Four days a week, I have the privilege and opportunity to support our first grade team during their MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) time. I have planned a helped facilitate several enrichment activities for first grade students who have already met the end of year reading benchmarks. Earlier this year, students researched animals and created Who Would Win books. Now, they are working on story retell (CCSS RL 1.1, 1.2, 1.3) using Bloxels as we read High Time for Heroes by Mary Pope Osborn.

To help facilitate the process, I created a guidebook for students to use (see photos below). 

As for structure/pacing/routines, we meet for 25-30 minutes, four times a week. During those times, we read a chapter and complete the planning guide section on Mondays and Thursdays. Tuesdays and Fridays are spent creating the game level for the chapter we read the previous day. The first week we did take a little extra time getting familiar with Boxels (both the kits and the app), and creating the main characters, Jack and Annie.

To date, we are about halfway through the book, and the first graders are enjoying collaborating with their partner, problem solving how to create the game, and look forward to publishing their game in the near future! The photos below are from a few of their level creation days. Stay tuned to see the finished project.

If you would like a copy of the guidebook, please let me know!

Update March 2020:
​Unfortunately, due to the extended school closures from Covid-19, this group wasn't able to meet again to finish the book or the Bloxels game. It's a disappointing way to end our time together!

​For information about Multicultural Children’s Book Day, follow #ReadYourWorld and see the information below.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020 (1/31/20) is in its 7th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators.  
Seven years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues.
MCBD 2020  is honored to have the following Medallion Sponsors on board
Super Platinum
Make A Way Media/ Deirdre “DeeDee” Cummings, 
Platinum
Language Lizard, Pack-N-Go Girls, 
Gold
Audrey Press, Lerner Publishing Group, KidLit TV, ABDO BOOKS : A Family of Educational Publishers, PragmaticMom & Sumo Jo, Candlewick Press,
Silver
 Author Charlotte Riggle, Capstone Publishing, Guba Publishing, Melissa Munro Boyd & B is for Breathe,
Bronze
Author Carole P. Roman, Snowflake Stories/Jill Barletti, Vivian Kirkfield & Making Their Voices Heard. Barnes Brothers Books,  TimTimTom, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee & Low Books,  Charlesbridge Publishing, Barefoot Books Talegari Tales

Author Sponsor Link Cloud
Jerry Craft, A.R. Bey and Adventures in Boogieland, Eugina Chu & Brandon goes to Beijing, Kenneth Braswell & Fathers Incorporated, Maritza M. Mejia & Luz del mes_Mejia, Kathleen Burkinshaw & The Last Cherry Blossom, SISSY GOES TINY by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard, Josh Funk and HOW TO CODE A ROLLERCOASTER, Maya/Neel Adventures with Culture Groove,  Lauren Ranalli, The Little Green Monster: Cancer Magic! By Dr. Sharon Chappell, Phe Lang and Me On The Page, Afsaneh Moradian and Jamie is Jamie, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, TUMBLE CREEK PRESS, Nancy Tupper Ling, Author Gwen Jackson, Angeliki Pedersen & The Secrets Hidden Beneath the Palm Tree, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 by Mia Wenjen, Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher (Founders of Inner Flower Child Books), Ann Morris & Do It Again!/¡Otra Vez!, Janet Balletta and Mermaids on a Mission to Save the Ocean, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo & Bruna Bailando por el Mundo\ Dancing Around the World, Shoumi Sen & From The Toddler Diaries, Sarah Jamila Stevenson, Tonya Duncan and the Sophie Washington Book Series, Teresa Robeson  & The Queen of Physics, Nadishka Aloysius and Roo The Little Red TukTuk, Girlfriends Book Club Baltimore & Stories by the Girlfriends Book Club, Finding My Way Books, Diana Huang & Intrepids, Five Enchanted Mermaids, Elizabeth Godley and Ribbon’s Traveling Castle, Anna Olswanger and Greenhorn, Danielle Wallace & My Big Brother Troy, Jocelyn Francisco and Little Yellow Jeepney, Mariana Llanos & Kutu, the Tiny Inca Princess/La Ñusta Diminuta, Sara Arnold & The Big Buna Bash, Roddie Simmons & Race 2 Rio, DuEwa Frazier & Alice’s Musical Debut, Veronica Appleton & the Journey to Appleville book series  Green Kids Club, Inc.
We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.
Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts
A Crafty Arab, Afsaneh Moradian, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Bethany Edward & Biracial Bookworms, Michelle Goetzl & Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Educators Spin on it, Shauna Hibbitts-creator of eNannylink, Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joel Leonidas & Descendant of Poseidon Reads {Philippines}, Imagination Soup, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Serge Smagarinsky {Australia}, Shoumi Sen, Jennifer Brunk & Spanish Playground, Katie Meadows and Youth Lit Reviews
​FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

• Free Multicultural Books for Teachers 
• Our New FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit http://ow.ly/kcbZ30p3QWz
• Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians, and Educators
• Free Understanding Developmental & Physical Challenges Classroom Kit

TWITTER PARTY! Register here!

I've mentioned before how my office is also home to the Makerspace carts, which include one of my favorite little bots...Ozobots! These bots can be used to visually code, and we love using them during reading! Whether it is story retell, sight word practice, or letter ID, students love using the Ozobots to practice their reading skills!

​Ozobots are easy to use and highly engaging! To use with storytelling, you can either have pre-made mats with graphics already placed, or you can have students identify story elements they want to draw. Next, students will identify what Ozobot codes they want to use. If there's a repetitive part in the book, like "I'll huff and puff and I'll blow your house down," I have students pick one code to represent that saying. Then, you will have your students draw the path (solid black line) the Ozobot will travel. This path will sequence the events in the story. To add a bit more fun, you can add a photo from the story to the Ozobot (see the Twitter video above) and students can retell the story from the perspective of that character! 

Notes:
-If your students make a mistake, you can cut a white Avery mailing/file label to size, cover the error, and redo the path. 
-If your students struggle at first to make the codes, you can print them on Avery mailing/file labels and students can these as sticker codes.

Ozobots can be used with other subjects as well, so feel free to get creative! If you'd like any of the resources or support with anything discussed in this post, let me know!

For several years, Reciprocal Teaching has been one of my go-to strategies for reading. Over the past year I started using it in math instruction and am loving the results.

In case you aren't familiar with Reciprocal Teaching, there are four strategies ("The Fab Four"): Predict, Question, Clarify, and Summarize. All four strategies are used within each lesson, and Reciprocal Teaching has an effect size of .74. Introducing the strategies can occur through read alouds (Lori has a great list in her book), or by using cards like the ones below. For more information, check out ASCD's Fab Four webpage, and Reciprocal Teaching at Work by Lori Oczkus. 

Through my Instructional Coach role, I have the opportunity to partner with teachers, and incorporating Reciprocal Teaching within reading and math is one of my favorite topics/goals.  To support our work, I have created different resources related to Reciprocal Teaching, starting first with reading and later adding in math. Below, you can check out several of the resources I have created. 

I love the results I've seen from Reciprocal Teaching in reading and math, and cannot speak high enough of the strategies. 

If you would like support incorporating Reciprocal Teaching in your instruction, have questions, or would like copies of any resources, let me know. 

Through my literacy consulting work, I frequently get asked by educators around the country for insights on how they can receive funding to implement a literacy initiative or project. While I will continue to respond individually to educators who reach out via email or this website's contact form, I wanted to share some highlights here. 

Having worked in rural, Title I, and suburban districts, I understand the need for literacy funding and have written and received several grants allowing me to impact literacy development. My hope is the information below helps educators begin their grant writing journey. Be sure to check with your school district and administrator before applying for grant funding as some districts may have an internal process and checkpoints you must follow. 

Funding Sources (not an exhaustive list): 

• Dollar General Literacy Foundation
• Walmart Community Grants
• Mary Pope Osborne's Gift of Books
• AFA Educators Grant
• Wish You Well Foundation
• Starbucks Foundation Grants
• Believe in Reading
• Sidgmore Foundation
• TJC Companies Foundation
• Costco Charitable Giving
• International Paper Company
• Donors Choose

Award/Recognition Options: 

• International Literacy Association

Tips: 

• Have a catchy title - this may seem corny, but when Boards or committees are reading through hundreds of grant applications, catchy titles can grab their attention
• Have a well thought out project, scope, timeline including reporting out/update measures, budget, and impact statement
• Include an explanation for future funding. Organizations want to know you have a plan for sustaining the project once the grant funding is spent. 
• Include an explanation of how you will share/advertise you've received the grant. Organizations want to increase their visibility, so tout your connections in the community and/or on social media.
• If possible, include quotes from an administrator, colleagues, students, and/or families regarding the need and impact the project will have
• Do your research - make sure the grant funds match your project, have research and citations to demonstrate the need for your project
• Be persistent - don't give up if you don't receive funding on your first, second, or third try. Your project may not have been a perfect match for that organization or perhaps there are tweaks you can make to your application. If you don't receive funding, consider contacting those who did receive funding, find out about their projects, and if they're willing to share, look at their proposals. 

If you have additional questions or need for consulting services, feel free to reach out using the contact form. 
                                                                               Best of luck!

Are there grant programs you would like to see added to this list? If so, add a comment and/or complete the contact form and I will add them. 

Literacy Breakout Edu over Out of My Mind 
by Sharon M DraperGame Name: Out of My Mind

Game Designer: Stephanie Laird @LairdLearning, LairdLearning.com

Content Areas: Reading

Recommended Ages: 3rd-6th grade

Ideal Group Size: Whole Class

Suggested Time: 30-40 minutes

Story:
There’s an update for Melody’s Medi Talker, but her parents and Mrs. V are so busy helping Penny recover, they haven’t gotten around to installing the update. Rosie wants to help Melody, but needs your help in solving the clues and unlocking the box where the Medi Talker is stored. Will you help? The bus comes to pick up Melody and Rosie in 30 minutes, so time is running out! Work together, problem solve, and use what you learned in Out of My Mind! Your time starts now.

Lock Combinations:

• 3-Digit Lock  473 
• 4-Digit Lock  5985
• ABC Lock  OLLIE
• Directional Lock  ← ↑ ↓ ← →
• Key Lock  Taped to a photo of the brain 

Setup Instructions:

1. Print out all clue cards
2. Put together the cipher wheel
3. Place the cipher wheel in the small Breakout box
4. Set the locks
   
5. Lock the small breakout box with the 4 digit lock
   
6. Place all other locks on the large Breakout box using the hasp
   
7. Tape the key to the back of the brain photo
   
8. Hide all clues and hint cards
   

Reflection Questions:

1. How did your group utilize each individual’s strengths?
2. How did you contribute to your team?
3. Did everyone in your group have an opportunity to contribute?
4. Describe a moment in the game when your team worked well together.
5. How could your group have been more effective?​

CCSS:  RL.1, RL.2, RL.3

As part of my Directing and Supervising K-12 Reading course, we were given the task of using ILA's Standards for Reading Professionals, and creating a summary sheet you could give to a beginning teacher. The goal of the assignment was to not only show you understand the standards, but also that you would be able to help someone else create a literate environment. Below, you'll find my finished product.