Rochelle Lee Teacher Award Study Groups are school-based professional learning communities. Study groups develop a goal to guide their learning throughout the school year, and meet monthly to discuss instruction and push their practice to reach their goal. Learn more about Mount Vernon Elementary School’s study group and what they learned about the components of a balanced literacy program.
School: Mount Vernon Elementary School
Text: Trusting Readers: Powerful Practices for Independent Reading by Jennifer Scoggin, Hannah Schneewind
Study Group Leader: Mrs. Runaas
Study Group Members: Mrs. O’Neal, Ms. Ma, Ms. Pender-Bey
Goal: Improving and engaging independent reading in students through strategic teacher and student-led reading conferences.
Throughout the school year, we implemented various strategies suggested in the text, with an emphasis on conferencing. The text provided different approaches to conferencing that would lead to engaging independent reading with students. The text began by highlighting how a “balanced literacy” approach to instruction leads to engaged independent reading. Each aspect: the read-aloud, shared reading, small group instruction, phonics/word work, and writing, support independent reading.
As a team, we were so excited to add strategies outlined in the text, to our school’s goal of increasing engaging independent reading in students and thoughtful student and teacher conferencing. Our school will most benefit from added strategies to implement during our school-wide conference block. The tools will help to dive deeper into student reading engagement and learner growth overall.
