Inventory of the UCLA School Management Program Literacy Links Academy Guide, November 20-21, 1997; January 15-16, 1998; February 12-13, 1998

Welcome Letter

Scope and Content Note

November 20, 1997

Dear Literacy Links Academy Teams:

Welcome to the first two days of a six-day learning academy centered around literacy in the elementary school. We are excited that your school was selected to take part in "Literacy Links." Our emphasis for the first two days will be on discovering our personal and collective definition of literacy, discussing the elements of a comprehensive literacy program, and engaging in inquiry about literacy and how it informs our school / classroom practices.

The faculty and staff of the UCLA School Management Program are delighted to join you in this opportunity to learn together. We hope that you have an enjoyable and productive experience. We also hope that the learning we do together will have a significant impact on our students.

Sincerely,

UCLA SCHOOL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FACULTY

Dolores Beltran

Janet Howard

Anne Schnee

Kathi Swank

Desired Learning Objectives

Scope and Content Note

As a result of this program, participants will:

Develop an understanding of what literacy encompasses
Identify components of a literate classroom
Develop an understanding of the school culture necessary to sustain and support literate classrooms
Identify high potential practices that are essential in developing readers; and
Build a network to support a community of learners

Calendar for Days 1 & 2

Thursday, November 20, 1997

Scope and Content Note

7:30 a.m. Registration / Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Welcome / Introductions
Objectives
Materials Review
Ice-Breaker
8:30 a.m. "What is Literacy?"
9:45 a.m. Break
10:00 a.m. Learning About Literacy
11:30 a.m. Lunch
12:30 p.m. Literature Activity
1:15 p.m. Success in Literacy
2:30 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m. Telling Your Story
3:45 p.m. Reflection / Evaluation / Homework
4:00 p.m. End of Session

Friday, November 21, 1997

Scope and Content Note

7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Welcome Back
Objectives
Ice- Breaker
8:15 a.m. Poetry Anthology
9:00 a.m. Guest Speaker: Dennis Parker
10:45 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. Reflection: Speaker's Comments
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Comprehensive Literacy Program
2:30 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m. Literature Activity
3:30 p.m. Reflection / Evaluation / Homework
3:45 p.m. End of Session

Important Phone Numbers

UCLA School Management Program - Office

Scope and Content Note

(310) 825-2488 (Office)
(310) 206-4116 (Fax)
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

UCLA School Management Program - Faculty E-Mail and Voice Mail

Scope and Content Note

Dolores Beltran:
beltran@gseis.ucla.edu (310) 854-7451
Janet Howard:
howard@gseis.ucla.edu (310) 854-7455
Anne Schnee:
schnee@gseis.ucla.edu (310) 854-7460
Kathi Swank:
swank@gseis.ucla.edu (310) 854-7426

UCLA School Management Program - Staff E-Mail and Voice Mail

Scope and Content Note

Lisa Manning, Program Manager:
manning@gseis.ucla.edu (310) 854-7423
Erwin Wong, SMP/Citibank Resource Coordinator:
wong@gseis.ucla.edu (310) 854-7449

DAY ONE November 20, 1997

Agenda for Thursday, November 20, 1997

Note

All of today's sessions will take place in the Santa Monica Room

Scope and Content Note

7:30 a.m. Registration / Continental Breakfast - Santa Monica Room Foyer
8:00 a.m. Welcome / Introductions - Santa Monica Room Kathi Swank
Objectives
Materials Review
Ice Breaker
8:30 a.m. "What is Literacy?" Anne Schnee
9:45 a.m. Break
10:00 a.m. Learning About Literacy Dolores Beltran
11:30 a.m. Lunch
12:30 p.m. Literature Activity: "Tea Party" Janet Howard
1:15 p.m. Success in Literacy Dolores Beltran, Anne Schnee
2:30 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m. Telling Your Story Debbi Laidley
3:45 p.m. Evaluation / Reflection / Homework Janet Howard
4:00 p.m. End of Session

Reading Questionnaire

Scope and Content Note

Please answer the following questions. Mark only one answer for each question.

1. Would you rather read:

___ on a shady backporch
___ stretched out on a beach
___ under your bedcovers
___ in a wood-panelled library
___ on an airplane to Paris?

2. Would you rather be reading:

___ The New York Times
___ Anna Karenina
___ The Accidental Tourist
___ anything by Danielle Steel
___ Language Arts magazine?

3. Would you rather receive as a gift:

___ a gourmet cookbook
___ a gift certificate to a children's bookstore
___ a paperback collection of the complete works of Philip Roth
___ a hardcover edition of The World's Greatest Short Stories
___ a gift certificate to Heinemann?

4. Would you rather read aloud to your students:

___ A Taste of Blackberries
___ Sarah, Plain and Tall
___ Journey to Jo'burg
___ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
___ Where the Red Fern Grows
___ Charlotte's Web?

5. Would you rather be able to recite the poems of:

___ Langston Hughes
___ Walt Whitman
___ Shel Silverstein
___ Gwendolyn Brooks
___ Robert Frost?

Letter by letter

Scope and Content Note

The story begins.

Word by word

The book is read.

Bit by bit

The picture emerges.

Step by step

The journey unfolds.

Minute by minute

The day is formed.

Hour by hour

A life is lived.

-- Marcia Alpert

"What is Literacy?" Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES: OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this activity, participants will:

enlarge their personal understanding of "literacy";

compare multiple perspectives on literacy; and

construct a composite picture of literacy.

ACTIVITY: (75 minutes)

Step 1: (15 minutes)

Participants will silently read selected passages / quotes about literacy, highlighting words and phrases that stand out to them.

Step 2: (30 minutes)

Participants will separate into groups of four. Each group will have one sheet of chart paper to section off so that there is a rectangle in the center of the page with diagonal lines drawn from each corner of the rectangle to the edge of the paper.

Each member of the group will write a response to the following prompt in one of the outer areas of the chart:

What is literacy?

Participants will each share what they wrote within the group. The group will then create a summary, composite phrases, or word mosaic to capture their shared ideas in the center of the poster

Step 3: (30 minutes)

Each group will share its composite picture of literacy with the whole group as the facilitator charts the commonalities of their composites.

Quotations for "What Is Literacy?" Activity

Scope and Content Note

Whether in nature or in human relationships, few images are more compelling than that of an encounter: a butterfly and a flower come together in a brief burst of color, the sun's rays and raindrops joined in a rainbow, a mother reaching out for her newborn child, two pairs of eyes held in a deeply felt gaze, two hands clasped in friendship. And surely, among the most meaningful encounters, the one between a child and a book.

There are several reasons for the extraordinary importance of the magical moment when a little boy eagerly opens a book or when a little girl loses herself in the lines on a page. For one thing, we know that children who learn to read with ease, who love books and are comfortable with them, are likely to be successful at school.

Yet however significant, academic success is but one of the benefits that good readers enjoy. Books provide moments of joy and healthful, constructive entertainment. Books are faithful friends, never withholding their companionship. They can be a source of comfort for children who feel sad, isolated, or misunderstood.

Books invite children to give rein to their fantasy, to let their imagination run free. Then, too, books broaden children's view of the world and enlarge their experience. They enrich the children's minds while strengthening their spirits.

--- A Magical Encounter: Children and Books by Alma Flor Ada

Contrary to what alarmists would have us believe, we are not a nation of illiterates. The average American student can read. And 95 percent of twenty-one to twenty-five year olds, our alumni, can perform routine tasks using printed information. Sixty-three percent go on to advanced education, compared to only 20 percent in 1940. Today's students probably do not think any less or slower than their grandparents did. But the needs of today's world are far more complex than those of 1940, and are growing more complex by the hour. Seventy percent of the reading material in a cross section of jobs nationally is written on at least ninth grade level.

Sometimes a job's complexity changes so fast, it turns blue collar requirements into white collar almost overnight. Witness the so-called 72-hour Gulf War that put to rest the adage, "An army marches on its stomach." Marching armies no longer win wars - their technologies do. The high-tech equipment that allowed the United States to direct its radar missiles down chimney holes requires an IQ equal to the task. As a result, America's first equal opportunity employer no longer has opportunities for anyone without a regular high school diploma.

In 1980, 50 percent of army recruits were among those scoring in the lowest quarter on the entrance exam. By 1992, only 2 percent were accepted from that quarter.

The army's task is so complex it no longer accepts a General Equivalency Diploma (GED), even though the army invented it for World War II.

--- The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

The lack of interest in reading is evident not only at the bottom or middle of the class; it is there at the top as well. Scholar and author Jacques Barzun writes of a committee interviewing 150 young people -- three top students from each state -- to award ten full scholarships worth $60,000 each. One member of the committee asked every candidate this question: 'Did you, during the past year, read a book that was not assigned? If so, please tell us a little something about that book." Only one student out of the 150 was able to comply.

--- The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

Margaret Meek points out that one of the distinguishing features of habitual readers and writers is their curiosity about language. "They enjoy it. They use it with feeling and flair when they talk, tell jokes, invent word games, and do crossword puzzles. They are, in a sense, in control of language, as a skilled player manages a football, a versatile violinist interprets a score, or a racing driver handles a car."

--- Raising Lifelong Learners by Lucy Calkins

Children grow as writers by coming to understand and to participate in the process of writing. Like poets, novelists, and journalists throughout the world, young children find seed ideas in what they draw, see, wonder, notice, say, remember, feel, and experience. They take these ideas and consider, "How shall I write this?" Even young writers decide on form and genre; they write and revise for clarity and grace.

--- Raising Lifelong Learners by Lucy Calkins

I remember the first time I read a book in Spanish. I remember it because I can still see the look on the faces of the children whose home language is Spanish. Their eyes lit up, their faces beamed, they understood! They were saying: "You're talking just to me!" It is important because for those few minutes, those children were the ones who were a step ahead...they knew what I was saying, they knew the answers to the questions.

--- Jackie Gonzalez, Kindergarten teacher

Learning About Literacy Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES: OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this activity, participants will:

enhance their understanding of literacy through exploration of current research on literacy;

engage in discussion of the issues related to literacy; and,

reflect on the implications for creating a comprehensive and balanced school site literacy program.

ACTIVITY: (90 minutes)

The "Read-Aloud" process was developed by the California Literature Project. It is a procedure for combining new information from print with the prior knowledge of participants through conversation. The format is simple and easily used by adults as well as younger students.

Step 1: (5 minutes)

Participants will separate into groups of four and sit in a tight circle so conversation is easy. They will then decide how the article, "Literacy for All Students: Ten Steps Toward Making a Difference," will be read (i.e. two paragraphs each, choose another reader when tired, etc.).

Step 2: (55 minutes)

Participants will then begin reading the article aloud. Any member of the group should interrupt the reader whenever s/he has a question, comment, or personal experience to share that relates to what is being read. This continues throughout the reading of the document. (Because some groups will share more than others, not all groups will finish reading the article. It is important to remember that the quality of the conversation is more important than finishing the reading.)

Step 3: (10 minutes)

Each group will then summarize their key learnings from the article and agree on three significant points to share with the whole group.

Step 4: (20 minutes)

Each group will share their key points with the whole group while the facilitator records.

Tea Party Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES: OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this activity, participants will:

know and be able to use the Tea Party strategy
understand the benefits of the Tea Party strategy; and,
know how to modify the Tea Party strategy to meet the needs of various groups of students.

ACTIVITY: (45 minutes)

Step 1:

The facilitator will introduce the activity:

We will begin a new read-aloud book today, but first everyone will participate in an activity that will help us predict what the story is about. Each person will receive a strip of paper that has a sentence or two from the book. Each person will have a different part of the story, much like a piece of a puzzle.

Participants will receive a prepared strip and practice reading their sentences.

Step 2:

Participants will circulate around the room, greeting as many people as possible, one by one, just as if they were at a party. Instead of having conversations, they will only read their strips aloud to each other. They will visit with as many people as possible, listening carefully in order to figure out what the story might be about.

Step 3:

Participants will then return to their seats. As a whole group, they will brainstorm the story possibilities and record them on a flip chart or transparency.

Step 4:

The facilitator will read aloud the portion of the book from which the selections were taken. Participants will listen to find out how accurate their predictions were. They will then return to the predictions chart, and compare the predictions with the actual story.

Step 5:

Participants at each table will think of ways to modify the Tea Party activity to meet the needs of their own students. They will then share their ideas with the whole group.

"Telling Your Story: Student Voice In Storytelling" Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES: OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this session, participants will:

gain an understanding that writing, reading, listening and speaking are all part of "reading the world";
share their stories through print; and,
validate the importance of student voice and the celebration of diversity.

ACTIVITY: (60 minutes) :

Step 1: (5 minutes) :

The facilitator introduces the book, Family Pictures, by Carmen Lomas Garza.

Carmen Lomas Garza is a Mexican American artist and author. As a young child she was able to observe many of the events that took place in her family and formed part of her world. She recorded these events in her drawings and writing. Carmen lovingly tells the story of her childhood in a traditional Hispanic community in south Texas. The drawings show the everyday activities that remain vivid in her memory.

The facilitator then reads one vignette aloud and then asks participants to reflect on their own similar personal experiences.

Step 2: (15 minutes)

Several picture / story vignettes and books which focus on events that were important in the life of the author are placed around the room. Participants are asked to select one that has personal meaning for them. Participants will then share their stories about why their selections were meaningful to them with the others who made the same selection.

Step 3: (20 minutes)

As an individual or small group, participants will read the vignette or book and then create their own personal story of a similar event that formed part of their world. On a large piece of paper they will draw a picture of their story and write a short vignette.

Step 4: (10 minutes)

Participants will share their stories in small groups.

Step 5: (10 minutes)

Participants will debrief the activity, reflecting on the following questions:

What did you enjoy about this experience?
What did you learn?
How does it relate to the students in your school?
How do you as a teacher bring student voice into your classroom?
How are you now defining literacy?

Homework for November 21, 1997

Scope and Content Note

For homework, please read the article:

"Politics and Pedagogy: The Bookends of California's Literacy Crisis"

by Dennis Parker

In your journal write any comments or questions you may have from the article. Dennis Parker will be the speaker on Friday, November 21, 1997, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of his presentation.

Evaluation for Thursday, November 20, 1997

Scope and Content Note

Please answer the following questions:

1. How have today's activities added to your understanding of literacy?

2. What questions do you have?

DAY TWO November 21, 1997

Agenda for Friday, November 21, 1997

Note

All of today's sessions will take place in the Santa Monica Room

Scope and Content Note

7:30 a.m. Registration / Continental Breakfast - Santa Monica Room Foyer
8:00 a.m. Welcome / Introductions - Santa Monica Room
Objectives - Dolores Beltran
Ice Breaker
8:15 a.m. Poetry Anthology - Dolores Beltran
9:00 a.m. Guest Speaker: Dennis Parker - Anne Schnee
California State Department of Education
10:45 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. Reflection: Speaker's Comments - Kathi Swank
12:00 noon Lunch
1:00 p.m Comprehensive Literacy Program - Janet Howard
2:30 p.m. Break
2:45 p.m. Literature Activity: "The Tableau" - Dolores Beltran
3:30 p.m. Reflection / Evaluation / Homework - Dolores Beltran
3:45 p.m. End of Session

Literacy Quote

Scope and Content Note

Reading is the process of reciprocal action and interaction within the systems of language, strategies for comprehension, life experience and the interest of the reader.

I DREAM A WORLD

Scope and Content Note

by Langston Hughes

I dream a world where man

No other will scorn,

Where love will bless the earth

And peace its paths adorn.

I dream a world where all

Will know sweet freedom's way,

Where greed no longer saps the soul

Nor avarice blights our day.

A world I dream where black or white,

Whatever race you be,

Will share the bounties of the earth

And every man is free,

Where wretchedness will hang its head,

And joy, like a pearl,

Attend the needs of all mankind.

Of such I dream--

Our world!

THOSE WINTER SUNDAYS

Scope and Content Note

by Robert Hayden

Sundays too my father got up early

and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold

then with cracked hands that ached

from labor in the weekday weather made

banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.

When the rooms were warm, he'd call,

and slowly I would rise and dress,

fearing the chronic angers of that house.

Speaking indifferently to him,

who had driven out the cold

and polished my good shoes as well.

What did I know, what did I know

of love's austere and lonely offices?

HOW POEMS ARE MADE/A DISCREDITED VIEW

Scope and Content Note

by Alice Walker

Letting go

in order to hold on

I gradually understand

how poems are made.

There is a place the fear must go.

There is a place the choice must go.

There is a place the loss must go.

The leftover love.

The love that spills out

of the too full cup

and runs and hides

its too full self

in shame.

I gradually comprehend

how poems are made.

To the upbeat flight of memories.

The flagged beats of the running

heart.

I understand how poems are made.

They are the tears

that season the smile.

The stiff-neck laughter

that crowds the throat.

The leftover love.

I know how poems are made.

There is a place the loss must go.

There is a place the gain must go.

The leftover love.

THIS HOUR AND WHAT IS DEAD

Scope and Content Note

by Li-Young Lee

Tonight my brother, in heavy boots, is walking

through bare rooms over my head,

opening and closing doors.

What could he be looking for in an empty house?

What could he possibly need there in heaven?

Does he remember his earth, his birthplace set to torches?

His love for me feels like spilled water.

At this hour, what is dead is restless

and what is living is burning.

Someone tell him he should sleep now.

My father keeps a light on by our bed

and readies for our journey.

He mends ten holes in the knees

of five pairs of boy's pants.

His love for me is like his sewing:

various colors and too much thread,

the stitching uneven. But the needle pierces

clean through with each stroke of his hand.

At this hour, what is dead is worried

and what is living is fugitive.

Someone tell him he should sleep now.

THEY DON'T PREPARE ME FOR THIS

Scope and Content Note

by Mayra Fernández

they don't prepare me for this

a sea of faces

so different from my

own mirrored image

some so afraid

of my eyes so large

not almond-shaped

like their beautiful mama's

or of a skin so pale

could she be sick, some must be thinking

but prepared or not

I try

take out your math books, I request

in the Queen's English

isn't math a universal language?

but they sit perfectly still

they don't prepare me for this

so I take a math book

with great flourish point and say MATH BOOK!

immediately 33 math books

are produced

I smile in relief

they smile

in relief

they don't prepare me for this

but I'm gonna try

perhaps I could learn Vietnamese,

Cantonese, Mandarin, Farsi, Korean

and Spanish by Christmas

SHAKESPEARE

Scope and Content Note

by Mayra Fernández

The principal says Shakespeare

is not "concrete-operational for

this population." In English this

means that the Bard has no substance

for my barrio students. They can't

relate these poor brown, black, yellow and

white kids whom Reagan's prosperity

has passed by.

But who better than

good ol' Willy to teach about

choices in the 'hood? " To join the

gang, or not to join the gang,

that is the question. If I don't, I

won't get protection. I'll be alone. But if

I do, I will surely die."

Who else would portray

Langston Hughes' dreams deferred so concretely?

"Teacher, Hamlet just wanted to be an

ordinary student, right?" Who else to teach the

importance of good friendships? "Teacher,

those dudes weren't really Caesar's bro's,

you know."

Who better to teach students

to think. From Michael, constantly in

trouble, "Teacher, the most important character

in Julius Caesar was the mob because

without the mob, the others wouldn't have

acted." From Tamika, keeping me on my toes,

"Whatever happened to Benvoglio?"

WARNING

Scope and Content Note

by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick the flowers in other people's gardens

And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go

Or only bread and pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street

And set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

THEME FOR ENGLISH B

Scope and Content Note

by Langston Hughes

The instructor said,

Go home and write

a page tonight.

And let that page come out of you-

Then, it will be true.

I wonder if it's that simple?

I am twenty-two, colored, born in

Winston-Salem.

I went to school there, then Durham, then here

to this college on the hill above Harlem.

I am the only colored student in my class.

The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem,

through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas,

Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y,

the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator

up to my room, sit down, and write this page:

It's not easy to know what is true for you or me

at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm what

I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you:

hear you, hear me-we two-you, me,

talk on this page.

(I hear New York, too.) Me-who?

Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.

I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.

I like a pipe for a Christmas present,

or records-Bessie, bop, or Bach.

I guess being colored doesn't make me not like

the same things other folks like who are

other races.

So will my page be colored that I write?

Being me, it will not be white.

But it will be

a part of you, instructor.

You are white-

yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.

That's American.

Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be

a part of me.

Nor do I often want to be a part of you.

But we are, that's true!

As I learn from you,

I guess you learn from me-

although you're older-and white-

and somewhat more free.

This is my page for English B.

HOW I LEARNED TO SWEEP

Scope and Content Note

by Julia Alvarez

My mother never taught me sweeping....

One afternoon she found me watching

TV. She eyed the dusty floor

boldly, and put a broom before

me, and said she'd like to be able

to eat her dinner off that table,

and nodded at my feet, then left.

I knew right off what she expected

and went at it. I stepped and swept;

the TV blared the news; I kept

my mind on what I had to do,

until in minutes, I was through.

Her floor was as immaculate

as a just-washed dinner plate.

I waited for her to return

and turned to watch the President,

live from the White House, talk of war:

in the Far East our soldiers were

landing in their helicopters

into jungles their propellers

swept like weeds seen underwater

while perplexing shots were fired

from those beautiful green gardens

into which these dragonflies

filled with little men descended.

I got up and swept again.

as they fell out of the sky.

I swept all the harder when

I watched a dozen of them die...

as if their dust fell through the screen

upon the floor I had just cleaned.

She came back and turned the dial;

The screen went dark. That's beautiful ,

she said, and ran her clean hand through

my hair, and on, over the window-

sill, coffee table, rocker, desk,

and held it up-I held my breath-

That's beautiful, she said, impressed,

she hadn't found a speck of death.

GOING HUNGRY

Scope and Content Note

by Mayra Fernández

Juan has been absent so many times

and the teacher next door says to

accept it because she has his

sister who is absent a great

deal because she is hungry and has

tummy aches and there's no breakfast

program at the school. I consider

once in a while bringing breakfast

for Juan but who else is

hungry in my class and I, done in by

the courts, am riding my bike

to school and becoming a vegetarian

so I can have money for my own

two little boys' hot lunches

at school and meat at

home while their daddy vacations in Spain.

A few years later I see Juan sitting

during recess with a bag of potato

chips in his hands, triumphant

and very worldly. By the look of his thin,

faded T-shirt and too short pants

I know of his still

dominant poverty. By the satisfied look

on his face and the Lays potato chips

in his hands I realize he

has found a way to

survive.

Dennis Parker (Guest Speaker) Biography

Biography/Organization History

Dennis Parker is an administrator and manager for the District and School Support Division at the California State Department of Education. Dennis has been involved in education for the last thirty years as a teacher, principal, director of bilingual services and administrator and manager of several offices within the State Department of Education which include the School Improvement Office, Instructional Strategies Office, the Office of Special Projects and the Language Arts and Foreign Language Office.

Dennis has taught at Riverside City College, California State University, San Bernardino and California State University, Fullerton. He has served as a consultant to a variety of districts throughout the United States. Dennis participated as a member of the Reading Advisory and assisted in the creation of Every Child a Reader. His professional interests include: bilingualism, language and literacy acquisition, general semantics, public policy, institutional and social change, program design and implementation, teacher training, optimal academic and pro social development for minority and majority students, effective programs for at risk students, cognitive secrets that contribute to success in school and effective instructional strategies.

Dennis has three children and enjoys jogging, racquetball, playing the guitar and horseback riding.

Reflection on Speaker's Comments Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES: OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this activity, participants will:

reflect on the speaker's comments as they connect to their personal definition of literacy; and,

reflect on the implications for their school planning.

ACTIVITY: (1 hour)

Step 1:

During the speaker's presentation, participants will record on index cards key thoughts or quotations of the speaker.

Step 2: (50 minutes)

In groups of four, participants will share their quotes from the index cards. One member shares his/her first quote. Each person in the group, in turn, comments on what the quote means to him/her. When all have shared, the originator of the quote then shares why they chose that quote. The next person then shares his/her first quote and the process continues through three rounds.

Step 3: (10 minutes)

Each group decides on one quote that is especially important to all of them and then shares that quote with the whole group.

A Comprehensive Literacy Program Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES: OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this activity, participants will:

identify elements of a comprehensive literacy program in terms of students;

identify and reflect on school site issues relating to literacy; and

plan next steps for examining literacy at their school sites.

ACTIVITY: (90 minutes)

Step 1: (10 minutes)

Participants will receive a cut-out figure of a student or teacher. They will then reflect on the following question and write their responses on their cut-out figure.

Teachers:

In terms of literacy, what behaviors, skills and attitudes do you expect your students to develop while they are with you?

Principals:

In term of literacy, what behaviors, skills, and attitudes do you expect a teacher to demonstrate?

Step 2: (30 minutes)

Within school teams, participants will share their figures and discuss the following question:

What do these figures reveal about the literacy issues at your school site?

Participants will record the issues in their journals.

Step 3: (30 minutes)

As a school team, participants will plan how they will use the activities from Literacy Links Academy Days 1 & 2 sessions to begin examining literacy at their school sites. They will record their plans in their journals.

Step 4: (20 minutes)

School teams will share their reflections and action plans with another school team.

Literature Strategy: Tableau Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES: OBJECTIVES

As a result of this activity, participants will:

engage in a meaning-making literacy activity;

make interpretations beyond the text; and,

become aware of the implications of the strategy for classroom practice.

BACKGROUND:

Tableau is a strategy which allows students to visualize and interpret text in a dramatic pose. It encourages students to re-read text, studying a particular scene, while integrating reading, listening, and speaking skills. Active learning takes place and students at all levels of English competency can participate.

ACTIVITY: (45 minutes)

Step 1: (20 minutes)

Working in groups of eight-ten members, participants will read a well-known literature title and select a "frozen" scene to dramatize as follows:

A leader/director will tap a person in the scene who, while the others remain frozen, speak in character. The character stops when tapped again. Each character gets an opportunity to speak. Only one character speaks at a time. The speaker can simply tell what the character is thinking at the time.

Groups can be creative about using all the members of their group to recreate the scene. Some members can be props (e.g., chairs, tables, trees, etc.). Dialogue can be created from a variety of points of view in the scene.

Step 2: (20 minutes)

Groups will have three-four minutes to perform their tableau for the other groups.

The performing group should not reveal the title of the literature selection. The audience will then try to guess which story is being depicted.

Step 3: (5 minutes)

Participants will reflect on the following:

What are the implications of this strategy for your students' literacy development?

In what ways does this strategy link to a comprehensive and balanced literacy program?

Demonstration for January 15-16, 1998

Scope and Content Note

OBJECTIVES:

To share information acquired during the first two days of "Literacy Links" Academy with other school staff members;

To create a common language around literacy at your site;

To begin a discussion at your school around the elements of a comprehensive literacy program; and,

To define areas in which you would like to grow as a school.

BEFORE JANUARY 15, 1998:

Engage your staff or a select committee in a conversation around the following question:

"What is literacy for our school?"

Bring your school's definition to our next two day event. Select several components of a comprehensive literacy program which your staff thinks are essential for student success. Identify which of these components you are already doing and which you would like to focus on. Bring this information to the next "Literacy Links" Academy session on January 15-16, 1998.

If you are interested in having UCLA SMP Faculty come to your school to assist you, please contact us at the UCLA SMP Office at (310) 825-2488.

Evaluation for Friday, November 21, 1997

Scope and Content Note

Please answer the following questions:

1. How have today's activities added to your understanding of literacy?

2. What are you hoping to learn in the following sessions?

Calendar for Days 3 & 4

Thursday, January 15, 1998

Scope and Content Note

7:30 a.m. Registration / Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Welcome / Introductions
Overview
8:15 a.m. Literature Activity
9:00 a.m. Components of a Comprehensive and Balanced Literacy Program
10:30 a.m. Break / Book Display
11:00 a.m. Learning Sessions #1
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Learning Sessions #2
3:00 p.m. Break
3:05 p.m. Sharing Your Learning
3:45 p.m. Reflection / Evaluation
4:00 p.m. End of Session

Friday, January 16, 1998

Scope and Content Note

7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Welcome Back
Overview
8:15 a.m. Literature Activity
"Literate Child: "Hot Seat"
Post-It Poem"
9:00 a.m. Looking at a Comprehensive and Balanced Literacy Program
Speaker Team: Norwood Elementary
10:00 a.m. Break / Book Display
10:30 a.m. Learning Sessions #3
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Learning Sessions #4
2:30 p.m. Break
2:35 p.m. Taking This Back
"The Retelling Pie"
3:30 p.m. Reflection / Evaluation/ Homework
3:45 p.m. End of Session

Literacy Quote

Scope and Content Note

We are the best teachers

when we are teaching on

the edge of what we are

currently learning.

-- Donald Graves

October, 1995

Post-It Poetry Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES: OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this activity, participants will:

become familiar with a meaning-making literacy strategy; and,

create poetry collaboratively.

ACTIVITY: (45 minutes)

Step 1: (5 minutes)

The whole group will call out words that come to mind when they think of the term: a literate child. Words will be recorded onto an overhead transparency to create a word bank for the next step.

Step 2: (10 minutes)

Each participant will select from the word bank the four words that are most meaningful to them when asked to define a literate child. Each participant will write each word on a separate post-it note.

Step 3: (15 minutes)

In groups of four, participants will share their words and then work together to sort, organize and combine the group's collection of post-it note vocabulary to compose the phrases and / or sentences of the lines of a poem.

Step 4: (15 minutes)

The two groups at each table will share their poems. Volunteers will be asked to share their poems with the larger group. Groups will then post their poems on the walls of the room.

Components of a Balanced and Comprehensive Literacy Program Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES: OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this activity, participants will:

understand how the individual components of literacy interrelate to produce an effective, balanced and comprehensive literacy program; and,

analyze present instructional practice in light of new understandings and identify the next steps for learning.

ACTIVITY: (1 hour, 30 minutes)

Step 1: (10 minutes)

A comprehensive literacy program includes a balance of both teacher-directed explicit skills instruction and literature language arts instruction activities and strategies. Participants will think about the components that would go into this reading program and make a quick list of those components. Participants will then turn to their partners, share their list and add any new ideas.

Step 2: (15 minutes)

A good reading program includes cognitive and affective components. On the graphic organizer, Components of a Comprehensive Reading Program, participants will chart their instructional components from their list on the inside of the circle. Participants will then put the affective or supporting components in the clouds outside of the circle and share with their partner.

Step 3: (60 minutes)

Participants will focus on the cognitive instructional components. The participants will read the documents Every Child a Reader and Every Person a Reader, highlighting and putting a * next to the those sections that they find interesting and insightful, and putting a ? in the margin of those that they have questions about. Participants will share the information from their document with participants at their table. Using the summary sheet graphic organizer in their binder, participants will record a summary of the key point 1s of the document and engage in a discussion, sharing their thoughts about the documents.

Step 4: (5 minutes)

Participants will individually reflect on the following questions:

What are you now thinking about for a balanced comprehensive literacy program?

What does this mean for your school?

What questions do you have?

"Every Child A Reader" and "Every Person A Reader" Summary Sheet

Scope and Content Note

"Every Child A Reader" "Every Person A Reader"

1. Early Intervention

2. Assessment

3. Technology

4. Role of Literature

5. Skills

6. Strategies

"Every Person A Reader"

1. Early Intervention

2. Assessment

3. Technology

4. Role of Literature

5. Skills

6. Strategies

Retelling Pie Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES:OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this activity, participants will:

reflect on information and experiences gained from the Learning Sessions;

retell the main ideas and strategies of the Learning Sessions; and,

reflect on the implications for their school.

ACTIVITY: (40 minutes)

MATERIALS

paper pie wedge (one per participant)

Step 1: (15 minutes)

Each participant will reflect on the Learning Sessions they attended and select one of the Sessions that they want to share with others. On the paper pie wedge in front of them they will chart the main ideas about the Session they attended.

Step 2: (5 minutes)

Next to the applicable statements, participants will write the following marks:

+ New Information

! Wow!

? I Have Some Questions

* I Can Use This Immediately

Step 3: (20 minutes)

Within school teams, participants will retell the story of their Learning Session using a round-robin strategy for sharing. They will combine their paper pie wedges to form a whole learning pie. The participants will then talk about the statements they "marked" and address the following questions:

How did this inform my learning?

What are the implications for my school? my class?

What more do I need to know?

Evaluation for Thursday, January 15, 1998

Scope and Content Note

Please answer the following questions:

1. How have today's activities added to your understanding of the components of a balanced and comprehensive literacy program?

2. What questions do you have?

Agenda for Friday, January 16, 1998

Scope and Content Note

7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Welcome Back
Overview
8:15 a.m. Literature Activity
"Hot Seat"
9:00 a.m. Looking at a Comprehensive and Balanced Literacy Program
Speaker Team: Norwood Elementary
10:00 a.m. Break / Book Display
10:30 a.m. Learning Sessions #3
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Learning Sessions #4
2:30 p.m. Break
2:35 p.m. Taking This Back
3:30 p.m. Reflection / Evaluation / Homework
3:45 p.m. End of Session

Richard L. Allington [quote]

Scope and Content Note

"To have any hope of

achieving systemic changes,

we must accept four principles:

Change comes from within,

not afar.

Change will not necessarily

cost more money.

There are no quick fixes.

There is no one best way."

"Hot Seat" Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

NOTES: OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this activity, participants will know and be able to use the "Hot Seat" Strategy.

INTRODUCTION:

There are many variations of the "Hot Seat" Strategy. Participants will experience one variation and discuss others as part of the debrief.

ACTIVITY: (45 minutes)

Step 1: (5 minutes)

The facilitator will read or tell the story of "Little Red Riding Hood."

Step 2: (10 minutes)

The participants will use the graphic organizer in their binders to individually write down questions that they would like to be able to ask the three main characters in the story (should such an opportunity ever arise). The questions should help them gain a better understanding of each character's actions, motives, thoughts, and feelings.

Step 3: (15 minutes)

Participants will form groups of three. Each participant will choose a different character to role play. One at a time, they will sit in a designated "hot seat" and field the questions that the other two participants ask, remaining in character while in the "hot seat." Each participant will have an opportunity to be in the "hot seat" once and to ask questions of the other two characters / participants. (Note: Participants do not need to be in character when they ask the questions; their role is more like that of an investigative reporter.)

Step 4: (5 minutes)

Participants will return to their tables and discuss the benefits of this strategy and how they might use it or adapt it to use with their own students. They may record their thoughts on the Reflection Sheet in their binders.

Step 5: (10 minutes)

Each table will share out one idea or variation of the "Hot Seat" Strategy.

"Hot Seat" Activity Reflection Sheet

Scope and Content Note

What are the benefits of using this strategy?

How else might you use this strategy or adapt it to use with your students?

Learning Sessions Schedule

Scope and Content Note

PRIMARY

Phonemic Awareness (2)

Phonics / Spelling Activities (2)

Guided Reading (2)

Shared Reading (2)

Visual Literacy (2)

UPPER

Reading for Meaning

Reciprocal and Guided Reading

Retelling

Literature Circles

Writer's Workshop

ALL

Read Aloud (2)

Second Language Literacy

Bilingual / Transitional

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1998

LEARNING SESSION #1

1. Phonics / Spelling (Primary)

2. Journal Writing (Primary)

3. Shared Reading (Primary)

4. Reciprocal Reading (Upper)

5. Retelling (Upper)

LEARNING SESSION #2

1. Phonics / Spelling (Primary)

2. Journal Writing (Primary)

3. Shared Reading (Primary)

4. Writer's Workshop (Upper)

5. Bilingual / Transitional (All)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1998

LEARNING SESSION #3

1. Guided Reading (Primary)

2. Phonemic Awareness (Primary)

3. Reading for Meaning (Upper)

4. Read Aloud (All)

5. Second Language Literacy (All)

LEARNING SESSION #4

1. Guided Reading (Primary)

2. Phonemic Awareness (Primary)

3. Reading for Meaning (Upper)

4. Read Aloud (All)

5. Literature Circles (All)

Taking This Back Activity Guide

Scope and Content Note

OBJECTIVES:

As a result of this activity, participants will:

share their key learning from the Learning Sessions with their school team members;

reflect on the connections between strategies and the components of a balanced and comprehensive literacy program; and,

design the next steps that the school literacy team will take in developing a balanced and comprehensive literacy program.

ACTIVITY: (55 minutes)

Step 1: (20 minutes)

In school teams, participants will share their reflections and key learning from the Learning Sessions they attended using the Retelling Pie process.

Step 2: (15 minutes)

In school teams, participants will discuss and begin to analyze where their school is in developing a balanced and comprehensive literacy program based on the following questions:

What are the key components tbat will be critical to our school's balanced and comprehensive literacy program?

How are these components interconnected?

What are the implications for our continued learning as a school literacy team? . . . . as a school community?

What is the next step that we will take as a school literacy team?

Step 3: (20 minutes)

Using the "Taking This Back" graphic organizer in their binders, school teams will identify which strategies would be important for their school, the key players and resources needed, and the specific steps they will initiate to take back and make it happen at their school.

Binder Contents