A Leader's Guide to Reading and Writing in a PLC at Work®, Elementary

Book excerpt: Confidently lead early literacy improvement in your professional learning community (PLC). Aligned to the Every Teacher Is a Literacy Teacher series, this results-focused guide outlines how to take urgent action to address deficiencies and increase literacy rates. Learn how to bring a new level of focus to your teacher teams and help them do the important daily work of ensuring every student successfully reads and writes at or beyond grade level. Understand the importance and goals of literacy-focused instruction in an elementary setting. Gain specific suggestions for four types of leaders: (1) district, (2) school, (3) coach, and (4) teacher. Help collaborative teams emphasize literacy knowledge and reading and writing skills in a curriculum's essential standards. Create effective data-inquiry practices that inform team decision-making about interventions and extensions. Facilitate high-quality literacy instruction using the gradual release of responsibility framework. Develop equity in literacy instructional strategies to ensure growth and development for all. Contents: Introduction: Leaders of Literacy Chapter 1: Establish Clarity About Student Learning Expectations Chapter 2: Examine Assessment Options for Literacy Chapter 3: Create a Learning Progression to Guide Instruction and Assessment Chapter 4: Develop Collective Understanding of Learning Expectations Chapter 5: Respond to Student Data to Ensure All Students Learn Chapter 6: Design Lessons Using the Gradual Release of Responsibility Instructional Framework Chapter 7: Plan for High-Quality Instruction in Literacy Chapter 8: Select Appropriate Instructional Strategies Chapter 9: Consider Equity in Literacy Epilogue Appendix A: Reference Points, Templates, and Tools Appendix B: List of Figures and Tables References and Resources Index