As part of the District’s implementation of the Teachers College Reading
and Writing program, educators have been engaging in information
workshops and professional development opportunities aimed at designing a
robust elementary reading and writing program.
Working with staff developer Nancy Brennan, Miller Avenue Elementary
School teachers recently discussed how to assess students for their
level of reading complexity and then work to adapt instruction, teaching
plans and methods to best meet the needs of each student.
According to principal Christine Carlson, Brennan’s visits and workshops
are scheduled in cycles of three weeks so that she can work to plan and
implement specific units to help students read with fluency, accuracy
and comprehension. During each workshop teachers visit a “lab site” to
observe and practice the structures and methods modeled by the staff
developer with the students and ask questions to strengthen their
classroom procedures.
Brennan will work with the teachers and Miller Avenue’s literacy coach
Erin Wills throughout the year to support the entire literacy
curriculum.