Literacy in Brighton

1. Literacy in Brighton By Lanni Maszerowski

2. The town of Brighton • First ring suburb of Rochester, NY • 3rd smallest town in Monroe County • Population of 36,000 • 25% of the households have school-aged children • The median income for a family is $70,000

3. Brighton memorial library • Children’s Center • Play areas with puppets, costumes, and other storytelling props • Daily Story Time • Child-Friendly Computers • Library Club (kids age 8–10) • Summer Reading Program • Adult Programs • Literature Circles • Poetry Readings • Creative Writing Seminars • Book Swaps • Every Child Ready to Read • Literacy Program implemented by the Brighton children’s librarians • Targeted to parents with children ages 0–5 • Provides parents with Early Childhood Literacy Kits

4. Brighton Recreation Department • Baby American Sign Language classes • Teach basic signs to parents and their children (6 months – 2 years) • Use songs, books, and games • Claims to help children develop larger vocabularies • Parent/Toddler Classes • Incorporate active play and the development of motor skills • Most have an emphasis on increasing exposure to books, songs, and creative activities • Literature Circles • Seasonal Activities • The Art of Telling Ghost Stories • Letters to Santa • Valentine’s Poetry • Typing/Internet Safety Classes

5. Brighton Central School District • 3,507 enrolled for the 2011-2012 school year • 4 schools • Council Rock Primary School (K-2) • French Road Elementary School (3-5) • Twelve Corners Middle School (6-8) • Brighton High School (9-12) • Average student to teacher ratio is 12:1 • Participates in the Rochester Urban-Suburban Program

6. French road elementary school • Grades 3-5 • 781 students • Average class size is 21 • ~3% of students are English language learners • ~6% of students have documented disabilities • 2011 National Blue Ribbon School #1 Fund-Raising School in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope For Heart – 12 years in a row!

7. nysela exam Serious Academic Deficiencies Needs Extra Help Meets Standards Exceeds Standards

8. LITERACY @ FRES • Use Houghton MiffinReading anthology at each grade level • Use the Balanced Literacy Approach • Reading Workshop • Writing Workshop • Word Study • Listening andSpeaking Studies • 3rd grade teachers utilize the Daily 5

9. Reading workshop • Independent Reading • Read Aloud • Guided Reading • Teacher chooses material based on student needs • Teacher works with a small group on a specific skill • Claim that struggling readers may benefit from daily guided reading instruction • Literature Circles • Implemented 0-4 times a year, depending on the teacher

10. Writing workshop • Independent Writing • Students write using a prompt, topic, or genre • Process-Oriented • Rough Draft • Peer Conference • Revised Rough Draft • Teacher Conference • Final Copy • 6+1 Writing Traits • Idea Development, Organization, Word Choice, Voice, Sentence Fluency, Conventions, Presentation • Guided Writing

11. WORD STUDY • New Word Study program • Revamped over the summer • Eliminated grade level spelling lists • New emphasis on patterns and sounds instead of just spelling • Students are informally assessed periodically by the classroom teacher to determine a phonics skill to focus on • During the week students participate in Fountas and Pinnell word study activities at school and at home • Students are assessed on their ability to spell the words and to sort the words and explain their thinking

12. Listening and speaking studies • Components of effective listening • Eyes on speaker • Sitting attentively • Note important information (retell, summarize) • Components of effective speaking • Enunciating • Pacing • Audibility • Good posture • Eye contact • Confidence

13. LITERACY ASSESSMENTS • AIMSweb Reading Fluency Assessment [September, January, June] • Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment [September, February, June] • MAP (Measuring Academic Progress) Assessment [date varies by grade] • Practice NYS ELA exam [January] • NYS ELA exam [May]

14. FRES Library • Each class visits the library for a lesson with the librarian every six days (once a cycle) • The Library Club meets once a week before school and is open to all students • The Rochester Regional Library Council named the FRES library the 2011 School Library of the Year

15. Literacy SPECIALISTS • 1 Literacy Coach • Observes each teacher during ELA several times a year • Leads seminars presenting current research and curriculum updates • Releases a monthly literacy newsletter for teachers • Pushes in to model strategies for teachers • Helps teachers set goals and meet goals • Reading Specialists • Push in to classes with students in ELA AIS • Pull out students in ELA AIS for extra help

16. Before school intervention • Early Morning Reading • 3rd grade students are recommended due to deficits with decoding • Meets three times a week before school • Teachers implement the Wilson Reading Program • Reinforce skills on the computer using Lexio SOS, a reading program • Publisher’s Club • 4th grade students are recommended due to deficits with reading and writing to a prompt • Meets twice a week before school • Goal is to improve skills before the NYS ELA exam

17. HOME-SCHOOL LITERACY CONNECTION • Principal sends out a monthly “Literacy Connection” newsletter for parents • Parents are encouraged to be volunteers • Library helpers • Guest Speakers • Read Alouds • Scholastic Book Orders go home monthly • Intergenerational Committee • Made up of members of the community • Meets monthly to plan activities for people of all ages • PTSA

18. A CLOSER LOOK: A 5th grade class • 20 students (4 ELLs, 3 students in ELA AIS) • Daily ELA Schedule • Daily Oral Language (10-15 minutes daily) • Reading Workshop (45-60 minutes daily) • SQUIRT (15 minutes) • Word Work (15 minutes) • Guided Reading (15 minutes) • Reading Response Journals (15 minutes) • Writing Workshop (45-60 minutes daily) • Independent Writing (15 minutes) • Writing Conferences (15 minutes) • Guided Writing (15 minutes)

19. TEXTS USED OVER 3 DAYS • Guided Reading Groups – “Survival” Unit • Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (middle level) • Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell (middle level) • Far North by Will Hobbs (high level) • Read Aloud • Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech • Reader’s Response Journals • Frindle by Andrew Clements (read during the previous week) • Independent Reading (SQUIRT) • Student selected

20. Teacher’s views • Methods • Guided Reading is the main part of her ELA instruction • Students are put in groups based on F & P reading level • Constantly assessing her students informally • Emphasizes the importance of daily independent reading • Goals (set yearly with mentor) • Implement the new Word Study program effectively • Increase the reading levels of her ELL students • Read more literature — both YA books and current educational research • Advice • Use literature that is relevant and authentic • Get parents involved — the difference is enormous

21. My views • My experience in the Brighton Central School District • Attended BCSD schools for K-12, graduated in 2007 • Run a summer camp at French Road • Currently a substitute teacher in the district • Brighton’s strengths with literacy • Research-based programs, constantly evolving • Assessment leads to instruction • Whole group, small group, partner, and individual activities • Areas for improvement • Group students by a skill they need to improve, not just reading level • Spend more time doing independent reading • More integration of ELA with social studies and science

22. resources • Brighton Central School District homepage • http://bcsd.org • Town of Brighton homepage • http://townofbrighton.org