Modules for Teachers

Purpose

The Teacher Modules consist of short (1- to 3-hour) sessions focused on providing support to districts in delivering ongoing professional development for K-6 teachers throughout the school year. These modules can be customized and are designed to be delivered at your site. They reinforce core knowledge and focus on topics addressing a significant component related to content and/or instruction in order to develop students’ proficiency in reading and writing. The modules support the implementation of all California adopted K-6 core language arts programs (SRA Open Court Reading 2002, SRA Open Court Reading 2000, Houghton Mifflin Reading, and the two alternative Spanish reading programs, SRA Foro abierto para la lectura and Houghton Mifflin Lectura).

The Teacher Modules are designed as professional development support for schools who are fully implementing a core language arts program. Modules are most appropriate for teachers who have attended Year 1 SB 472 training.

Each module is organized around four sections:

SECTION 1: CONSULT THE RESEARCH

Introduces the topic, objectives and outcomes, and explains why this topic is critical in teaching ALL students to read. Provides information on the topic from current scientifically-based reading research (SBRR) and/or the Reading/Language Arts Framework for California Public Schools and the English-Language Arts Content Standards.

SECTION 2: CONNECT TO THE CORE

Explores where the topic is taught in the core reading/language arts program.
Provides opportunity for application of the module content to upcoming lessons.

SECTION 3: ALL KIDS CAN

Focuses on the research and instructional strategies that support ALL students, specifically special needs, struggling readers, and English learners.
Provides opportunity for application of module content to support ALL students.

SECTION 4: TAKE ACTION

Plan to refine teaching practices using strategies learned in the module.

EXTEND IT!

Within each module there are opportunities to deepen and extend the content through expansion activities.
Modules can be expanded from a 1-hour presentation up to a 3-hour presentation depending
on district need and time availability.

Topics & Objectives

English Learners: Power in Preteaching

• Study the guidelines and research-based recommendations for teaching English learners
• Discuss the characteristics of powerful preteaching
• Identify ways to maximize preteaching during the language arts block
• Practice preparing a preteaching lesson to increase English learners’ engagement and success

Morphology: Unlocking Words

• How morphology supports spelling and vocabulary acquisition
• What academic language and concepts are required to explicitly teach morphology
• Where and how morphology is taught in the core
• What morphological structures in English might be problematic for English learners

Prewriting: Well Begun Is Half Done

• Why prewriting is a worthy investment
• What critical supports to include in every prewriting lesson
• How elaboration on core lessons ensures successful writing by all students
• How prewriting supports English learners

Questioning: Improving Comprehension

• Why asking questions from all levels of Bloom’s taxonomy improves comprehension
• How questioning that takes students back to the text fosters improved achievement on standardized assessments
• How framing questions and responses engages students at all reading and language levels

Routines: Power in Procedures

• The role of procedures play within a routine to create a successful learning environment
• How to identify and explicitly teach procedures to strengthen instructional routines
• Why consistency of instructional routines is critical for special needs students and English learners

Sounds and Spellings: Principles to Teach By

• Why it is easier and more logical to teach phonics from sound to spelling
• How to teach, review, and practice the information on the Sound/Spelling Cards
• Why sounds in English may be challenging for English learners

Spelling: Beyond the List

• Why spelling is an important skill for proficiency
• How to teach spelling beyond the list
• What strategies will help struggling spellers

Student Engagement: Create the Context

• What student engagement is
• The teacher’s role in creating the context with both management and instructional interactions
• Four interactive lesson factors that contribute to student engagement
• Specific participation strategies to engage ALL learners

Text Structure: Get the Message?

• How knowledge of text structure improves comprehension
• How to use graphic organizers as tools for exposing text structures
• How linguistic clues (signal words) support students in using text structure as an aid to comprehension
• How to preteach opportunities for English learners and struggling readers

Universal Access: Practice With a Purpose

• Universal Access—what it is, why we provide it, and when
• Steps to plan purposeful independent student work
• Ways to vary and differentiate independent work

Universal Access: Teaching Small Groups

• What universal access requires
• Why small-group teaching is critical for ensuring universal access
• How to identify needs, content, and adjustments that maximize differentiated instruction during teacher-led groups
• Which students need more explicit and intensive small-group teaching

Verbs: To Be or Not To Be

• What grammar is and why understanding it is worthwhile
• Kinds of verbs, verb tenses, and subject/verb agreement
• Verbs across the K-6 Reading/Language Arts standards
• Student writing to identify grammatical errors
• Grammatical errors made by English learners to determine any connections to primary language structures and to consider appropriate feedback

Vocabulary: Wake Up to Words

• Word Consciousness—what it is, why it is important
• Ways teachers can foster word consciousness
• Opportunities for word consciousness in the core program
• Techniques that support English learners with word consciousness

Vocabulary: Word by Word

• Ways students learn new words
• Characteristics of high-quality vocabulary instruction
• Strategies that enrich the vocabulary lessons in the district-adopted reading/language arts program