WHAT DO WE TEACH TEACHERS?

Our work is completely customized. The workshops and coaching models we develop for each school reflect the unique needs and goals of those particular teachers. Here are some of the topics we are often asked to address:

* Implementing a Balanced Literacy Model in Grades PreK-8.

* Differentiated Instruction: How to adapt lessons and assignments to meet the needs of a wide range of learners.

* Transitioning to Full Day Kindergarten: Designing a quality program that integrates developmental education with standards-based teaching.

* Guided Reading, Shared Reading, Independent Reading, Literature Circles, Writers' Workshop, Phonics & Word Study, etc.: What it is, how to do it, how to get started, how to manage it all!

* How to administer and analyze diagnostic reading assessments (running records, DRA, QRI, Marie Clay Observation Survey, etc.).

* How to organize and use a school Book Room and leveled classroom libraries to enhance reading instruction.

* How to improve writing instruction in K-8 classrooms (minilessons, conferring, reading-writing connections, use of quality literature, writing in the content areas).

* Standards-Based Reform: Helping ALL students reach high standards.

CACD's Literacy Model: Learn to Read by Reading

Learn to Read by Reading (LRR) is a comprehensive literacy model that integrates Differentiated Instruction with research-based techniques for teaching children to read and write. "Differentiated Instruction" means adapting lessons and assignments based on the different ability levels, interests, and learning styles of all students in a heterogeneous classroom. The goal of LRR is to help all students learn to read and write with the high level of proficiency outlined in the national, state and district standards.

In LRR classrooms, the daily 2-2.5-hour literacy period includes:

READERS' WORKSHOP (approx. 1 hour)
WRITERS' WORKSHOP (approx. 45 min.)
PHONICS/WORD STUDY (approx. 15 min.)

Readers' Workshop and Writers' Workshop consist of the following three components:

FOCUS LESSON --> READING/WRITING AND CONFERRING --> GROUP SHARE

The daily Focus Lesson is a short (15-20 min.) whole class, teacher-directed lesson that often involves teacher demonstration and "Think Aloud." During the Reading/Writing and Conferring phase, students practice the strategies from the Focus Lessons, and teachers work with them individually and in small groups. Teachers plan these large and small group lessons based on careful analysis of the notes they take while conferring with individual students. The workshop ends with a brief Group Share during which students share their work and their use of the targeted strategies. Phonics/Word Study is also taught on a daily basis through explicit, teacher-directed lessons emphasizing decoding, encoding (spelling), word recognition, and vocabulary development.

The Literacy Team, a representative group of teachers and reading support staff, meets monthly to monitor student performance in literacy and to assess the overall implementation of LRR in the school. Based on this data, the Literacy Team makes recommendations concerning professional development and allocation of school resources.

The LRR Tutorial is a 30-minute reading intervention model for struggling readers. Students are selected on the basis of test scores and teacher recommendations, and receive extra reading support several times each week in a small group or 1:1 setting.

Customized Professional Development for LRR Schools

LRR was developed by a team of elementary educators/staff developers at the Center for Applied Child Development (CACD), affiliated with the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University. Each component of the program is based on proficient reader research and analysis of the most effective instructional techniques. Adopting the LRR model involves establishing a three-year partnership with CACD so that teachers can learn the theory and practical applications of this research. A team of CACD staff developers visits each LRR school regularly to offer customized training and in-class technical support to teachers. The focus of the first two years is usually improving the teaching of reading (phonics, comprehension, and fluency). Schools often concentrate on writing instruction, and on integration of reading and writing (and other subjects) during years 3-4.

Sample LRR Year I Literacy Inservice Course:

* Introduction to LRR and Balanced Literacy

* Understanding Reading Strategies: How do good readers read?

* Linking Theory and Practice: What does the research tell us about improving reading achievement in elementary schools?

* Reading Assessments: Clay Observation Survey, DRA, and QRI-3

*Analyzing Assessments to Plan Strategy Lessons

* Organizing Your Classroom Library (when and how to level and when NOT to!)

* Launching Readers' Workshop: Focus Lessons for September

* The Critical Role of Reading Conferences: Assessing and Teaching 1:1

* Matching Books to Readers: Using Running Records and Conference Notes to Choose "Just Right" Books

* Shared Reading and Interactive Read Aloud: Helping Students Learn to Read and Respond to Text through Whole Group Lessons

* Phonics and Word Study: Explicit and Systematic Teaching of Decoding and Encoding

* Introduction to Guided Reading: Small Group Strategy Lessons

* Classroom Management: How to do all of the above and still stay sane!