Best Practices in Practice

1
Best Practices in Practice

• Melinda Pedroni, 7th Grade ELA
• mpedroni_at_lex5.k12.sc.us
• Sandy Arnott, NBCT, 8th Grade ELA
• sarnott_at_lex5.k12.sc.us
• Irmo Middle School

2
MAP and PACT scores

• Improvements over past two years
• Demographics of students/classes
• Leveling
• NCS Mentor
• Introduce rubric for PACT Writing at beginning of
  year
• Score sample responses

3
MAP/PACT Conference Sheet

• Label Fall MAP testing scores
• Label PACT breakdown
• Overall score and level
• Number of points to move up a level
• Reading score
• Overall writing score with breakdown for each
  area in writing
• Current grade in ELA
• Self rating and reflection

4
Community in the classroom

• When recruiting people to paint the fence, Tom
  Sawyer did not provide them anything at all,
  except the intrinsic reward of doing the task
  well in a comfortably social setting surrounded
  by friends. Robert Probst
• Building community
• Teacher to student
• Student to student
• Community building activities
• Interest Inventories

5
Reading

• Read Alouds
• Think aloud
• Literary elements
• Teaching connections
• Text to text, self, world, media
• Higher order thinking activity
• http//www.lauracandler.com/
• (Lit Circles/Blackline Masters)

6
Independent Reading

• Self Selected
• Readers Notebook
• Double Entry Journals / Homework Project
• Written Conversation
• Journal Sheet
• Novel Letter
• Book Shares / Novel Completion Sheet
• Student Reflections
• Sticky Notes

7
Vocabulary / Stems

• Stems activities
• Creative writing
• Flash cards/foldables
• Illustrations
• Stems assessments
• Stems games
• Stemo
• Around the World
• Vocabulary through Independent Reading
• Student reflections

8
Writing

• Resources
• Writers Notebook What a Writer Needs by Ralph
  Fletcher
• Lessons that Change Writers by Nancie Atwell
• Guiding Readers and Writers 3-6 by Irene C.
  Fountas Gay Su Pinnell
• Mentor texts
• Rubrics and assessments
• Prompts and springboards
• Parade magazine
• The Right Words at the Right Time by Marlo Thomas
• Teaching the traits
• 6 1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham
• Conferencing Student to teacher, teacher to
  student, student to student
• Student reflection

9
Student Engagement / Alternatives

• Struggling Readers
• Mad Libs (teach/refresh grammar)
• Picture books
• Nonfiction magazines, newspapers, Guinness Book
  type books
• Bluford High Series www.townsendpress.com - 1 a
  book
• Books in verse (Sonya Sones, Ellen Hopkins, Nikki
  Grimes, Karen Hesse, Sharon Creech, Mel Glenn)
• Coffee table / art books
• Graphic novels (Bone by Jeff Smith, Queen Bee
  by Chynna Clugston)

• Ways to Engage
• Books on tape or CD so student follows along in
  text
• Radio dramas Twilight Zone
• Incentiveslist of bookscelebrations for points
  earned
• Individual assignments
• MusicItunes or www.walmart.comdownload songs
  for class use
• IronyAlanis Morriesette song
• The OutsidersBeatles, Elvis, and Hank Williams
• Soundtrack Project

10
PACT / MAP

• Conferencing again in Spring
• PracticeTest taking as a genre
• CPS System for MAP practice
• http//www.boiseschools.org/schools/north/mrznorth
  /ISATSampleQuestions.htm
• Bingo and Baseball
• PACT book with tickets
• White boards with partners (grammar, punctuation)
• Consumable materials
• Required think aloud
• Engaging mini-reads with text justification
• PACT Writing rubric 1st and 4th nine weeks to
  score sample papers

11
Resources / Recommendations

• SCRI
• Literacy Coach
• Build classroom libraries
• Goodwill
• Yard sales
• Scholastic sales in May and December
• Public library book sales