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Focusing on the One Main Thing. “Think of literacy as a spine: it holds everything together. The branches of learning connect to it, meaning that all core content teachers have a responsibility to teach literacy.” Vicki Phillips and Carina Wong
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Focusing on the One Main Thing “Think of literacy as a spine: it holds everything together. The branches of learning connect to it, meaning that all core content teachers have a responsibility to teach literacy.” Vicki Phillips and Carina Wong The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Focus: Best Buy • Salespeople master and then confidently explain the features of the products they sell. • Product line reduced by 50% for mastery of knowledge • New product = discarding another
Focus: Apple Computer “Figuring out how to invent cool technology but making it wonderfully easy to use.” Steve Jobs
Focus: Borax Mine • Simple core: Safety • Reduction of accidents results in morale, efficiency and profitability taking care of themselves • Communication of safety procedures and talking about averted accidents
Focus: The Moon • John F. Kennedy promised in 1963 that US would land on the moon within a decade • Decisions were based on that goal • Landed on the moon in 1969
How? • Literacy is the one main thing • 90-120 minutes of authentic reading and writing across content areas every day • “Simple, redundant reading” (Schmoker) • Talk about and celebrate literacy learning • All students read, write, talk! All analyze and discuss! • Interactive lecture • Response to data • Hold everyone accountable –teaching and learning
Why? • “Adolescents entering the adult world in the 21st century will read and write more than any other time in human history. They will need advanced levels of literacy to perform their jobs, run their households, act as citizens, and conduct their personal lives,” Richard Vacca