April 13th is a day of collaboration across our schools. At elementary, we will be working together to deepen our understanding of Word Study and Writing as part of our literacy adoption professional development plan. We will be examining how Word Study and Writing fit within the Balanced Literacy framework and the Gradual Release of Responsibility. This bargained site improvement day provides the opportunity to continue our discussion across schools and grade levels as we implement the literacy adoption.  

Elementary Specialists will have an opportunity to meet with subject specific colleagues across the district. More information regarding specifics will be posted soon.

General Ed participants will attend the modules Benchmark Writers' Workshop and one of the Words Their Way offerings. 

• For the writing session, please bring the BML Writer's Workshop Teacher's Resource System and the Making Sense of the Writer's Workshop manual.

• For the words study session, please bring the Words Their Way: Word Study For Phonics, Vocabulary, And Spelling Instruction book and the Word Sorts books assigned for your grade level.

The focus of this session will be the implementation of Benchmark Writer's Workshop. Together participants will dig into Benchmark Writer's Workshop, connecting these materials with balanced literacy and the Common Core Standards. There will be opportunities to work together to develop the launching of writer's workshop for the fall and plan for a unit with the new materials. All General Ed teachers (except specialists) will attend this module.

This introductory session will cover the diagnostic assessment and the spelling/phonics developmental continuum, which will help launch Words Their Way. Time will be spent on the systems and structures that help manage the differentiated lessons and the materials.

This session is designed for teachers who already have a level of comfort with Words their Way (have structures and routines in place) and have implemented it in their classroom.