BY LANNI MASZEROWSKI LITERACY IN BRIGHTON

THE TOWN OF BRIGHTON ➤ First ring suburb of Rochester, NY ➤ 3 rd 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

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

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

BRIGHTON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT ➤ 3,507 enrolled for the 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

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!

NYS ELA EXAM Serious Academic Deficiencies Needs Extra Help Meets Standards Exceeds Standards

FRES ➤ Use Houghton Miffin Reading anthology at each grade level ➤ Use the Balanced Literacy Approach ➤ Reading Workshop ➤ Writing Workshop ➤ Word Study ➤ Listening and Speaking Studies ➤ 3 rd grade teachers utilize the Daily 5

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

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

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

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

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]

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

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

BEFORE SCHOOL INTERVENTION ➤ Early Morning Reading ➤ 3 rd 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 ➤ 4 th 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

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

A CLOSER LOOK: A 5 TH 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)

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

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

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

RESOURCES ➤ Brighton Central School District homepage ➤ ➤ Town of Brighton homepage ➤