Stenhouse Newslinks
January 11, 2008
C O N T E N T S
1) Groups, groups, groups
2) PD Corner: Leadership in literacy
3) Author Conversations: Rick Wormeli, Mary Cappellini
4) LitTunes: "Read, Write, and Rock!"
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1) Groups, groups, groups
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Check out three new DVDs that have just been posted on our website, along with free sample video clips. All of these titles will start shipping later this month!
Literature Groups All Year Long
Jennifer Allen * 30-min. DVD + Viewing Guide * $95.00
http://www.stenhouse.com/0734.asp?r=n130
The author of Becoming a Literacy Leader shows you how to launch and sustain student-led literature discussions. Your staff will see how literature groups progress throughout the year, and learn how to weave in and out between whole-group and small-group instruction. Excerpts of discussions can be shown to students to help the class set expectations. Highlighting the collaboration between a literacy coach and a fourth-grade classroom teacher, the DVD also serves as a model for coaches and mentors.
Teacher Study Groups
Jennifer Allen * 22-min. DVD + Viewing Guide * $55.00
http://www.stenhouse.com/0498.asp?r=n130
This video provides a window into the process of building reflective, research-based teacher study groups, with excerpts from fall and spring meetings of a group focused on improving writing workshops. The Viewing Guide includes "How Study Groups are Like Self-Cleaning Ovens," "Launching Teacher Study Groups:
Guidelines and Resources," and a list of book and video recommendations. (See the PD Corner below for a link to the Study Groups chapter from Becoming a Literacy Leader.)
Spotlight on Small Groups
Debbie Diller * 58-min. DVD + Viewing Guide * $175.00
http://www.stenhouse.com/0715.asp?r=n130
Teachers get an in-depth look at Debbie Diller leading two reading groups--one focused on vocabulary, the other on inferring. Filmed in Lisa Gregory's diverse third-grade classroom, the DVD illustrates the importance of predictable, structured routines for small groups and shows you how to create them. It also captures after-group debriefings between Debbie and Lisa. An extensive viewing guide provides discussion questions, work samples, and reproducible forms. Pair with Debbie's book, Making the Most of Small Groups <http://www.stenhouse.com/0431.asp?r=n130>, for a complete staff development program.
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2) PD Corner: Leadership in literacy
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"The stronger the relationship between the roles of principal and literacy leader, the more impact it can have on the success of a literacy program...shared leadership is not about assigning power to a role; rather, people assume a leadership role through their actions and because of their background experience."
--Carol Rolheiser and Karen Edge, from Chapter 1 of The Literacy Principal, 2nd Edition
Two articles from the Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse focus on how administrators can support literacy coaches. "Principal Support for Literacy Coaching" outlines six things that principals do to make coaching succeed in their schools:
http://www.stenhouse.com/rdprincipalsupport.htm
And "What Supports do Literacy Coaches Need from Administrators in Order to Succeed?" presents eleven supports that administrators need to put in place to help coaches improve instruction:
http://www.stenhouse.com/rdsupportfromadmin.htm
The new edition of The Literacy Principal by David Booth and Jennifer Rowsell supports your efforts to build a literacy culture, featuring anecdotes from administrators, teachers, and other literacy leaders. Preview the entire book online:
http://www.stenhouse.com/8216.asp?r=n130
"Everything Secondary Administrators Need to Know, but Are Afraid to Ask: Understanding Pragmatic Adolescent Literacy Planning" from Learning Point Associates is a primer on adolescent literacy needs, the design of effective literacy programs in middle and high schools, and the support of teachers in making literacy- centered instructional change:
http://www2.learningpt.org/catalog/item.asp?productID=229
(Click on the "View Online" link.)
Is your job title Reading Specialist? Literacy Coach? Staff Development Coordinator? Some combination of these terms? If so, Jen Allen's book Becoming a Literacy Leader was written for you.
Read "Study Groups: Developing Voluntary Professional Development Programs" (Chapter 4) online for a limited time:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0419.asp?r=n130
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3) Author Conversations: Rick Wormeli, Mary Cappellini
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What would you see if you walked into a successful differentiated classroom? Differentiation isn't always obvious, as you'll hear in the conclusion of our three-part podcast with Rick Wormeli:
http://www.stenhouse.com/html/wormelipodcast.htm?r=n130
"When English Language Learners are in a class with a majority of English-only kids, they feel intimidated to use their speech. But opportunities to use technology and put their words into a presentation format enable them to show their deeper levels of comprehension."
In the second of a two-part podcast, Mary Cappellini discusses the use of technology with English language learners and more generally how technology resources can be used to encourage creative work:
http://www.stenhouse.com/html/cappellinipodcast.htm?r=n130
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4) LitTunes: "Read, Write, and Rock!"
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Here's a website that literally rocks. LitTunes, developed by University of Arkansas professor and former English teacher Chris Goering, makes connections between classic literature and popular music, offers research on the use of music lyrics in teaching literature, and invites teachers and students to contribute their own song-literature pairings:
And read about a new program being developed by Steven Van Zandt, lead guitarist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, that uses rock-and-roll to teach students about U.S. history:
http://www.stenhouse.com/rdvanzandt.htm
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