The document discusses ways to improve school literacy through collaboration. It recommends creating a literacy committee composed of teachers, administrators, parents and community members to oversee a comprehensive literacy program. Research shows the importance of involving families, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making and community collaboration. A sample kindergarten lesson plan on pumpkins incorporates reading, writing, exploration and technology to engage students and assess learning. The conclusion emphasizes that student success relies on a coordinated school-wide literacy program and team approach.

1. Collaboration and Improvement
Nathan Hillery
LIT5203 – Strengthening Literacy
10/24/2018

2. Introduction
• School Literacy Need
• Supporting Research
• Lesson plan
• Survey

3. School Literacy Need
The greatest area of need in the school’s literacy program is the lack of a
comprehensive, coordinated literacy program monitored by literacy
committee composed of teachers, administrators, interested parents, and
community members.

4. Supporting Research
There are six types of involvement to improve school and student success.
• Parenting
• Communicating
• Volunteering
• Learning at home
• Decision making
• Collaborating with the community
(Epstein & Sanders, 2006)

5. Supporting Research
Who should be in an “action team” to support a literacy program?
• Families
• Teachers
• Administrators
• Student (key component)
(Ashley, 2015)

6. Supporting Research
How to engage parents with low participation?
• Community events held off campus
• Parents feedback on literacy program
• Adjustments made by the school
(Baker, Wise, Kelley, & Skiba, 2016)

7. Supporting Research
A literacy program can be supported by technology.
• Digital influences young learners
• Family digital literacy
(Marsh, Hannon, Lewis, & Ritchie, 2017)

8. Supporting Research
What can develop a sense of place for a student?
• Partnership with organizations, businesses, and local groups
• Afterschool programs
• Summer programs
(Casto, 2016)

9. Coordinated Lesson Plan
The following slides will provide a lesson plan that will focus on a comprehensive,
coordinated effort to impact the kindergarten grade in literacy.
Included in lesson plan
• Overview
• Standard
• Materials, Resources and Technology
• Procedures
• Presentation
• Assessment/Evaluation

10. Overview: Exploring a pumpkin using all five senses
Students will:
• Explore pumpkins
• Enter observations in a journal
• Listen to read-aloud
• Use graphic organizers
• Use a vocabulary list

11. Lesson Standard
Writing Standards: Text Types and Purposes 2,
Kindergarten students use drawing, dictating and writing
to compose informative/explanatory texts in which we
name what we are writing about and supply some
information about the topic.

12. Lesson Objectives
Students should be able to write about pumpkins through exploring and
read-aloud.

13. Lesson: Materials, Resources and Technology
Variety of Pumpkins Pumpkin Journal
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

14. Lesson: Materials, Resources and Technology
Corresponding Books Document Camera
(Rinck, 2008) This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

15. Lesson: Instructional Procedures
• Read-aloud
• Discuss and questions related to
story and sense.
Instead of stating facts, use
questions to drive the discussion
(Mascareño, Deunk, Snow, &
Bosker, 2017) This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

16. Lesson: Instructional Procedures
• List vocabulary words
• Display words for journal writing
“One obvious implication is that
writing/copying needs to continue
to play an important role in early
education and elementary
curricula” (Manfra, Squires,
Dinehart, Bleiker, Hartman, &
Winsler, 2017, p.536).This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

17. Lesson: Instructional Procedures
• Group students
• Students with high, medium, and low skills mixed together.
• Explore pumpkins using senses.
“The importance of providing students multiple means through which to
demonstrate their learning” (Daniels, Hamby, & Chen, 2015, p.16).

18. Lesson: Instructional Procedures
Students have time to write in their pumpkin journals.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
Some students will only draw an
illustration. Other students will
write words and even write
sentences (Daniels, Hamby, & Chen,
2015)

19. Lesson: Student Presentation
Students will share writings with the class using a document camera.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
“It is important to use technology tools
to promote peer interaction, sharing,
turn taking and cooperative problem
solving” (Quesenberry, Mustian, & Clark-
Bischke, 2016, p.76)

20. Lesson: Assessment/Evaluation
• Completed writing journal
• Share journals
• Conference with teacher on their achievement

21. Conclusion: Key Ideas
• Student success is determined by a school-wide literacy program.
• Create a team of educators, families, and community.
• Use resources that are available for success of students’ literacy.

22. Take the Survey
Please indicate the level in which the information was demonstrated.
The research was informative when related to a school-wide literacy program.
The lesson was clear when related to a coordinated literacy program.
The presentation had new information about our schoolwide literacy program.
The presenter was clear on how to create a school-wide literacy program.
Overall, the presentation promoted a school-wide literacy program.
Excellent
Good
Fair

23. References
Ashley, D.M. (2015). It’s about relationships: creating Positive School Climates. American
Educator, 39(4), 13-16.
Baker, T. L., Wise, J., Kelley, G., & Skiba, R. J. (2016). Identifying barriers: Creating solutions
to Improve family engagement. School Community Journal, 2016, 26(2), 161-184.
Casto, H. G. (2016). " Just one more thing I have to do": School-community partnerships.
School Community Journal, 26(1), 139-162.
Daniels, E., Hamby, J., & Chen, R. J. (2015). Reading writing reciprocity: Inquiry in the
classroom: focusing on authentic teaching and learning experiences aids the
development of young adolescents’ literary lives. Middle School Journal, 46(4), 9-16.

24. References
Epstein, J. L., & Sanders, M. G. (2006). Prospects for change: Preparing educators for school,
family, and community partnerships. Peabody Journal of Education, 81(2), 81–120.
Manfra, L., Squires, C., Dinehart, L. H., Bleiker, C., Hartman, S. C., & Winsler, A. (2017).
Preschool writing and premathematics predict Grade 3 achievement for low-income,
ethnically diverse children. The Journal of Educational Research, 110(5), 528-537.
Marsh, J., Hannon, P., Lewis, M., & Ritchie, L. (2017). Young children’s initiation into family
literacy practices in the digital age. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 15(1), 47-60.
Mascareño, M., Deunk, M. I., Snow, C. E., & Bosker, R. J. (2017). Read-alouds in kindergarten
classrooms: a moment-by-moment approach to analyzing teacher–child interactions.
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 25(1), 136-152.

25. References
Puranik, C. S., Al Otaiba, S., Sidler, J. F., & Greulich, L. (2014). Exploring the amount and type of
writing instruction during language arts instruction in kindergarten classrooms.
Reading and writing, 27(2), 213-236.
Quesenberry, A. C., Mustian, A. L., & Clark-Bischke, C. (2016). Tuning in: Strategies for
incorporating technology into social skills instruction in preschool and kindergarten.
Young Children, 71(1), 74-80.
Rinck, M. (2008). I feel a foot!. Honesdale, Pa: Lemniscatt.