Take a look inside my office as a PreK-5 literacy coach! Get a free science of reading bulletin board to use in your own literacy coach office, too!
Do you do all of these 6 essentials of reading intervention? Each is a must-have for effective intervention and will make it so much easier...
You are pretty dang busy during any given day or week. Planning sessions, observations, debriefs, resource gathering, PD, … and the list goes on. I hear ya. There’s nothing wrong with being busy though. As long as it’s not the disorganized, no plan in sight, “Ahh, I can’t do this!” kind of busy that leaves […]
I am about to start my fourth year as a literacy coach at my elementary school. This has been an exciting journey and I love my job. Like...
Because the children I assess, often require supplementary reading instruction services, many parents frequently ask me how they can best determine if a reading specialist has the right experience to help their child learn how to read. So today's blog post describes what type of knowledge reading specialists ought to possess and what type of
What's on the Intervention Cart? Come on over and take a look! I have it all pictured for you!
Hello Friends!!! It's Jen from Out of This World Literacy! I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer relaxing and sleeping in. I know many of my friends are moving roles in this upcoming school year. Some are switching grades while others are stepping out of the classroom to fill specific leadership positions. As a Literacy Coach, I know what it's like to take that leap out of the classroom and into a specialist position. It. is. scary! Teachers who shift into a leadership role often leave the comfort and support of a grade-level team. They can sometimes feel like they are out there on their own island. Other teachers suddenly look at them differently...even though these teachers don't see themselves as a superior. They are not administrators, nor is their pay any different than when they were in the classroom. But, because of their new 'specialist' title, they are now looked at differently. I have some advice and tips for anyone who is stepping bravely out of the classroom and into a leadership role. Whether your new title is Reading Coach, Literacy Specialist, Interventionist, RTI Coordinator, or so on, I hope this list of advice can help you! TOP 10 TIPS FOR TEACHER SPECIALIST: 1. LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN! 2. Don't fall into the gossip traps 3. Think about the effects of your words before you speak 4. Ways to get on the teachers' good sides right away... a. Give stuff away at staff meetings! Don't hold on to all your classroom goodies! You don't have a classroom anymore! Make a FREE box and put it at the front door at the first staff meeting! b. Offer to come into classrooms, read a story, and introduce yourself to all the kids! Make a sign-up sheet for teachers so you can visit. It gives teachers a 20 minute break and it gets your foot in the door of all the classrooms! c. This last one is cheesy I know...but...SMILE! Be positive! A great attitude is contagious! And a smile can literally make someone's day. Whatever you're dealing with, smile, be positive, and that will go such a long way! 5. Be Patient! 6. Never trust teachers to read all their emails! If you have something important to share, chances are they will not read all their emails. You will likely need to send reminders. We all know how busy teachers are. Friendly reminders for meetings and so on are a must! :) 7. Always carry a calendar or ipad in the halls! Teachers will stop you and ask about things. They will ask you to come into the classroom, or send them something. It's hard to remember everything. Have something to write your quick hallway conversations down with! Otherwise, you will likely forget and unintentionally upset a teacher! 8.It's OK to say no! 9. Never act like you know everything! 10. Build yourself a layer of seriously thick skin! If you want to read more about what I have to say for each of these 10 tips, you can download this FREE resource! I wish everyone a fantastic start to a new year, whether it's back in your old classroom or taking on a new role! Jen Bengel Visit my TpT Store Follow me on Facebook Join me on Pinterest
In this masterclass, I show you my 5 step system to attracting high quality clients and creating a successful online coaching business.
If you're like me you've tried a lot of different schedules for your literacy block time. And no matter what you try, it's still a major scheduling challenge. Every year I'd try a new schedule or rotation system and it never quite worked like I planned. Why does it always look so good on paper and then fall apart once you put it into use???? I'd have one group that needed more time so I'd want to keep them a little longer, but that meant that another group would have to be cut short. I also had a hard time keeping up with the students at the centers because they needed varying amounts of teacher assistance. Finally one year I came up with a way to keep my literacy block very simple. It was one of those "Duh!" moments and it turned out to be the best thing for my third graders and for me! I called this TeRC Time . . . Teacher, Reading, Centers. Basically, the literacy block is divided into two parts: Independent Reading, and Centers. The students are also split into two groups. Make sure the groups are a good mix of ability levels. Also make sure that both groups have good models of behavior and work habits to follow. Group A works on independent reading first and then switches to centers. Group B is the opposite, working on centers first and then independent reading. During the Reading part of the schedule students read. It can be a book they choose for themselves or one selected by the teacher. They can also read with a partner or listen to a recorded story. During the Centers part of the schedule students work on the other activities or written practice. The centers can focus on any literacy skills or strategies for reading or writing. Students can work independently. with a small group or with a partner. During the entire literacy block time the teacher calls small groups to meet with her. Regardless of where the students are at the time, reading or at centers, they put away their task and join the teacher at the reading table. When their time with the teacher is finished they return to their reading or center activity. While the teacher works with small groups or conferences with individual students the rest of the class is either reading or working on a literacy center task. This puts more responsibility on the students because they have to pace themselves to complete their tasks by the end of the week. If they are called to work with the teacher during their center time then they may have to complete that center work the next day. Students are also responsible for completing any assignments given in the small groups. This should always be their first priority when they leave the group. To sum it up: (click to download this graphic.) Click to download Fridays are a “catch-up” day. The teacher, generally, does not call small groups. It’s a good day for the teacher to also catch up on conferences or work with students who need reteaching of skills/strategies presented through the week. The students have the time to finish the reading and center tasks for the week. If they finish everything then they can have more reading time or perhaps play a literacy game. I hope you'll be able to use a few of these ideas to use during your literacy block time and Keep It Super Simple!
Take a look inside my office as a PreK-5 literacy coach! Get a free science of reading bulletin board to use in your own literacy coach office, too!
You’ve been given the job of a new coach and your excitement is now breeding anxiety. One thing I was nervous about was my room set up. Initially, I didn’t know where I was going to set up shop. So…
I don’t know about you guys, but I just love love {yes two loves, not a typo} peeking inside the work spaces of other coaches and teachers. Educators have some seriously creative super powers when it comes to organizing and decorating and there’s so many good ideas we can steal from each other! Since it’s […]
Phonology within Structured Literacy refers to the sounds we hear in spoken words. Be sure to follow along with our What is Structured Literacy? blog series! Split into two categories, phonology covers: 1- phonological awareness – the awareness of bigger sounds in words like whole words in sentences, rhyming words, and counting syllables. 2- phonemic ... Read More about Phonology Within Structured Literacy
Hi, friends! It's Gina here from Miss Peluso's Kindergarten. I hope you're all having an amazing start to 2015! I'm here today to share with you one of the big projects that I worked on over winter break. Since last year, I have been searching for some way to help my students become independent writers. Yes, they are in kindergarten, but I KNOW that they can do it… all of them! This year, I decided to take the plunge and design a writing office to take away the uncertainty that comes along with writing. If you stepped into my room during the beginning of the year, you would hear a lot of this: "Miss Peluso, how do you spell _____?" "I don't know how to write!" and "Can you help me sound out ___?" So, my mission was to create a resource that could help my students write, but not do it for them! I wanted to give them the tools that they need at their fingertips so that they can build some writing confidence. Here is an example of the kindergarten writing office that I created for my classroom: I chose to highlight skills that are focused on in the CCSS for kindergarten. These writing offices help my students correctly form upper- and lowercase letters, use digraphs, write color words, find the sounds that they need when sounding out words, write sight words, AND evaluate their own work to see if they are following the conventions of writing. It was SUPER simple to make. I took two manila folders and taped them together with packing tape. Then, I glued on the pieces that I wanted to use, and laminated it for durability! I introduced our writing journals to my class the day that we got back from winter break. I figured that we were ready for this challenge in the new year! After I got my kiddos all excited about their writing journals (they were ecstatic that they could write about anything they want!), we wrote a few journal entries together as a shared writing focus. They helped me to write and evaluate these sample journal entries. Then, it was time to give them their own journals! The first day, my kinders decorated the covers of their journals. I let them choose the color that they wanted, and personalize it. This got them really excited to start to write! The next day, we did our first free write! I was SO nervous to give them free reign, but I held my breath and stepped back while they worked. I told them that I would not answer any questions because they have everything they would need in their writing office. They LOVED having this small defined space as their office. Not only did it provide support, but it gave them a quiet space to work in that was their own. I was amazed at the quality of writing that I saw from ALL of my students! Some chose to start by drawing their pictures, and some dove right into their words, but they ALL did the very best writing that they could! I could practically hear the gears turning in their brains! Here are some examples of our kindergarten writing: "I got a haircut before {school}." "I like {sprinting}." "I played in the snow with my dad." I have to say that the BEST part of journal writing was when I rang the bell and one of my "struggling" writers said, "Oh man! I want to keep writing!" What a happy teacher I was! Do you think that these writing offices could help your students? I designed this product to meet the CCSS of grades K-2. You can completely customize the writing office to meet the needs of YOUR students! Plus, it comes with an editable word wall so that you can type in the words that your school district uses! Click on the image below to check it out in my TPT store. It's on sale for the first 24 hours! I hope that you find this idea helpful, even if this product is not on your wish list right now. Maybe it helped you to think of a way that you can give your students the tools to become independent writers! Before I sign out here, I want to remind you to click on over to my blog and link up with me for the second week of The Power of Positivity! I caught myself several times this week being negative and thinking… "How can I turn this into a positive?" You won't regret the time to reflect on the POSITIVE parts of your week and you'll be entered to win $5 to my store at the end of the month! Have a wonderful week!
Over the school closure, I updated my Literacy Handouts for Parents (I have not yet updated the Spanish version). They're still FREE!! I hope they're helpful! You can click on any of the pictures below to download the handouts. Here are some pictures of what's included in the file.
“>The incorporation of Instructional Rounds, also known as Learning Walks by some, has been a huge hit at our school. I highly recommend these be something you try with your teachers. We, as educators, are so confined to our own classrooms that we do not get to see the great things happening right next door or...Read More
Rachael Moola shares a creative way to introduce your role, partnership opportunities, and goals as an instructional coach.
Simple Elementary Reading Specialist Room Are you looking for ideas to set up your small elementary classroom or a reading room? I hope so! In my professional life, I’m an elementary reading specialist. I recently moved to a new school and “inherited” quite a bit of stuff that was left behind. I wanted to give the room a […]
Discover the ultimate guide to organizing literacy resources effortlessly! Learn how to efficiently store task cards, flashcards, and review games with our step-by-step system. Perfect for educators seeking practical organization tips. Explore our blog now!
Over the school closure, I updated my Literacy Handouts for Parents (I have not yet updated the Spanish version). They're still FREE!! I hope they're helpful! You can click on any of the pictures below to download the handouts. Here are some pictures of what's included in the file.
What do you do when you learn that your child has dyslexia? Should you hide this diagnosis to protect them from labels and misunderstandings, or should you tell them? If you do decide to tell them, how do you do this? Can you help them to overcome any potential fears or misunderstandings? These are the questions that I will answer in this blog that includes kid-friendly graphics. What are the Benefits of Telling Your Child That He or She Has Dyslexia? Educating your child with dyslexia about the common signs and misconceptions can help them to: understand that they learn in a different way than other kids that don’t have dyslexia. shed negative labels such as stupid, careless, unmotivated and lazy. correct any misunderstandings. identify with other successful people that have or had dyslexia. acquire the needed intervention and instruction in school. learn that many people with dyslexia have strengths that others do not have. Individuals with dyslexia are often: great at communicating their ideas aloud. creative, critical thinkers. good at seeing the big picture. excellent at solving puzzles and building things. If you want to learn more about dyslexia consider reading: The Dyslexic Advantage Overcoming dyslexia Help your Child Understand Dyslexia by Reviewing the Eleven Common Signs Show your child the image below and read the list out loud. Ask them to identify which symptoms describe their difficulties. You have or had trouble with letter reversals (b and d) and words reversals (was and saw). You have or had troubles with reading aloud. You have or had trouble with words problems in math. You have or had trouble understanding jokes, punchlines, sarcasm and inferences. You have or had trouble following a series of written or aural directions. You have or had trouble mispronouncing words. You have or had trouble rhyming words. You have or had trouble telling directions. You have or had trouble recalling names or words. You have or had trouble with spelling You have or had trouble learning how to read. What are Four Myths and Truths about Dyslexia? Show your child the graphic below and read the list of myths and truths out loud. Ask them to respond to each of the myths - "Have you ever felt this way?" Then read the truth and address any questions. Myth #1: People with dyslexia are not smart. Truth #1: Many dyslexic individuals are extremely bright and creative. In fact, many kids with dyslexia are gifted. Watch a video on famous people with dyslexia: Click Here Myth #2: People with dyslexia cannot learn to read or write. Truth #2: With the right intervention and instruction people with dyslexia can become excellent readers and writers. Myth #3: People with dyslexia see things backwards. Truth #3: Dyslexia is not a vision problem. It has to do with how the brain make sense of what is seen. Myth #4: People with dyslexia are lazy and should try harder. Truth #4: Kids with dyslexia learn differently. When they are asked to learn in a way that does not work well for them, it can take more time. Finding Multisensory Remedial Tools for Kids with Dyslexia: If you are looking for fun, creative and multisensory remedial materials, lessons and games created for learners with dyslexia, CLICK HERE. If you would like a free copy of these images CLICK HERE. Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning and Dyslexia Materials. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses. · Blog: https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/ · YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1 · Podcast: https://godyslexia.com/ · Store: http://www.Goodsensorylearning.com/ & www.dyslexiamaterials.com · Courses: http://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/ · Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/69400
Hello! I hope everyone is surviving the final days before the holiday break! As many of you know I’m no longer a classroom teacher, I am a Literacy Coach. So I often get the question or look, “What do you do all day?” So today I am here to give you an answer of […]
Earlier this week, I broke out the cool new pens I got for Christmas and got to work on putting together my coaching cycle schedule for this next quarter. Creating new schedules throughout the year is a cool opportunity for us coaches. It’s kind of like having a mini beginning-of-school-year kick off more than just […]
Take a look inside my office as a PreK-5 literacy coach! Get a free science of reading bulletin board to use in your own literacy coach office, too!
Here is a collection of eight class discussion techniques to structure classroom discussion and ensure all students' equal participation.
