Four years ago, our team, partnered with our special education team, confronted our brutal reality that our outcomes in reading as measured by ISASP testing did not align with our mission statement: All students will learn at high levels. About 25% of our students in grades 3-11 were not yet proficient in ELA. We were all doing really good work, but something had to change if our mission statement was going to be something more than a poster on the wall. Join us to learn about our intense, systemic changes, especially what we’ve done at the high school that have led to more than 90% of our 9-11 students being proficient readers…and we’re still not done.
Participants in this session will learn how to effectively collaborate with community organizations on impactful service learning projects that enhance student learning. Regardless of which texts students study, there are ample opportunities to take their learning beyond the classroom, bring what they read to life, and make a difference in their wider communities. Exploring high school students' experiences learning about the Syrian Civil War through literature and assisting with a home makeover for a refugee family in their community will provide both inspiration and a template for similar service projects.
Why do we still teach writing when Snapchat's AI will just write it for us? This session focuses on equipping students with pre-writing strategies that support them throughout a unit, reducing the temptation to rely solely on AI-generated essays. By building a robust student toolbox of effective pre-writing techniques, writing teachers can empower students to develop critical thinking, creativity, and writing skills.
