Professional Development

Smart Step - Literacy Lab Classroom Project

Grade Levels

  • 4-12
  • Special Education 4-12

Approved Areas of Professional Development

  • Assessment
  • Building a collaborative learning community
  • Cognitive research
  • Instructional strategies
  • Principles of learning/stages of development
  • Standards/frameworks/curriculum alignment

Description

Smart Step Literacy Lab Classroom Project, a professional development opportunity for teachers of grades 4-12, is based upon current research that supports educational pedagogy. The goal of the project is to provide long-term professional development for teams of middle and high school level administrators and reading/language arts teachers (grades 4-12) for the purpose of establishing exemplary classrooms using a comprehensive literacy approach to language arts instruction. Additional team members (grades 4-12) may be considered for this training opportunity. The Arkansas Department of Education works collaboratively with Harding University and mid-level literacy professor Ken Stamatis to provide this professional development opportunity. Participation requires a three-year commitment by the school administration and participating staff members.

Training Schedule

Year I
Day 1 The uniqueness of adolescent literacy; five goals for adolescent readers; the role of motivation; creating engaging literate cultures
Day 2 The role of access to appropriate reading materials; educating students' choices
Day 3 The role of and research into reading practice; the reading workshop classroom: elements (independent reading, guided reading, literature study) and procedures
Day 4 Fluency instruction in a reading workshop environment; designing, maintaining and perpetuating classroom libraries
Day 5 Introduction to comprehension strategy instruction; review of research and identification of the strategies and best practices in teaching; gradual release of responsibility model
Day 6 Modeling of comprehension strategy instruction; done with actual classes of students
Day 7 Modeling of comprehension strategy instruction; done with actual classes of students

Year II
Day 1 Assessment and its implications on teaching practice; learning to administer the Flynt-Cooter Informal Reading Inventory (fluency and comprehension); Motivation and engagement assessment
Day 2 Learning to administer the developmental reading assessment 4-8 (fluency, comprehension, access to appropriate text, motivation); benchmark (CRT) Test Strategies
Day 3 Writing workshop classroom: elements (independent writing, guided writing, and investigations) and procedures; the teaching of craft in context
Day 4 Writing workshop classroom
Day 5 Writing workshop classroom
Day 6 Inquiry writing
Day 7 Vocabulary/word study

Research

  • Guthrie, J. T., & Wigfield, A. (2000). Engagement and motivation in reading. In M. Kamil, R. Barr, P. Mosenthal & D. Pearson. Handbook of reading research III. (pp.403-425). New York: Longman.
  • Kamil, M. L., Boreman, G. D., Dole, J., Kral, C. C., Salinger, T., & Torgesen, J. (2008). Improving adolescent literacy: Effective classroom and intervention practices: A Practice Guide (NCEE #2008-4027). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc.

Professional Texts

  • Craft Lessons, by Fletcher and Portalupi (978-1571107060)
  • Developmental Reading Assessment 4-8 (DRA2 4-8) (one kit may be shared with up to four classroom teachers), by JoEtta Beavers (978-1428405325)
  • The Fluent Reader, by Timothy V. Rasinski, (978-0545108362)
  • Greek and Latin Roots: The Key to Building Vocabulary, by Rasinski, Padak, Newton (978-1425804725)
  • Guiding Readers and Writers, by Fountas and Pinnell (978-0325003108)
  • How Writers Work, by Ralph Fletcher (978-0380797028)
  • In the Middle, by Nancie Atwell (978-0867093742)
  • Literacy Across the Curriculum, Southern Regional Education Board (003V63)
  • The Literacy Principal, by Booth and Rowsell (978-1551382166)
  • Live Writing, by Ralph Fletcher (978-0380797011)
  • Non-fiction Craft Lessons, by Portalupi and Fletcher (978-1571103291)
  • Non-fiction Matters, by Stephanie Harvey (978-1571100726)
  • Mechanically Inclined, by Jeff Anderson (978-1571104120)
  • Reading Inventory for the Classroom, by Flynt and Cooter (978-0131065093)
  • Strategies That Work, by Harvey and Goudvis (978-1571104816)
  • Word Journeys, by Kathy Ganske (978-1572305595)
  • A Writer's Notebook, by Ralph Fletcher (978-0380784301)
  • Writing Workshop, by Fletcher and Portalupi (978-0325003627)

For more information please contact:

Harry Lisle
Harding University
Phone: 501-279-4092