Mabry Middle School

Literacy Initiative 2008-2013

Our five literacy goals are as follows:  This is a five (5) year initiative.

I.  Reading

                        A.   25 Books read

1. By definition a book = 100 pages 

2. School wide goal of 1,000,000 pages (2008-2009)

3. School wide goal of 2,000,000 pages (2009-2010)

4.  A school wide goal of at least 75% of students/Faculty & Staff

     read 25 books. (2010-2011)                                                 

5. School wide goal of 2,000,000 pages (2010-2011)

6. School wide goal of 2,000,000 pages (2011-2012)

7. School wide goal of 2,000,000 pages (2012-2013)

B.      Reading Incentive Program

1.      School-Wide “Featured Author of the Month”

2009-2010 School Wide Read- Fat Boy Chronicles in January

Followed by the Author’s visit in February

2010-2011 School Wide Read in January- Swear To Howdy followed by student discussions and activities in ELA classes. 

2011-2012 School Wide Read in January- Fat Boy Chronicles

2012-2013 School Wide Read in January followed by student discussions and activities in all classes

2.      School-wide “ Picture Book of the Month”

3.   “Need to Read Club” extended to both grade levels/ Mrs. Pressley

2009-2010- Increase the number of students participating.

                                    4.   Reading celebration each 9 weeks determined by number of pages                

C.      Summer Reading Program for All Students

1. Starts through cooperation with the Inman Library in 2008-09

2. Participation in the No Book Left Unread Summer Reading Challenge sponsored by the South Carolina State Department of Education School Library Media Services. 2009-2010- Continue with the NBLU initiative and we also plan to open the school’s library during the summer.

NBLU- Book list and reading expectations have been distributed to all 2010-2011 students.  We are working in conjunction with the Inman Public Library.

3. Summer reading program guidelines are set up based on honors vs regular status.  Students and teachers will be rewarded for participation at the beginning of the year.  Honors students are required to participate, and turn in written reflections.

D.      In 2012-13, we will continue to use literature circles into the framework of our ELA classes in correlation with research. We will also implement the strategy of Reader’s Theatre in our content classes as well as EXPLORE. 

E. In 2012-13, we will begin the bridging process between the South Carolina State Standards and the Common Core State Standards.  Staff development sessions will be focused on implementation through thematic units and interdisciplinary projects.

II. Implementation of Key Reading and Writing Strategies

            A. Teachers will implement key strategies into their daily instruction. 

            B. The strategies identified by the literacy team will be implemented school-wide

            and serve as the foundation of our literacy initiative. 

            C. Teachers will be encouraged to continue to use any strategies they are already using in addition to these which will be required.

These strategies will include pre, during, and post reading strategies as identified in Chapter 6 of the Literacy Across the Curriculum book as well as the writing strategies that are discussed in Chapter 5. 

We will also use Janet Allen’s Tools for Teaching Content Literacy as a guide.

The Reading and Writing Strategies that we will focus on are as follows:

1. The Anticipation Guide is a pre-reading guide designed to activate background knowledge and build interest in the content of a forthcoming lesson.  It has the additional value of serving as an assessment tool so you can identify terms, events, and ideas for which you might need additional materials. The use of Thinking Maps will be a part of the strategies we implement in our plan. (2009-2010)

2. Cornell Note-taking is a systematic process for taking notes during reading or viewing, analyzing the notes to form questions the notes would answer, and using the notes and questions to summarize the important ideas represented.  This strategy is very effective for helping students understand and remember more of what they read or view.  It supports readers in making connections, developing questions, focusing and monitoring their reading, and analyzing what they have learned.

3. KWL is an instructional tool for helping readers engage in active thinking and reading by articulating what they already know about a topic, deciding on what they hope to learn from their reading and inquiry, and highlighting or summarizing what they learned after their reading (Janet Allen)

4. Admit and Exit Slips provide an opening and closing structure to a lesson on materials that students have read.  This structure opens opportunities for questions and discussions. (Laura Robb)

5. JIGSAW is designed to use as a team learning and teaching approach that helps students comprehend materials by becoming an expert in one part.  This strategy invites students to work cooperatively.  (Laura Robb)

6. Think Alouds are metacognitive processes used as a mini lesson or during read alouds to model how you apply a reading strategy or how you solve a problem in the text.  This strategy offers students a strategy that can enhance their comprehension and self-monitoring abilities.  This strategy also helps readers think about how they make meaning.  As students read, they pause occasionally to think about the connections they are making, images they are creating, problems of understanding they are encountering, and ways they see of fixing those problems.  This metacognitive practice builds independence in reading. (Kylene Beers)  (2009-2010) We will be utilizing Beth Pace to provide insight into the use of “Thinking Maps”.  

7. Double Entry Journals allow students to respond to what they have read in some form of a journal and to take notes while they read a text. During reading, this strategy provides a format for students to take notes and respond at the same time. (Janet Allen)

D.       Implementation of Reading strategies into classroom instruction.  In the book

Teaching Reading in the Middle School by Laura Robb, several strategies are identified.  We will begin the 2010-2011 school year with a study of this book in the ELA department.  We will pay particular attention to the pre, during, and post reading strategies that she discusses.  These follow very closely the strategies identified in our Literacy Across the Curriculum book that we already use.  We will also reference Janet Allen’s Plugged into Reading already in use as well. 

E.       Implementation of Reading strategies as determined by the Common Core State Standards and support documents (2012-13). 

III. Writing

                        A.  Develop Rubrics for Writing Assignments

                                    1. We will develop and use standard editing symbols in all classes.

(2008-2009) 

2.  Individual teacher made rubrics will be used in the 08-09 school year for projects, research papers, and writing assignments.

B.  We will write weekly in all classes using journals, admit and exit slips,

learning logs, etc.  (Reference - Chapter 5 of Literacy Across the Curriculum.)

C.  Writing prompts will be used in the content areas in October, November,

January, and February.  Teams should expect a total of four writing prompts.  Each month’s topic will focus on a different core subject.

For example,

      1) Math

                 a) Writing in geometry to define and describe the relationships                                     between side lengths, angle measurements, and degrees of regular and irregular figures.

                 b) Writing to model algebraic concepts.

                 c) Writing to analyze data. 

                 d) Writing to explain how additive and multiplicative inverses are used to solve equations.

            2) Science

a) Lab reports

b) Study of disease

c) Explaining Newton’s Law of Motion 

d) Expanding upon the Scientific Method

3) Social Studies

      a) Causes and effects of war

      b) Regions and climates of South Carolina

      c) RAFT about significant figures in history

4)      ELA

      a) Independent writing topics

      b) Various types of writing

      c) 2009-2010 - One writing prompt per nine weeks combined with

         conferencing with each student about their writing in ELA.

D.     Through staff development we will model for our teachers on the art of conferencing and analyzing student writing.  This will be a teacher led discussion facilitated by the teachers who participated in the Plugged into Reading Training. (Julia Pressley, Brandi Simmons, Tracey Bell)

E.     Writing prompts will be given once per nine weeks.  The ELA teachers will score and conference with each student on strategies to strengthen their writing.

F.      Beginning in 2009-2010 we will:

1. Write daily in all classes. (Writing to Learn)  This can be through Admit, Exit, Journals, etc.

2.  Write weekly in all classes.  All classes will require at least a paragraph of writing every week.  This can be through Writing to Learn, Writing to Demonstrate, or Authentic Writing.  Reference- Ch. 5 Literacy Across the Curriculum.  In related arts classes we discussed giving a prompt on Monday and collected on Friday.

3.  Utilize the Reading and Writing strategies identified in our initiative. 

4.  Research- Students will be involved with Research papers/products across the curriculum.  There will be a research requirement school wide.  The District is helping to facilitate in the content areas and our related arts classes are focusing more on a research product combined with student presentation.  All research will follow the MLA format.

5.  Continue to refine and work to develop quality Rubrics for our Writing that aid our assessment at the same time helping our students become better writers. 

 G.   We will write weekly in all classes.

1. Write daily in all classes (Writing to Learn).  This can be through Admit, Exit, Journals, etc.

2.  Write weekly in all classes.  All classes will require at least a paragraph of writing every week.  This can be through Writing to Learn, Writing to Demonstrate, or Authentic Writing.  See Chapter 5 of Literacy Across the Curriculum.  In related arts classes, we discussed giving a prompt on Monday and collected on Friday.

3.  Utilize the Reading and Writing strategies identified in our initiative. 

4.  Research- Students will be involved with Research papers/products across the curriculum.  There will be a research requirement school wide.  The District is helping to facilitate in the content areas and our related arts classes are focusing more on a research product combined with student presentation.  All research will follow the MLA format.

5.  Continue to refine and work to develop quality rubrics for our writing that aid our assessment at the same time help our students become better writers.   (Chapter 5 of Literacy Across the Curriculum)

H.    Implement a rigorous Language Arts curriculum taught like a College Preparatory Honors course.  Summer 2010, we assigned summer reading with journal requirements for all Honors students.

I.       Writing focus during Explore and in all content and related arts classes as determined by the Common Core State Standards (2012-13).

IV. Heightened Expectations in All Classes

A.    Enhance achievement in all classes by addressing three kinds of writing: writing -to-learn, writing-to-demonstrate, and authentic writing.    

B.     Increase quantity of writing with daily writing activities in all classes. (Refer to Chapter 5 of Literacy Across the Curriculum.) 2009-2010 ELA writing prompts/once per nine weeks. 

C.     Improve quality of writing with the use of scoring rubrics, a stronger focus on all stages of the writing process, and a standard editing system.  2009-2010- As a result of our TAV visit Rubric development will be discussed.

D.    Increase in rigor the expectations for reading and literacy through the use of school-wide literacy strategies that focus on three components of effective reading instruction: pre, during, and post reading. (Refer to chapter 6 of Literacy Across the Curriculum.)  In 2009-2010 we will focus on utilizing the reading and writing strategies we have identified in our initiative.  We will continue to work to establish a common language with the use of these strategies.

E.     Enhance achievement for all classes through essential activities such as shared reading, guided reading, and teamwork. (Refer to page 60 of Literacy Across the Curriculum.)

F.      Increase in rigor the expectations for reading and literacy through a greater focus of accessible texts through the Media Center and Book Nook.

G.    Adopt “No Zero”, “Not Yet” policy.

V.  Enhance the Research Process

A.    Implement district wide SREB goals for research. (Refer to Chapter 7 of Literacy Across the Curriculum.)

B.     Begin the research process in ELA classrooms resulting in a three to five page research paper using MLA format with a minimum of three sources and completed by December 2008. The areas of Science and Social Studies will become part of the research focus in 2009-2010.  The content area of Math will join in the research focus in 2010-2011.

C.     Complete the above research project in sections, thus allowing for various grades at various levels of completion so students get credit for the process and the final product.

D.    Maintain a running record through ELA teachers for reflections to record areas of success and needed improvement, which in turn will be shared with district personnel.

E.     Produce content area products such as skits, Power Points, posters, and advertisements each semester.  All projects will follow the MLA format and be graded using teacher-made rubrics.  2009-2010 - Implement the use of oral presentation for students in all classes. 

F. Staff development sessions will be conducted to revise the research process based on the guidelines set according to the Common Core State Standards (2012-13).