This newsletter has been created by Wayne RESA literacy consultants for literacy educators. In each issue, you will find Literacy Learning Network updates and information, statewide initiative updates, book synopses, teaching and coaching strategies, and upcoming professional learning opportunities. We look forward to partnering with you as we engage in best practices in literacy instruction for all students.
Literacy Learning Network Updates
Nurturing Adolescent Literacies
This fall, Wayne RESA hosted two events designed to support educators at the secondary level. Over 150 attendees traveled to the Ted Scott Campus on October 8 and/or November 19 to engage in learning about disciplinary literacy, the Essential Instructional Practices for Disciplinary Literacy in the Secondary Classroom, and the Essential School-wide Practices in Disciplinary Literacy. Both events began with a call to action from Dr. Daveda Colbert: “As we build upon our literacy commitments to the youngest learners in Wayne County, we must place an equally strong focus on disciplinary literacy for our secondary students…Ensuring all students have the skills to engage meaningfully with their instruction throughout the school day means fostering learning with a purpose and learning that is equitable and responsive.” Dr. Colbert emphasized that, as secondary schools are increasingly identified by the state’s accountability system, now is the time to act. On both days, participants engaged in hands-on learning and crafted next steps. Through their efforts, and with the support of the Literacy Learning Network, the MAISA GELN Disciplinary Literacy Task Force, and the secondary consultants at Wayne RESA, we can change the trajectory for our secondary students so that they are prepared for any path they choose.
Youth Literacy Advocates
As the old saying goes, “It’s never too early to start.” This is certainly the case with two of our youngest literacy advocates. At the 2024 MCTE Fall Conference, Wayne County students Khai Shahid and Maddox Neloms co-facilitated a session entitled “Youth Leadership & Literacy Justice in Digital Spaces.” These teens, as members of the 313Reads’ Youth Literacy Justice Advisory Council, shared the many ways they’ve promoted digital literacy, hip-hop and literacy, and book banning. Khai is a recent recipient of the Michigan Reading Association’s 30 Under 30 award, which “celebrates rising innovators, disruptors, and visionaries in the literacy field.” Maddox, with the guidance of youth literacy advisor Dr. Erica Robinson, has co-authored a book that will be released later this year: The Adventures of the Little Black Detroit Boys.
After the conference, Khai and Maddox met to answer a few questions about their work, including their inspiration and future goals. Both responded that family had influenced them to become youth literacy advocates and that family literacy was important. Khai specifically mentioned her parents, who make certain books are always available to her, and Maddox added that, beyond his parents, familial influences included aunts, uncles, and grandparents, too. Maddox also emphasized that literacy leaders can be influential and empowering, as Dr. Robinson has been for him. Both see the importance of raising awareness about literacy. Khai and Maddox believe that having access to diverse books is important, especially when working to help students find joy in reading. Khai mentioned that students might not find books that interest them, so she works to promote literacy at school through personal invitations: “You should try this book.” In fact, as president of the National Junior Honor Society, she plans to start a book club. Her advice to her peers is to “keep their minds open” about books. Maddox echoed these thoughts; his advice to peers is to the point: “Keep reading!” He hopes that kids his age will stop seeing reading as a chore and simply enjoy the many different types of books. As our time together grew to a close, Khai and Maddox expressed their hope that kids will not only love literacy but see it as a way to advocate for social justice. Their passion is a powerful reminder that youth leaders can and will inspire change.
Supporting Elementary Administrators
The LLN will be running a series of book studies aimed at fostering collaboration, reflection, and shared learning among elementary school leaders. These studies will explore topics that support principals’ roles as instructional leaders and community builders. Along with the book discussions, administrators will receive resources to help lead professional learning sessions with colleagues and staff. Additional information and registration can be found on the LLN Administrators Network site. This initiative is designed to enhance leadership growth, equip leaders with actionable strategies, and strengthen professional development within their schools. Elementary principals across Wayne County should be on the lookout as these materials will be arriving shortly.
Coaching Connections
Mini Coaching Cycles
A mini-coaching cycle is a short-term, collaborative process between a teacher and a coach focused on improving student learning through targeted instructional strategies. While it follows the same principles as a full coaching cycle, it is more condensed, typically lasting 1-2 weeks. The goal is to support teachers in implementing a specific strategy or practice, monitor its impact on students, and reflect on outcomes.
Mini coaching cycles are flexible, responsive to teachers’ immediate needs, and promote meaningful collaboration. They also create a manageable structure for coaching and can lead to deeper, more formal coaching partnerships.
Key Stages of a Mini Coaching Cycle
- Goal Setting:
- Identify a clear goal or learning target linked to student learning.
- Enhance engagement or participation by focusing on a content standard or a process.
- Collecting Evidence:
- Use existing or new evidence to assess where students currently are in their learning.
- Planning Instruction:
- Analyze evidence and design a lesson plan with appropriate strategies to address student needs.
- Consider how students will demonstrate their understanding.
- Co-Delivery of Instruction:
- Co-plan and co-teach with clear roles for the teacher and coach.
- Use strategies like tandem teaching and co-conferring to enhance instruction.
- Reflection and Next Steps:
- Analyze new student evidence to determine progress.
- Decide whether to extend the work or conclude the cycle, leaving the teacher to continue independently.
Coaching Book Study
Wayne RESA will host an after-school online book study focused on coaching this winter. We will be reading The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching, and author Diane Sweeney will facilitate the discussion. We invite all coaches, aspiring coaches, and building and district leaders to join us. Information is available on our website. Please feel free to contact Carrie Fromm, Literacy Consultant, with any questions.
Statewide Updates
MDE is now offering Lexia LETRS Volume 2 (Units 5-8)! This course is for anyone who has completed Volume 1 (Units 1-4) independently or with another entity and does not have the opportunity to continue with Volume 2. Learn more and sign up at https://www.lexialearning.com/michigan-letrs. Note: Any educator currently enrolled in a cohort under the state aid grant is signed up for the entire course (volumes 1 and 2) and should not complete this form.
Registration for LETRS Cohort 9 is open for elementary educators, early childhood educators, and administrators. Training for Cohort 8 will start in January 2025. For more information, including registration links, please visit the Michigan LETRS website.
From face-to-face professional learning events to self-paced online modules, the Michigan Assessment Consortium offers and supports many opportunities for educators to become “assessment literate” and improve their use of effective assessment practices. Take a look at the professional learning opportunities, visit our website, and schedule your personal learning plan today.
Each year, the Michigan Reading Association awards the outstanding work of our Michigan educators. Consider honoring a colleague by filling out the applications below. Award recipients will be honored at the 69th Annual Conference held in Grand Rapids from March 7-9, 2025.
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) will host live webinars to provide an overview of Public Act (PA) 146 of 2024 and PA 147 of 2024, now referred to as the K-12 literacy and dyslexia laws. MDE will also convene webinars on Section 35m and Section 35n literacy grant opportunities. Additionally, Michigan’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports is hosting a virtual Dyslexia Summit on January 31, 2025: 2024 – 101 Live Webinars on Public Act 146, Public Act 147, Section 35m and Section 35n Grants, and Virtual Dyslexia Summit
The Michigan Learning Channel continues to expand its offerings. Check out some of their newest resources below:
- NEW Series! ROARing in Grades 4-5 with research-supported Literacy Essentials-connected lessons
- K to 3 Lesson Plan Guides – A Look Inside ~ All-access link
- Access individual segments on Michigan Learning Channel’s YouTube Playlists Page
- Ready to Roar Playlist
- Grades K to 3 Playlists (by lesson type available)
- Grades 4-5 Playlist
- InPACT @ Home – University of Michigan’s research-supported exercise program
- Building the Reading Brain – an Emmy-award winning literacy resource from WKAR featuring Michigan experts
Save the Date! MDE will be hosting the Diversity in Literacy Symposium: The How and Why of Literacy on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at the Eagle Eye Conference Center in Bath, Michigan.
In October, the U.S. Department of Education unveiled a new toolkit to guide education leaders in incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into schools. The toolkit, titled Empowering Education Leaders: A Toolkit for Safe, Ethical & Equitable AI Integration, helps balance AI’s potential to personalize learning and improve efficiency with the critical need to protect student privacy and promote equity.
Books and Strategies
Book Talk
Igniting Passion in Readers of All Ages
My Fade Is Fresh
Shauntay Grant, illustrated by Kitt Thomas
When a little girl steps into her local barbershop, she’s on a mission to get the coolest, freshest fade in town. With endless hairstyle suggestions from clients and her mom—parts, perms, fros, dye jobs, locs, and cornrows—she stays true to her vision and leaves feeling confident with the style she chooses. Shauntay Grant’s sweet, rhyming tale inspires self-confidence in young girls while celebrating the versatility of Black hair. Kitt Thomas’ vibrant illustrations bring each unique hairstyle to life, adding energy and charm to this empowering story.
The Yellow Bus
Loren Long
This lovely book written and illustrated by Loren Long is reminiscent of The Giving Tree. The yellow bus is happy as long as her seats are full. As she moves from place to place throughout the story, people of all ages, animals, and even fish fill her with purpose and joy. It doesn’t matter if she’s traveling a route or stationary; as long as she’s needed, she’s content. The bright yellow bus, set against a charcoal background, bursts with color, subtly suggesting that we can find delight in the simplest of things.
Robots: Explore the World of Robotics and A.I.
Henny Admoni, illustrated by Amy Grimes
This book explores the exciting real-world applications of robots, from autonomous cars to medical devices, starting with their history and ending with ethical considerations. Each colorful page explains how robots work and their positive impact on society today, with Grimes’ vibrant illustrations enhancing the experience. Admoni’s clear writing simplifies complex topics, making this an inspiring and accessible introduction to robotics and AI that could spark a lifelong interest in readers.
Louder Than Hunger
John Schu
In this semi-autobiographical account, John Schu introduces us to Jake, a thirteen-year-old boy with an eating disorder. Confused by his status as an outcast at school, Jake takes control in the only way he knows how: he begins to severely limit his food intake until he is dangerously thin. No one can convince Jake to eat, even his beloved grandmother. The story recounts Jake’s time in and out of a treatment facility as he learns to trust his parents, doctors, and even peers on his road to loving himself enough to heal.
Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI
Ethan Mollick
Author Ethan Mollick is a professor of management at Wharton, the esteemed business school within the University of Pennsylvania, and he is currently a leading expert on the study and use of AI. In this book, he explores how artificial intelligence is transforming our personal and professional lives while emphasizing the importance of ethical collaboration with these technologies. While cognizant of the moralistic issues with AI, Mollick emphasizes that it should be accessible to everyone, not just technical experts, encouraging its broad application to enhance productivity and innovation. His insights make the book a valuable resource for anyone looking to navigate the evolving landscape of AI in daily and professional life.
Reading Research Quarterly
Volume 59, Issue 4
This Special Issue, titled “Literacy in the Age of AI,” focuses on exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing literacy practices and learning, examining the implications for reading, writing, and critical thinking in a world increasingly integrated with AI technologies across various contexts like education and media consumption. The issue delves into topics like how to evaluate AI-generated content, develop AI literacy skills, and address ethical considerations surrounding AI usage in learning environments. The International Literacy Association recognizes the importance of this topic and has made the entire issue available for free to all.
MISelf in Books is an annual list of inclusive books curated for Michigan learners by certified school librarians from the Michigan Association of School Librarians (MASL). The selected books, published within the last two years, are chosen for their authenticity and reflect the titles that resonate with students in libraries. The list features recommendations for all grade levels: PreK-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12, ensuring diverse and engaging options for every learner.
Noteworthy News
The Michigan Reading Association will host its 69th Annual Conference from March 7-9, 2025, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Featured speakers include Wiley Blevins, John Schu, Kelly Baptist, and more. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to learn with literacy educators throughout the state, so get a jump on Early Bird pricing and register today!
Who doesn’t love a package delivered to their porch? With PL in a Box, participants receive TWO boxes full of goodies designed to connect interactive read-alouds and other literacy concepts to computational thinking, a fundamental skill that equips students with problem-solving abilities and nurtures their creativity, critical thinking, and logical reasoning. Join us as we delve into the benefits of teaching computational thinking to young minds through engaging, hands-on activities!
Professional Learning
| Upcoming Events at Wayne RESA |
|
See our new interactive 2024-2025 Wayne RESA Course Catalog for links to course offerings, their descriptions, and online registration in Learning Stream. Simply click on the catalog link above, and then click on Literacy in the Table of Contents to peruse our offerings. Don’t forget to check for interdisciplinary offerings by clicking on additional content areas. Many of our professional learning events will continue to be offered virtually. If the format for a session or series is unclear, please contact any of the Literacy Team members for details. ❄️Be sure to check out our winter professional learning opportunities!❄️ |
Tools to Make Your Teaching Life Easier
Powered by the National Council of Teachers of English, ReadWriteThink is an online collection of standards-aligned resources for teachers. These free materials include lesson plans, printable supplements to guide student work (i.e., graphic organizers), engaging activities, and more. ReadWriteThink content is designed and reviewed by literacy experts who bridge research and practice by providing high-quality content for literacy educators at all levels.
Wayne RESA Literacy Team
Michelle Wagner, Director of Educational Services
Mari Treece, Executive Director of Educational Services
If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, and you’d like to subscribe to it, please contact Laura Gabrion.
33500 Van Born Road • Wayne, MI 48184 • 734.334.1300 • 734.334.1620 fax • www.resa.net
Board of Education
James S. Beri • Mary E. Blackmon • Danielle Funderburg • Lynda S. Jackson • James Petrie
Daveda Colbert, Ph.D., Superintendent
December 2024 “Use Your Megaphone”: Inspiring Excellence in Literacy Instruction Read More »