Issue #04

---

Dr. Z-Coe's Corner

Dear FOR-PD Participant,

Happy Holidays! I find it hard to believe we are in December. This year, we Floridians have so many things to be thankful for. We have survived four hurricanes, and although we experienced material losses, we are still here and going strong. I know that many of you have suffered severe damages from the storms - our thoughts continue to be with you. We thank you for your persistence with the course during your adverse times. Even in the midst of the catastrophes that hit us, FOR-PD is still going strong. This semester we have had over 1300 participants, and these numbers continue to grow each day as districts continue to open up sections. We at FOR-PD continue to strive for excellence in our content, services, and support.

This month we are focusing on effective vocabulary instruction. Our reading strategy is the Vocabulary Box. We hope that you and your students will benefit from the strategy, examples, and resources we have created for you. We look forward to your feedback on any and all of our resources and services. We encourage and appreciate any ideas you have about our newsletters, resources, and support. Please email us and share your thoughts forpd@mail.ucf.edu.

As we are approaching the end of some of the Fall 2004 sections, I would like to encourage you to keep up with the readings and course assignments. Approximately one-third of our sections will be ending by the end of December. Continue to interact with the e-text, your facilitator, and each other, and remember to contact us in case you have any questions. In this newsletter you will also find our help desk holiday hours. You are almost done continue to inform your facilitator of your progress and "stay" with the course.

In closing, I would like to share with you one of the books I have been reading on teaching. I think one of the reasons is because I, too, at times need to encourage myself about my profession, take my eyes off its mundane tasks, and reflect more on its value and significance. Palmer Parker's book, The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life, is a "must read" for all educators. Here are some excerpts from the book:

Teaching is not just a chore. It is not something we tolerate. It is not just a set of checklists, strategies, and procedures. Teaching is not about just applying the right strategy or putting the things that look good on paper. According to Parker, teaching is akin to weaving a fabric of connectedness between student, teacher and subject. Teachers are not managers of "stuff." Teaching is about knowing yourself as well as knowing your students and your subject. Good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.

If we have lost the heart to teach, how can we take heart again? How can we remember who we are, for our own sake and the sake of those we serve? (p. 20)

Our tendency to reduce teaching to questions of technique is one reason we lack a collegial conversation of much duration or depth. Though technique-talk promises the "practical" solutions that we think we want and need, the conversation is stunted when technique is the only topic: the human issues in teaching get ignored, so the human beings who teach feel ignored as well.  When teaching is reduced to technique, we shrink teachers as well as their craft - and people do not willingly return to a conversation that diminishes them. (p. 145)

I hope that through these excerpts you can see highlights of FOR-PD's mission. Our course is not just a set of lessons that you can just read about. It contains current scientifically-based research and effective practice, numerous resources at your fingertips, and endless opportunities for you to reflect upon the materials, apply it in your own classroom, evaluate it, and modify it to meet your personal and your students' literacy needs. Reflection is a core "thread" in the FOR-PD course. Take time to critically evaluate the material, discuss it either with your colleagues in your section, facilitator, and/or colleagues at school. You, not methods, or materials will make a difference in your students' literacy success. Become informed, develop your literacy expertise, and continue to learn about literacy.

Teaching is not something we get to do; it is who we are. We teach because we care. I wish you the best with your successful completion of the course. Keep studying and keep learning. Remember, that "If we who lead and we who teach would take that counsel to heart, everyone in education, administrators and teachers and students alike, would have a chance at healing and new life. Learning-learning together is the thing for all of us." (Parker, 1998, p. 161)

Best wishes for a joyous and peaceful holiday season,

Vicky Zygouris-Coe, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, FOR-PD
vzygouri@mail.ucf.edu

---

NCLB: Taking Root

-Education Week, Vol. 24, Issue 15

Despite complaints, the federal No Child Left Behind Act is becoming implanted in the American school system. A new report out by Education Week discusses how states are meeting the law's requirements. The number of states meeting the law's requirements in the 2004-2005 school year increased slightly from last year. Despite this slight increase, states continue to scramble to meet the new testing requirements. Education Weekly's brand new report analyzes the testing policies of all 50 states. Based on this report fewer than half of all states administer standards-based assessments in English and math and even fewer states give standards-based science assessments, which are required by the legislation beginning in the 2007-08 school year.

-Monday Report, Volume XXXIX, No. 30, Week of November 22, 2004

Governor Jeb Bush and Education Commissioner John Winn announced that Florida's high school graduation rates rose nearly three points in 2003-04 and nearly 12 percent since 1998-99.  The greatest gains were among minority students with a 3.1 percent increase statewide. "Our high expectations for students lead to rising student achievement, making our state's future brighter," said Governor Bush.  "This progress is a result of hard work coupled with high standards and accountability, which ensures every child is learning."  Over the past year, 50 out 67 school districts saw an increase in their graduation rate. Three districts saw double digit increases - Charlotte, Hardee, and Union. Seven of the ten largest school districts saw larger increases than the state as a whole.

While the graduation rate continues to improve, the dropout rate continues to decline. Florida's dropout rate declined for the fifth year in a row, dropping to 3 percent.

---

Funding Opportunities

Inspiration Software - Integrating Visual Learning
Inspiration Software is committed to helping educators use graphic organizers and other visual learning tools to help students develop strong thinking and organizational skills and improve their academic performance. There are two types of scholarships available. The first is the Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning (ITSVL), focusing on educators who demonstrate an understanding of visual learning and a commitment to the integration of visual learning techniques in to the curriculum. The second is the Inspired Teacher Scholarship Rookie Awards for Visual Learning. This award focuses on candidates who are new to the area of visual learning and demonstrate a desire and capacity to learn and apply visual learning principles in the classroom.

Deadline: January 27, 2005
Funding: $750 scholarships
Eligibility: Educators in K-12 schools, colleges, and universities with at least one year of service.
Contact: Inspiration Software, Inc. Attn: Insipred Teacher Scholarships, 7412 Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy, Suite 102, Portland, OR 97225-2167.
Email: scholarship@inspiration.com  
Website: http://www.inspiration.com/prodev/index.cfm?fuseaction=scholarship

Dale Earnhardt Legend Leadership Award- Helping Communities Succeed
The Dale Earnhardt Legend Leadership Award honors deserving individuals or groups who offer outstanding solutions to problematic issues people face daily. Exemplifying leadership qualities by identifying a problem and offering a solution are the qualities the Foundation is searching for in award winners.

Deadline: December 31, 2004
Funding: Seven grants up to $7,000 each
Eligibility: Participants can be of any age, in any grade level of school or college, or a group.
Contact: Dale Earnhardt Legend Leadership Award, c/o Dale Earnhardt Foundation, 1675 Dale Earnhardt Hwy. 3, Moorseville, NC 28115, (877) 334-DALE
Email: foundation@dei-zone.com
Website: http://thedaleearnhardtfoundation.org

---

 

Holidays, Happenings, & Events

FOR-PD Open Enrollment for Spring	November 17, 2004 - January 14, 2005
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Leadership Conference Transitions: The Culture of Change Orlando, FL	January 11 -13, 2005
FOR-PD Spring Open Enrollment Courses Start	January 24, 2005
2005 FETC Conference Celebrating 25 Years Orlando, FL	January 26 - January 28, 2005
National Title I Conference Faces of Success Atlanta, GA	January 29 - February 1, 2005
The Southeastern Writing Center Association Understanding and Promoting Intellectual Growth and Critical Thinking in the Writing Center Charleston, SC	Febraury 10 - February 12, 2005
NEA's Read Across America America Knows Reading is "Where It's Hat!"	March 2, 2005
International Reading Association Annual Convention Celebrating 50 Years San Antonio, TX	May 1 - May 5, 2005

FRA or FCTE Councils: would you like to have the power to advertise your local events to well over 6,000 people? If you would like to advertise your mini-conferences, we would love to include them in our Holidays, Happenings, and Events section. Please send us the following information: event title, date, and contact information. Email forpd@mail.ucf.edu and in the subject heading place NEWSLETTER EVENTS.

Return to Top

---

FOR-PD Reading Strategy of the Month

Do you have students who struggle to understand vocabulary? For many of our students, they do struggle to understand the meaning of words that they are reading. As students mature and work their way through the educational system, the text that they must work with become increasingly more demanding, and the vocabulary become increasingly more complex and difficult to understand. Research tells us that vocabulary must be taught directly and explicitly with strategies that help enhancing meaning-making.

We know from research that having students look words up in the dictionary is not a success strategy for helping them develop word meaning. Instead, strategies can be used that help students build definitions using their own knowledge and the context from which the word is used. The FOR-PD Reading Strategy of the Month is the Vocabulary Word Box. The Vocabulary Word Box is a strategy that helps students build an elaborated understanding of vocabulary.

Take a look at the reading strategy and the examples provided from elementary and secondary levels. Try this strategy in your classroom and then email us and tell us how it worked (forpd@mail.ucf.edu). Also, don't forget to share the strategy with your colleagues. Each month we feature an effective reading strategy, explain the rationale behind the strategy, give directions on how to use the strategy with students, ideas for adapting the strategy to different content areas, ideas for assessing the strategy, and of course a printable PDF version of the strategy. Check out our Reading Strategy Archive to see past Reading Strategies of the Month.

---

Literacy On The Web

Teacher to Teacher Workshops: Vocabulary
The US Department of Education has brought together some of the nations most effective teachers and education experts in a series of workshops given throughout the country. The focus of the workshops is on scientifically based instructional practices. These workshops were given throughout the country this past summer (2004). Now teachers can view the workshops via the web. Each of the workshops includes a note taking guide, a video (must use Windows Media Player), follow-up activities, handouts, and additional resources. The Vocabulary workshop covers: vocabulary as a component of reading instruction, direct and indirect methods of vocabulary instruction, research-based vocabulary building strategies, and using context to get clues to meaning.

Additional online workshops:
Reading in the Content Areas: It's Just Different
Examining Student Work: Protocol for Improving Reading Instruction
Beginning to Write
Differentiated Instruction
NCLB Basics for Teachers and Principals

Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks For Teaching Children to Read
Read a summary of the National Reading Panels research into Vocabulary. This section of the research defines vocabulary, reviews evidence from research, suggests implications for classroom instruction, describes proven strategies for classroom instruction, and addresses frequently raised questions about vocabulary instruction.

Vocabulary Builders Page
This resource provides downloadable practice sheets, activities, and resources for teaching vocabulary to elementary students.

Reading Instructional Handbook: Vocabulary
This online resource provides information on selecting words for study, guidelines for instruction, and instructional techniques.

Concept Mapping
Need a concept map to use with your students? Check out these 15 different concept maps.

Promoting Vocabulary Development: Components of Effective Vocabulary Instruction
This online manual, from the Texas Education Agency, addresses the research behind effective vocabulary instruction and provides powerful strategies that build word knowledge.

Best Practices in Vocabulary Instruction
Camille Blachowicz discusses seven key principles of effective vocabulary instruction. By applying these seven principles in the classroom, teachers can be sure that they are implementing best practices.

---

Highlighted Books of the Month

What We're Reading

This month we decided to do something just a bit different and share what we are reading.

Catherine Glass, Reading Specialist, The First Part Last by Angela Johnson "This little thing with the perfect face and hands doing nothing but counting on me. And me wanting nothing else but to run crying into my own mom's room and have her do the whole thing. It's not going to happen...." In society, we see so many images of teenage pregnancy and the mother being left to care for the child by herself. Angela Johnson's book tells the tale of a teenage dad, Bobby. The story alternates between Nia's pregnancy and Bobby's struggle to do the right thing and raise his daughter. Bobby could have taken the easy way out and done what was suggested, put the baby up for adoption, but he chose the rougher course and for him it made all the difference.

Matt Renfroe, Webmaster, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon Narrated by a fifteen-year-old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions.

Carol McWilliams, SUNLINK,  is currently reading Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris A biography of Theodore Roosevelt's presidency years.

Allison Galloway, Office Assistant and FOR-PD Help Desk (Evening), The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl So far it's fantastic. I am a big literature buff, so I love the references to other writers in this story. The main characters are Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, J.T. Fields, and some other contemporaries. The story takes place in Boston, 1865 (just as Dante was being introduced to America) and a killer, inspired by "The Inferno", is on the loose. You don't need to be a Dante scholar to love this one. Matthew Pearl is a graduate of both Harvard and Yale. The knowledge, suspense, and horror he brings to this story are extraordinary. Check it out if you have a chance.

Katie Tindell, Office Manager, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown The book was great for those of us that like suspense novels. If you liked the Da Vinci Code you will definitely like this book. It is also a fairly fast moving book that does not require much effort to get into and can be hard to put down at times. I mainly enjoyed the book because it delved into history and religion, which are two subjects that I like to explore. Dan Brown does a great job of using historical facts mingled with fiction that make you want to find out "the truth".

What are you reading? Share your latest finds with us and we will share with everyone. Email forpd@mail.ucf.edu  subject heading What We're Reading

Professional Book Recommendations:

Teaching Mathematics Vocabulary in Context by Miki Murray(2004)
The conceptual learning of mathematics is greatly enhanced when students understand the mathematical vocabulary. By understanding the technical language of mathematics students are able to express their thinking clearly, share problem solving techniques, and participate in classroom discourse. (Heinemann)




Word Savvy by Max Brand (2004)
This book contains sample lessons for teaching everything from vocabulary in the content areas to developing anchor charts for word learning throughout the year. Max Brand shows how he integrates word learning into his literacy workshop. (Stenhouse)




Making Words Stick: Strategies for Building Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension in the Elementary Grades by Kellie Buis (2004)
Make words meaningful and memorable to your students. This books is filled with effective and engaging strategies that make the link between vocabulary and comprehension. The book also explores ways to organize vocabulary instruction. (Stenhouse)

Return to Top

---

Monthly FOR-PD Tip

Fall Courses Coming to an End
Many sections of the FOR-PD course will be coming to an end during the holiday's or shortly after. Open enrollment sections are due to end December 17, 2004; however, because of circumstances around the state with the hurricanes and other issues, please check with your facilitator to see when they will be closing your section.

Things to remember about finishing the course:

1. Make sure you have completed all the discussions and quizzes. You must achieve a passing score of 16 on each. If you have not achieved this score on a particular discussion make sure you go back and revise and repost the discussion.
2. Make sure you have completed the Post-Course Survey. You can access this by going to the navigation bar to the left of the course content.
3. Make sure you have completed the Course Evaluation. This is located on the navigation bar to the left of the course content.
4. FOR-PD will be sending out a report to all districts in January updating them on who has completed the course.
5. If your district requires a certificate of completion please let your facilitator know, and they will notify our office.
6. Some districts require participants to turn in their literacy log as part of the course evaluation for staff development points. Please check with your district to find out if you need to turn them in.

Reading Keys from Lessons 11-14

Lesson 11 Reading Reminder	The increasingly diverse population in our classrooms has mandated that teachers of all content areas develop skills and techniques that enable access to the curriculum. Teachers must develop skills and techniques to ensure that all students are actively involved in the educational process. Learning must happen in meaningful contexts, and the purpose for learning must be relevant to the student. The barriers to the acquisition of language must be minimized.
Lesson 12 Reading Reminder	We are all struggling readers at some point in our lives. As teachers, we have struggling readers who sit in our classrooms day in and day out. Even though they may be struggling, research shows that they can be taught to be successful in reading through explicit instruction and teacher scaffolding. Teachers must carefully select the appropriate instruction and strategies based on evidence of what the student needs to work on. This means that struggling readers need to be identified, given intensive immediate instruction, and monitored through out to measure gains.
Lesson 13 Reading Reminder	In order to make instructional decisions, teachers need to know their students. Informal and formal assessments are valuable tools teachers can use to inform instruction in the classroom. There are four main roles for assessment in Reading: By screening students we can determine who needs help. Diagnostic instruments tell us where they need the help. We must use progress monitoring to determine if students are making progress towards the goals we have set for them. By using outcome measures we can evaluate improvement and gains, grade level performance, and school-wide achievement.
Lesson 14 Reading Reminder	Literacy leadership is essential for schools that want their students to improve their literacy achievement. As a literacy leader, we must support all teachers in their literacy development. As you complete this course, reflect on all the things you have learned and how this knowledge can inform your teaching. How can you share this knowledge with colleagues? By creating an action plan, you are making a commitment to change. Be reflective of this change. What is it you want to change? Why do you want to change it? What kind of data do you have to support that this needs to be changed? What steps will you take to make this change? Will you need some professional development to attain this change? How will you know it is working? What will you do if it isn't working? Continue to learn by keeping abreast of the latest research and think about how it can be used in your classroom.

Participant Information

Are you currently enrolled in the FOR-PD course? Have you gone to our Information Request page? Your information is vital to us. We use the information not only for reports to the Department of Education, but also for our own project evaluation. We need to hear from you. If you haven't gone to the Information Request page please go there and tell us who you are.

FOR-PD Help Desk Information

The FOR-PD Help Desk is available if you run into any technical difficulties. Help Desk hours are:
Monday through Friday 9:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. &  6:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M. 
Saturday 10:00 A.M.- 3:00 P.M.
The phone number is 1-866-863-READ (7323) toll free, Florida calls only. For non-Florida calls only 407-249-4702.
Technical support is also available through AOL Instant Messenger, screen name "forpdhelp".

Announcing: You can now reach the FOR-PD Help Desk via email - helpdesk@orion.itrc.ucf.edu.

With the holiday approaching, it is important to note that the helpdesk hours will be adjusted for the holiday as well (Our Help Desk staff need a holiday, too!). The helpdesk will NOT be available the following days: December 23rd and 24th and December 30th and 31st.

 

Return to Top

Online Chat

In November, FOR-PD hosted a chat on Visual Literacy. There were many good ideas discussed and questions asked about our topic. Below are some of the activities that chat participants went through and a couple we didn't have time for.

A visually literate person looks at images carefully, critically, and with an eye for the intentions of the image's creator.  Visual literacy involves being able to: interpret images, produce image, make judgments of the accuracy, validity, and worth of images, and to analyze and interpret images.

Visual Literacy Excercise: http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/fsac/1a34000/1a34800/1a34808v.jpg Look at the picture on this page. What is your first impression of the image? What do you see in the image? What would you write as the caption for this image? About the photo: The picture was taken in 1943 for the United States Office of War Information. The caption that was written for this photo, "Women workers employed as wipers in the roundhouse having lunch in their rest room." Through questioning, teachers can guide students through the image.

Visuals in Textbooks: So much information in textbooks is contained in the visuals. Students must be taught how to look at these visuals and obtain information from them. http://www.k-8visual.info/xBlock.html - make sure you run your mouse over the diagram. What do you see in this diagram? Based on what you see, what is the diagram about? What happened when you moved your cursor over the diagram?

Photographs: http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd6.htm First, examine the location of the photograph and note as many details as possible. What do you notice about the land? What do you notice about the road? What time of year might it be? Now lets focus on the people in the photograph. What do you notice about the people in the photograph and what they are wearing? How do they carry themselves? How are they dressed? Where are they going? Why do you think they are going there? Now imagine that you are one of those people. What might you be thinking while this is happening? What kinds of emotions are you experiencing? What do you think is going to happen later that day? Or tomorrow? A final question you might ask students- It is many years later. You are showing your great grandchildren the photograph. What would you tell them about your memories of that day?

View the chat transcript online.

---

Dear Catherine,

Dear Catherine,

I am finishing up the FOR-PD course this month. What a great course. I have learned so much in such a short period of time. How will my district know that I have completed
the course? I am concerned because I must have this inservice credit for the reading endorsement.

Sincerely,
Nervous FOR-PD Participant

Dear Nervous FOR-PD Participant,

You have a great question. When a FOR-PD course is complete, the faciliator notifies the FOR-PD office that all participants are done with the course. The FOR-PD office will then generate a list, which contains the names of each participant who has completed the course. This list goes to the districts in January, May, and September. Also included in this paperwork will be a copy of your completion certificate.  Remember though, that your district may also need to see your literacy log; you should check with the Office of Staff Development in your county.

-Catherine

---

Return to Top