Empowering Gen Z... Leading and Learning in the 21st Century

 Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction Middle School: Please read/watch the following links and respond to the Prompt below. https://www.edutopia.org/article/vocabulary-teaching-strategies-middle-school https://amplify.com/blog/science-of-reading/the-importance-of-vocabulary-in-effective-literacy-instruction/   ( about 35 minutes long) https://youtu.be/9-cEdj9wvek Elementary: Please complete Lessons 6-9 and Assessment and respond to the Prompt below. PROMPT: Please rate your instruction in each of the 4 Components 1 (beginner) - 5 (advanced). Which Core Principles could you apply or improve on to improve your instruction?

  Vocabulary Instruction Read the following text and answer the questions that follow: Were you able to understand the text or answer the questions? How did you feel while reading it or attempting to answer the questions? Along with background knowledge and listening comprehension, vocabulary is a necessary part of language comprehension. Vocabulary is one of the strongest predictors of reading comprehension because comprehension depends on knowing word meanings.  Middle School: Please read the following articles: Classroom Vocabulary Assessment for Content Areas Approach #1: Academic Word Frequency Links Academic Word List (Coxhead) Academic Word List with Definitions (Coxhead) Academic Vocabulary Lists (Gardner & Davies) Approach #2: Sequence of Word Acquisition Links Article: Which Words Are Worth Teaching Approach #3: 3 Tiers of Vocabulary Resources Choosing Vocabulary Words for Instruction EVERYONE, PLEASE RESPOND: Which approach would be more appropriate for you to p...

  Who knew a Read Aloud could be so impactful...... This module of the training was the most impactful to me.... I loved the question techniques.... and the true planning involved in CORRECTLY teaching with a read-aloud.  I really look forward to seeing some of these strategies in all of our virtual classrooms! MIDDLE SCHOOL : Please check out these resources that can be used to extend student knowledge after read-alouds: K-3 START Read Lesson Plan Template | Resource Library | Cox Campus Comprehension Strategy Questions | Resource Library | Cox Campus Think-Aloud Stems | Resource Library | Cox Campus Mini-Lesson Framework | Resource Library | Cox Campus Learning Center Activity Ideas | Resource Library | Cox Campus Vocabulary Formative Assessment Ideas | Resource Library | Cox Campus Retell Rubric | Resource Library | Cox Campus Vocabulary Teaching Strategies for Middle School | Edutopia EVERYONE : Please share how you can incorporate read-...

  Meaningful Read Alouds for Vocabulary and Oral Language Comprehension/ Part 1 MIDDLE SCHOOL : Please read this article, then respond to the prompt below. Additionally, here is a resource you might appreciate. :) EVERYONE : Please share how you can best facilitate a read-aloud in a virtual setting. Reflecting on the S tate the Purpose; T each; A sk/ R espond steps of read-alouds, how can we as virtual educators facilitate peer discussion in the A sk/ R espond step without, , disrupting the flow of the book?  Rebecca Minerd and Monelle Dalamn By the End of This Course You’ll Be Able To Describe the relationship between reading aloud to students and listening comprehension, vocabulary, and language skills Model ability to read aloud to students to enhance critical thinking, personal reflection, empathy and imagination Develop a plan for read-alouds using the K3 START Read framework and lesson planning sheet Apply engaging activities that are related to your read-alouds thro...

  Final thoughts on Phonics.... Word Chaining , Writing Words & Phrases , and Making It Work are critical components in systematic and explicit phonics instruction. What are the three actionable next steps you could commit to taking to improve student literacy? Feel free to use AI to create meaningful activities that supplement & complement grade-level subject area instruction. Rebecca Minerd and Monelle Dalman Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction By the End of This Course You’ll Be Able To Learners will understand the characteristics of an effective systematic and explicit phonics program. Learners will gain a foundational understanding of English orthography. Learners will be able to name and explain the role of the instructional components of an effective phonics program. Why It Matters The most recent report from our National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2019) showed that nationwide 66% of our 4th students scored below proficient in reading. The hig...

  Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction The most recent report from our National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2019) showed that nationwide 66% of our 4th students scored below proficient in reading. The highest-performing state showed 55% below proficiency. We know from decades of research how students learn to read, how to assess to identify those at risk, and what and how to teach so that the majority of our students can be successful, and systematic and explicit phonics instruction is a critical part of building literacy .  Phonological awareness is the foundation for orthographic mapping, which in turn is critical to meaningful reading. “ Orthographic mapping is the brain’s process of linking sounds to letter sequences that establishes a memory of printed words, turning unfamiliar words into familiar words.” Students must “learn to read” before they can “read to learn” and need explicit and systematic teaching. ” Unfortunately, many of our students do no...

  Who knew early literacy was this detailed.....? Elementary Understanding print awareness, phonological awareness, and alphabet knowledge is critical in understanding the development of early literacy skills. We have learned so much in this course.  The instructional strategies discussed in these tutorials address younger students, K-2.  What was your biggest takeaway? Middle School( and anyone else that felt these concepts were not applicable) Please read this 11-minute article addressing the concerns of literacy gaps in older students.  What are your biggest takeaways?  We look forward to reading your thoughts! Next up..... Systematic and Expicit Phonics:) Schedule Rebecca Minerd and Monelle Dalman

  Phonemic Awareness is our goal......... (Middle School): Please read Phonological Awareness and Intervention and Phonological Instruction for Older Students .  (Elementary): Please view Cox Academy’s Early Literacy: Lessons 1-4. Then, both (Middle School) and  (Elementary) please respond to the following prompt: “Mastery of every skill on a phonological awareness continuum is not the goal; phonemic awareness is. Even if you have to scale back to teaching larger sound units, never stop teaching phonemes. Instead, do both simultaneously.” - (Cox Academy) What are you currently doing for phonemic awareness instruction in your classroom [to promote reading and vocabulary skills]? Based on what you’ve learned so far, will you be making any changes? Why or why not?   Rebecca Minerd and Monelle Dalman

  So How Do We Incorporate Oral Language into our Digital Day? Cox Campus Lessons 7-8 (Elementary): Given that there are many critical components of oral language  (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, social communication) that must be developed, it is essential to incorporate as many of those components as possible into one activity that can be used in daily lessons. Which of the following activities could you incorporate into your lessons that would be most effective and how would you go about doing so? (Prove It; This or That?; Notice & Wonder; and, Morning Meeting.)   (Middle School): Given that there are many critical components of oral language  (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, social communication) that must be developed, it is essential to incorporate as many of those components as possible into one activity that can be used in daily lessons. This week’s Cox Academy provided the following activities that incorporate several components : Pr...

 Choosing Words to Teach....... Teaching with Oral Language Blog Prompt Cox Academy Lessons 4-6 (Elementary) and Choosing Words to Teach (Middle School): Given that "researchers" estimate that a reader must know the meaning of at least 90% of words in a text to comprehend it:, we know that vocabulary is critical to reading comprehension. What is the biggest takeaway you received in Lessons 4-6 of Oral Language or Choosing Words to Teach ? What have been your key takeaways, challenges, and successes in strengthening oral language skills in your classroom through morphology, syntax, and semantics? Rebecca Minerd and Monelle Dalman

  Oral Language is really important..... Are we focusing enough on it? As we navigate our literacy journey together we can all agree on one thing.... Literacy impacts all subject areas...... and WE ALL should be focusing on it. Yes, we were supposed to be focusing on creativity and critical thinking... and we will.... but our focus for this blog will be literacy:) We have two groups here..... 1. Group One- Elementary teachers who will be completing the Cox Campus literacy training. 2. Group Two- Everyone else:) We are a team.  Thank you for coming together on this topic and supporting each other as we learn about structured literacy together! Group One A) What is the biggest take-away you received in Lessons 1-3 of Oral Language? What have been your key takeaways, challenges, and successes in strengthening oral language skills in your classroom? B) Given PIECE; the TALK Ladder with Safety Nets; HABLA; and/or the overview of phonology, Discuss and provide examples of classroo...