Learn how to become a reading specialist thru a certification or degree program. This post tells you everything you need to know about this career path!
Inclusive Classrooms ~ "Promote a safe and welcoming classroom school and community where individual differences are valued..."
RETELL course. Pass the ESL MTELS by reading this page. Learn about reading, writing, and vocabulary strategies for ELLs and ALL learners!
This chart is a great professional document for teachers, reading specialist, coaches or principals. It lays out a school or district's intervention, enrichment, core program and assessment options for each grade level. It is color coded for easy readability. Red is Tier 3, Yellow is Tier 2 and Gr...
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...
I spent the last few months updating the manual. I have lots of experience, but I want to make sure that How to Be a Resource Specialist is current and useful! I have added information on collaborating, IEP meetings, data, and have added new classroom activities. This manual is designed for you to read through, highlight, and pull no-prep activities immediately! I have been purposeful in discussing areas in which the new resource specialist can use advice and answers. Special Education has been an interesting and rewarding career. I often say I have had the best job in town! But it can be sooooo stressful for newer teachers(and even veteran teachers), and How to Be a Resource Specialist may help with answering some questions, planning IEP meetings, and helping all students access school and learning!
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!
So you are thinking you may want to leave the classroom and become a reading teacher. But maybe you aren't completely sure yet. The classroom IS different than a reading specialist's room is several ways.
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
This is another one in the series of Tell All's. OK...that's kinda funny. I will be honest, this turned into an Affirmation of Thoughts. Reading
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...
This research-based reading intervention program is AMAZING. Over 10,000 teachers are using The Reading Intervention Program and seeing incredible results.
Literacy Teacher Comfort Colors tee in Varsity lettering. Perfect for the whole team with great unisex options! Comfort Colors introduces its garment-dyed t-shirt; made 100% with ring-spun cotton. The soft-washed, garment-dyed fabric brings extra coziness to your wardrobe while the relaxed fit makes it an excellent daily choice. The double-needle stitching throughout the tee makes it highly durable while the lack of side-seams helps the shirt retain its tubular shape. .: 100% ring-spun cotton .: Medium fabric (6.1 oz/yd² (206.8 g/m²)) .: Relaxed fit .: Sewn-in twill label
Do you have a hard time remembering what comes next in your structured literacy or Orton-Gillingham lesson plans? This resource was created as a tool for educators who are following an Orton-Gillingham structured literacy lesson plan. The cards were specifically created to follow the sequence that my OG Fellow from the Orton-Gillingham Academy recommended for our lesson plans. The cards can be used for any structured literacy lesson! I created the poster cards so that I can display them near my small group reading table, as a visual of what I need to teach and implement, and in what order. This visual aide is helpful for both educators and your students! It helps with routine and consistency. Click here to check out the preview file. Cut out and arrange the cards in whatever order you are teaching your lesson. Some days, you may not have time for every part of the lesson sequence. Simply remove the parts of the lesson that you won’t be completing that day. Pages 6-10 reflect the order of the lesson plan I will be using from the training I received with the Orton-Gillingham Academy. (Handwriting can also be written into your lesson plan within the auditory drill or dictation section of your lesson. However, I have included a separate card that you can use if you choose to isolate that section.) I have included additional options for wording for the title of your lesson, spelling portion, sight word portion, and the phonemic awareness portion. Choose and print which cards you wish to use! *Cards are available in both color and black and white!* EDITABLE VERSION INCLUDED: I have added a unique "drag and drop" PowerPoint slide to this resource. You can now customize and create your own smaller bookmarks for your lesson schedules! Simply drag and drop the small cards onto the bookmark template in Powerpoint, and print! Create a customized schedule for Day 1's lesson, Day 2's lesson, or a general schedule that works for you. The smaller sized bookmark is a great addition to your teacher binders, lesson plan book, and more! What cards are included in this resource? •Orton-Gillingham Lesson Sequence •phonemic awareness •visual drill •auditory drill •blending drill •reading words •reading phrases/sentences •spelling words s.o.s. procedure •dictate phrases/sentences •sight words •teach new concept •connected text •handwriting •Structured Literacy Lesson Sequence •Small Group Lesson Sequence •Small Group Reading Lesson •warm-up •phonological awareness •spelling words •dictation •word mapping Quick Tip for Teachers: Use magnets or Velcro in order to easily swap out and rearrange your lesson cards! You can see a photograph of the cards that are on display in my small group reading classroom within this preview. Stay on track with your lesson routine! These visual aides are great for teachers and students! I hope you love them! Miss DeCarbo Christina DeCarbo-Wagers Copyright 2022
Moving into a coaching role as a teacher can be daunting for anyone. You spent years in the classroom perfecting your craft and all of a sudden you are in a new role and feel like a first year teacher all over again. But, you don’t have to. This post serves as a guide for…
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 […]
There’s no question that teachers are pressed for time. In fact, this is one of the most common reasons we hear for why teachers may not engage in coaching cycles. The perception is that coaching cycles will ‘take’ too much time and coaches feel as if they are up drumming business. The good news is..............
Simple and Straight-forward Tools for Teachers, Coaches, and Leaders.
Finding great resources to support reading intervention for struggling readers can be challenging. An even bigger challenge is finding inexpensive or free reading interventions that are high quality and fit within your limited budget. The great news is I've already done the work for you (because who has time to
Introducing a brand new FREEBIE: Characterization Graphic Organizer (for any text) (click on image above to download) Focusing on...
I have been perusing Pinterest these past few weeks in search of not only some quality instructional coaching tools, but also som...
How do you become a recovery coach? Here's how to build your recovery coaching business from start to finish.
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 […]
Most classrooms I've taught in have at least one or two early finishers that grasp the lesson quickly, speed through the independent work, and then do one of two things; ask you for something else to do or start to cause trouble. No matter what I was teaching, when a student finished early, I always gave them the same option of what to do while they waited for their classmates to finish: "Go read any book you'd like! Aaaand you can go read in the reading center on the pillows! Yay!" I cringe when I think about that now. Even if it was a math lesson, I still only offered for them to go read a book. Extension menus changed the way I teach and the way those students were learning. Just because they got things quickly, didn't mean that I should have easily dismissed them to go do something else. I know now that they should continue working on the same concept or skill that was introduced, just on a deeper level. They deserve to be challenged and allowed to be creative with the content they so easily mastered. Coming up with extension menus prior to my lessons were a game changer! They're now just a part of my planning. I began to come up with between 3 and 9 different options for my early finishers to choose from. They were free to choose any one they'd like. If two or three students finished early, and one of the menu options seemed like it could be a great group project, I definitely allowed that if they suggested it. Here's a sample extension menu I made for students that finished early work during a story elements lessons with a fiction story. The two 1st grade students that quickly and easily grasped the concepts of identifying the characters, setting, problem, solution, and events in the story, were given these choices to choose from. They were so excited to be working on something that challenged them in a fun way. They were still doing work that involved elements of the story we just read, but they were able to work on a deeper level to show a higher level of comprehension. Some menus I create are more specific depending on the lesson, some are more general (like the one above) and can be used more than once, which is a great time saver. Here is a list of questions I like to keep in mind when making my extension menus to challenge my early finishers in literacy and math. Thinking about your lessons, and planing these menus in advance could be really helpful in your classroom. Making sure my students knew where to find the extension menus and to continue working when they finished early is something that I felt helped with classroom management. My kids were excited to choose their own activities to work on! They weren't goofing off and getting themselves or others in trouble. These menus even motivated some sluggish workers to pick up the pace because they wanted the chance to move on to the extension menus. These menus maximized the learning potential for my students, and helped me to be a better teacher. Have you used extension menus in your classroom? I always love learning from other teachers about how these work in their classrooms! Have fun teaching! - Naomi
I'm not embarrassed to say that one of the main reasons teaching first perked my interest was the office supplies. I remember sitti...
Transforming struggling learners into fluent readers | Science of reading resources for parents and educators
It's almost that time of year again...no, not just Christmas (yay for that!), but RTI assessment time! I know many teachers can have a love/hate for RTI and all the assessments. A love (or at
A literacy-rich environment not only supports the academic growth but also encourages conversation, empathy, and critical thinkink.
FREE response to intervention forms and how to use them
