When it comes to applicable cross-curricular skills, reading is at the top of the list. Beyond the walls of the school, reading is an absolute necessity for leading a healthy and productive life. While reading and literacy are regularly represented as ELA skills, they permeate every discipline in an important way.

Literacy simply defines the ability to read and write.As content specialists, much of our time is spent trying to make students literate in our area of expertise.  Many of us are presenting daily tasks that require students to write about the content area. Math uses practice exercises that require one to read an expression and follow a series of written steps to solve the equation. Thus, a student must be able to read and write using math specific language; this is math literacy. Science is based on research and a desire to investigate the world around us. This research is published and built upon through decades and centuries.  Students read and engage in experiments that will prove or disprove a hypothesis; then, students will reflect upon their findings using science terminology.  Once again, this is literacy.

The same arguments can be made for every subject area in the building and this is why it is important to consider how teachers are implementing opportunities to read in every content area.

Many classes use current events as a basic reading assignment.  Maybe it is time to think about how we can make them more meaningful to students.  Reciprocal Teaching is a tried and true group reading strategy to ensure students are reading for understanding and depth.

It is very possible that a student could define their assigned role and be unable to facilitate the role correctly in this practice.  Before you complete a full reciprocal teaching exercise, I would advise the teacher to complete at least one reading through each of the four lenses.  In other words, take a class reading and practice summarizing as a group.  For the next reading, everyone in the class is going to play the role of the questioner and progress through the reading sections with that mindset.  In theory, that would prepare your class to attempt a reciprocal teaching reading for the fifth in class reading.

Why does this matter?  Research concludes that Reciprocal Teaching can have a 2:1 effect on student achievement.  That is reason enough to try for me.  As always, the iCoaches are here to help if you want to learn more about this or other literacy strategies.  Email icoachMK@mhrd.org to set up an appointment!

Episode #5 of the Morris Knolls Minute features Mrs. Emma Jean Evans and five of our terrific students from the Gifted and Talented program.  While I have taught a handful of GT students in my time at Knolls, it was wonderful to gain a new perspective on this unique program. 

This is also our first episode to feature a student perspective.  So far this year, I have tried to keep the episodes to around 15 minutes, but I felt each of the students had a unique take on the program and I wanted to make sure to showcase their insightful view on what it means to be a Gifted and Talented student.  For this reason, Episode five runs about 10 minutes longer, but I think you will enjoy it.

Whether you are considering becoming a GT mentor for the first time or this is a regular part of your educational practice, I encourage you to really listen to what these students have to say about their projects.  It is a meaningful experience to take control of one's own learning and many of these students are doing it for the first time in this program.

If you have any questions about the GT program or the mentor/application process, please reach out to Mrs. Evans at ejevans@mhrd.org.

One of the most common questions I have encountered this year is "How do I organized all of these digital things?"  The hardest part of this question is defining the "things" we are hoping to organize.  For this reason, I have divided my recommendation into 3 different levels. These applications are centered around the organization of tasks, reminders, and digital resources. 

Level 1: Free, simple, and familiar Google tools (Google Keep and Reminders)
Level 2: Free and collaborative task management with Wunderlist
Level 3: A powerful, do it all, pin-board application called Trello

I have chosen not to include a popular application called Evernote because there is a significant cost to access the tool set.  I think Evernote is great, but as I have stated before, my goal is to provide tools with little to no cost for the user.

Let's dive in.

As a Google Apps for Education district, we have a large set of tools at our disposal.  If you haven't used Google Keep before, we'll think of it as Digital Post-It notes. 

Pros: Easy to use, impossible to lose a note, familiar format for an easy digital transition, Sticky notes can be assigned to categories, A chrome extension can be added to help you save websites and digital materials directly to Keep with one click. 

Cons: It's basic, what you see is what you get... (I think this is a pro for those looking for a simple solution)

Summary:  If you are looking for more power, continue to Level 2, but I think many of our faculty and staff will find a home with Google Keep if they persist and make it part of the routine.

 Wunderlist was my gateway to collaborative digital task management a few years ago.  This is a to-do list style platform.  If you like to make to-do lists and want checkboxes with a satisfying "bell" sound when you check them off, then Wunderlist is the app for you.  Wunderlist also makes it easy to share lists with others.

Pros: Pretty simple and intuitive to use, I like that you can assign notes to subtasks,  Collaborative (lists can be shared with others to help with group tasks), That bell sound is very satisfying and can be addictive!

Cons: Definitely more of an investment to get going, Requires installation of additional apps on your computer (Google tools are just accessed through the internet browser, The notes section a welcome addition but pretty limited.

Summary:  If you are looking for more options and collaborative options, I believe Wunderlist is a wonderful step to take.  The ability to add subtasks and notes can be extremely helpful when you are unable to finish larger projects in one prep period.  On a personal note, the Langer family grocery list now lives on Wunderlist so we never forget an item.

Getting Started with Wunderlist Video

Trello... Wow, what a tremendously powerful and free system for all types of task and project management.  I moved to this platform about a year ago and it has made a major impact on my ability to organize my work tasks.  Essentially, they have built a digital bulletin board, but you can have multiple.  I have a pin-board for Instructional Coaching, General Teaching, Clubs I Advise, Resources I don't want to lose.  While Pintrest is a pin-board style setup, it is more social media based.  Trello is a legitimate powerhouse for managing tasks, collaborating on projects, and keeping track of the many hats we wear as educators.  

Pros: By far the most powerful and visually appealing option in task management.  Integrates and facilitates most projects and tasks the way I need it to.  It is collaborative if you want it to be and private when you need it to be.  Subtasks, links, resources, due dates, and a ton of other features can be added to individual cards.  Each card can have independent alerts setup as well.

Cons: This will be intimidating for some people.  The capability is high, but so is the investment at first.

Summary:  I am impressed with Trello on many levels but I love how it integrates with all types of links and platforms very well.  I find the drag and drop setup to be very intuitive even though you can get ​so deep into tasks and subtasks.  It will take time to learn, but if you start with one board, one list, and a set of cards, the learning curve is manageable.