FSAS 2011/12 Strategic Grant

Proposal“Saline Supports Literacy for

Life”

Why Is Literacy So Important?

In the following video segment, Lucy Calkins gives a general overview of the importance of investing in literacy, but she talks about doing it the “right way.” Providing readers choices to find books at their “just right level” and instructing at an appropriate level is paramount to building a solid reading foundation.

Watch a portion of the short video from Calkins…..

Why the Reader’s Workshop?

What is our proposal? $70,000 Literacy Strategic Grant

Heritage School “Building Level” Literacy Library @ $10,331

Middle School “Building Level” Literacy Library @ $7,451

Grades k-4 “Classroom Level” Libraries, 64 Teachers @$300 each = $19,200

Grades 5-8 “Classroom Level” Libraries, 33 Teachers @ $600 each = $19,800

Special Education Staff “Classroom Level” Libraries, 15 Teachers @ $300 each = $4500

High School Staff - Elmo Projectors/Other technology to support reading instruction and supplies/materials to support reading instruction…. = $3900

Teacher Professional Development to support Professional Learning Communities - Book Groups, Lucy Calkins Reading Kits, Fountas and Pinnell Assessment Kits = $4818

TOTAL ALLOCATION = $70,000

Building Level Literacy Libraries

What do they look like? Click on the video to take a look at the Woodland Meadows Elementary School’s Shared Literacy library

Building Level Literacy Libraries (Cont.)

How much do they cost and where are they needed?

$10,331 for a starter library at Heritage

$7,451 for a starter library at the Middle School

Booksource.com

Individual Classroom Libraries

Teachers in grades k-4 have a decent start on their classroom libraries. However, they need enhancement. With a bigger push on non-fiction text and a desire to keep up with newer trends in reading interest levels, each classroom teacher needs to beef up their libraries. In 2014/15 the Common Core Standards are being adopted in at least 38 states, including Michigan. We want to make sure our literacy resources are sufficient to keep up with the increased rigor that these standards demand.

What does a typical classroom library look like?

What does it cost to get a typical classroom library up and running?

Truth be told, our teachers invest thousands of dollars of their own money over time to build comprehensive libraries. Therefore, it is hard to put a cost on a library. We aim to help teachers enhance (at the K-4 level) and build (at the 5-8 level) their libraries….

Grades k-4 Classroom Level Libraries, 64 Teachers @$300 each = $19,200

Grades 5-8 Classroom Level Libraries, 33 Teachers @ $600 each = $19,800

Special Education Staff Classroom Level Libraries, 15 Teachers @ $300 each = $4500

Research Is Clear As Lucy Calkins pointed out earlier in this

presentation, the research is clear that there is no “teacher proof” way to teach reading. As a result, we need to continue to equip our teachers with the tools they need to be successful literacy teachers. In this case, those tools are books and lots of them.

As a nation, we can and should do better than a 17th place finish on the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) scores in reading. Thank you for your support to help with this process……….