Woodham Middle School’s school-wide read alouds have an uplifting, unifying, and educating effect on the students. As their first selection for the year, The City of Ember, created a remarkable experience. During winter break the faculty and staff pre-read the novel and planned activities that tied with their curriculum. The FBI team (Fueling Better Instruction – their Literacy team) designed packets to give teachers multiple ideas for tying the book to their content area. The school began to evolve into the “City of Ember” as students and teachers decorated the hallways with yellow lighting, street signs, power lines, and Ember’s landmarks. All teachers, regardless of their content area, read aloud to students. The school-wide read alouds aided students in gaining fluency skills, new vocabulary, and a broader knowledge of the world around them. The culminating activity was a family literacy night focusing on the book. To begin the evening, a multimedia presentation was shown of students and teachers working on projects, reading the book, and transforming the school into Ember. The families also participated in a scavenger hunt and a vocabulary bingo. Through this exciting evening, parents were able to gain insight into their child’s literacy experiences. Woodham’s school-read alouds bring students, teachers, and families together in the discovery and adventure of reading in hopes to make life long readers.
“...by fostering a conversation about the various ways class members approach reading tasks, teachers can help students see the resources and strategic skills they each bring to the classroom..”
~ Cynthia Greenleaf
Fostering Metacognitive Conversation in Professional Learning Communities and Subject-Area Classrooms, Adolescent Literacy in Perspective, February 2006, p. 2
The FLaRE Center serves as…
a statewide system for providing literacy professional development.
an information clearinghouse for literacy research and practice.
a development center for educator professional development materials.
a linkage for school districts, institutions of higher education, community organizations that have a vested interest in literacy and reading excellence.
a provider of Florida Reading Endorsement in-service to aid Florida's reading teachers in acquiring reading endorsement
Although FLaRE remains a K-12 project, as a part of FLaRE’s 2008-2009 Scope of Work, FLaRE will provide scientifically-based reading professional development to K-12 teachers, reading coaches, and principals and provide site-based professional development to reading coaches, teachers, and principals at targeted schools. In particular, each FLaRE Coordinator will:
work with 12 - 15 select school reading leadership teams including reading/literacy coaches to implement a proposed year-long syllabus for professional development, and
co-teach students on a weekly basis for professional growth and to provide observation lessons;
and FLaRE will:
provide a proposed year-long syllabus for professional development on effective reading/literacy instruction and coaching utilizing a central text and FLaRE materials, and
identify school observation classrooms utilizing effective and efficient instructional practices.
