Oct 16)

Black Poetry Day (The Harlem Renaissance) (Oct 17) Elementary Secondary

School Bus Safety Week (Oct 16-20)

Day on Writing (Oct 20) readwritethink Why I Write: 2017 National Day on Writing

International Artist Day (Oct 25th)

Pumpkin Day (Oct 26)

Internet Day (Oct 30)

Halloween (Oct 31) Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12

Students have opinions just like adults. In most instances they can be just as passionate. Use this passion as students must compare items and write out an opinion statement and support for their choice.

• Should your teacher assign more or less homework?
• Which sport (or sport team) is the best? What makes it better than the others?
• Should video game competitions be aired on television and treated like the sport competitions? Explain your decision.

• Spongebob has been on television for years. Should the show continue or be cancelled?
• What is the most useful subject in school?
• Is social media good or bad?
• Should school start at 9 o'clock in the morning?
• Would you rather live in Narnia or attend school at Hogwarts?

Please review your Professional Learning Schedule. Dates and meeting locations may changed based on pertinent information.

Bennington College offers a competition in three categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), and nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). First place winners receive $500.

Age Group: 10th–12th grades

How to Enter: The contest runs from September 1 to November 1, so stay tuned to the website for information about how to submit entries.

Each year, students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades are invited to enter in one of the following categories with the following submission:

1. Poetry: A group of three poems

2. Fiction: A short story or one-act play (1,500 words or fewer)

3. Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)

4. 
   

A first, second, and third place winner is selected in each category.

Awards & Rules

First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $500; second-place winners receive $250; third-place winners receive $125.

• All entries must be original work and sponsored by a high school teacher.

• Judges include Bennington College faculty and students.

The competition runs annually from Sept. 1 to Nov. 1. Winning entries are posted by April 19.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. Through the Scholastic Awards, teens in grades 7–12 (ages 13 and up) from public, private, or home schools can apply in 29 categories of art and writing for their chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited and published. Beyond the Awards, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers produces a number of programs to support creative students and their educators, including the Art.Write.Now.Tour, the National Student Poets Program, the Scholastic Awards Summer Workshops and Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarships programs, the Golden Educators Residency, and much more.

Students may begin submitting work in September by uploading it to an online account.

The American Foreign Service Association’s national high school essay contest completed its twenty-first year with nearly 700 submissions from 41 states and five countries.

Age Group: 9th–12th grades

How to Enter: Each year a new prompt is published in September. Stay tuned to the contest web page so you can find it when school begins. Winners receive full tuition to the Semester at Sea program as well as a trip to Washington, DC, to meet with a leader at the Department of State.

Engineer Girl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world. Students can win up to $500 in prize money. This contest is a nice bridge between ELA and STEM and allows teachers to incorporate an interdisciplinary project into the curriculum. The new contest prompt is published in October. Check out the educator’s page for more information about how to support this contest at your school.

Age Groups: 3rd–5th grades; 6th–8th grades; 9th–12th grades

How to Enter: Students submit their work electronically. Word limit varies by grade level. Check out the full list of rules and requirements here.

Contact Dr. Paula Baker, ELA/Literacy Content Specialist with any questions, comments, or concerns.

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." ~ James Baldwin

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

~Nelson Mandela

Nine-tenths of education is encouragement.

~Anatole France

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.

~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Email: paula.baker@cowetaschools.net
Website: http://curriculum.cowetaschools.org/
Phone: 770-254-2810
Twitter: @PBakerEducates