English Department Chairs’ Meeting March 13, 2012 Armstrong High School

Advice Column Think of a instructional problem or issue you have in your class/department/school. It could me an issue with a student, a lesson, teaching a book or story, a class management issue, using data, working with a colleague, or something that you would like some advice from your colleagues. Do not write your name. Describe the situation.

SOL Writing Test How do you think your students performed on the test? Share your reflections.

Grant Opportunities There are several companies and organizations that offer funds for English/Language Arts. Here is a list of grant opportunities that your department can submit grant applications.

Teaching Genres with Purpose Here is a professional article about how students should read and write for the same purposes people read and write in the real world. Read and share with teachers.

SOL Reading Released Tests The state will release the 2011 reading tests for grades 6 and 7 no later than April 1, The tests will not be released for grades 8 and EOC

Senior English Seminar Academy Applications are still being accepted from teachers interested in attending the summer academy at JMU. The academy is from August 2-3, 2012 Participants will be provided with materials, resources, meals and lodging.

SOL Summer Institutes We are still seeking educators who are interested in presenting at the SOL Institutes this summer for 1 hour sessions, to be repeated, focusing on media literacy, nonfiction reading, or research for elementary or secondary grades. Presenters will receive a stipend for each Institute and travel expenses if applicable.

SOL Institutes The schedule of the SOL Institutes is: July 10- Abingdon July 11- Roanoke July 18- Charlottesville July 19- Danville July 25- Richmond July 26- Fredericksburg August 6- Norfolk August 7- Leesburg

Content Teaching Academy The 13th Annual Content Teaching Academy will be held June 25 - June 29, 2012 on the campus of James Madison University, located in the beautiful and historic Shenandoah Valley. The programs (Academies) offer high quality professional development that include in-depth studies in a range of content areas. In addition, each Academy is designed to engage participants in critical dialogues of practice with instructional sessions conducted by scholars and master teachers who understand the challenges associated with today's classroom. Participants can earn professional development points, highly qualified institute credit, or graduate credit. Please contact Gena Southall if you have any questions. CTA can be found on the web at

Podium Summer Program The Podium Foundation will sponsor another summer writing workshop at VCU. They will have a flyer for any teachers who would like to attend. Date and time TBD

Gates MacGinitie Testing The Gates MacGinitie Test will be administered from March 26 – April 6, 2012 for grades 6-8.

Creative Writing Festival The RPS Creative Writing Festival will held on March 28, 2012 at Lucille Brown Middle School from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The theme is “Write Around Richmond”

Textbook Inventory We need to take inventory of all textbooks. Please count all books per grade level. I will send you an eForm to record the numbers. Barbara Smith needs this information before school ends for the school year. This will allow her to order books for next year. Deadline: May 1, 2012

Power Tools PD in Williamsburg How many teachers went to the Power Tools training in Williamsburg? John Marshall wants to host a training for other Title I schools during the summer. Ms. Garland will contact Jan Rozzelle to conduct the training. More information will be forthcoming.

Post-traumatic Stress

Pair Reading Today we are going to use a strategy called Pair Reading. Instead of reading silently, you and a partner are going to take turns reading aloud. However, you are not just going to read to each other.

Pair Reading At the end of each paragraph, I want you to stop for a moment and talk about what you’ve read. This includes three steps: 1. Summarizing the paragraph 2. Deciding which information is most important 3. Sharing your feelings/ideas about the information

Pair Reading Be sure to switch readers after each paragraph. Here is the catch: after one partner reads a paragraph, It is the other partner’s turn to begin the discussion by summarizing the paragraph, explaining what the author was saying. Each pair will get one article so that you help each other.

Pair Reading If you and your partner are finished, look through the paragraphs and take note of your discussion highlights so that you can share them with the rest of the class in a couple of minutes. Also, jot down any questions you have about the information or the author’s stance on the topic. Share with the whole class.