Topic: Daily Lit Bit

The ideas and images that students meet in texts shape their lives and values.

Students need access to a wide range of topics, themes, genres, and forms, as they participate in each instructional context.

Through high-quality, exciting books, learning extend beyond the classroom.

Children love poetry with rhythm and rhyme; the language of poetry sings inside their heads. As they grow in experience, they also learn to appreciate poetry without rhyme, as well as the sensory images and unique perspectives it evokes.

Immersing children in simple poetry at an early age instills a lifelong habit of enjoying language and seeking out poetry in order to expand our vision.

To young children, poetry is just fun. But as a teacher, with the full intention of opening the door to literacy, you know that much more is going on.

When teachers systematically observe the literacy strengths and needs of all students, it can inform instruction and teaching can be powerful and responsive.

Goal of systematic assessment is to make teaching efficient and responsive.

There are so many factors at play in the reading process. The more teachers know, the more effectively they can support really effective processing.

Reflect on your assessment analysis and observations, and engage in a discussion with colleagues to plan rich and comprehensive literacy experiences that meet learners where they are and bring them forward with intention and precision.

The primary purpose of assessment is to gather data to inform teaching. If assessment does not result in improved teaching then its value in school diminishes greatly.

When communicating to parents, use clear indicators of a student’s processing abilities such as understanding, word-solving abilities, accuracy or fluency.

Let parents know that when selecting books for enjoyment, students should choose books based on interest, not level.

Rather than reporting levels to parents, use language like: reading at, reading above, or not yet reading at grade-level expectations.

If assessment is seen as separate from instruction, it will always be superfluous, ineffective, even a dreaded interruption.

Teachers cannot teach effectively without gathering information about each learner.

You collect data on your students to inform and prioritize teaching decisions that lead to improvement in students’ literacy abilities.

The interpretation and use of benchmark data are more important than the scores themselves.