JEN MUNNERLYN !
FEBRUARY, 2011
Notes from the Lit Coach
Come GET your
Booksource Books!
As I mentioned to the Reading
Team last week, the back ordered
Booksource titles arrived. These have
been processed with the labels
provided by the company and ACS
stamps.
PLEASE COME AND GET
THESE BOOKS!
GRADE 2- Backordered
Complete 4 Texts. (On the floor nearest
the “leveled library”.) TAs need to slot
these texts in according to the unit
sheet they used last time.
GRADES 4/5- Backordered
Comprehension Strategies texts. These
are teaching texts and should not go
into the classroom library. You would
use these to model strategies to a small
group and/or as a read aloud.
KG2- Josie- I have texts for you
on top of the shelf near the door.
These are Writer’s Workshop Texts.
Coaching in February!
Some ideas for coaching include:
★ Small group work- I can help identify small groups;
then model how to pull and work with them during
reading/writing workshop.
★ Classroom environment “Feng Shui” Especially
analyzing the classroom library and the mentor text
arrangement. Jen can work first with the teacher; then
with the TA.
★ Unit planning- Remember the “planning” document
from the last ERD? I can walk through and help your
team plan for a whole month.
GOAL- Jen works a member from or each team this month!
! PAGE 1
WHAT IS THE BEST
WAY TO ORGANIZE
ALL THESE BOOKS?
There are many, many ways
we can organize both the
classroom library and the
mentor/teaching texts we’ve
received from Booksource.
However- they MUST be
organized in a way that is easy to
understand by you, your TA (so
she can lead a sub in using
them), and maybe most
importantly the students.
Classroom libraries must be
easily accessible to students.
Over the break, Laura, Ken, and
Nandita reorganized their
classroom libraries to make them
more user friendly. It is worth
considering your own library and
it’s usage. It is also worth going
by their rooms for a look. The
classroom library should be the
heart of the classroom. Quite
simply, your students will read
more if you provide an
organizational structure which
encourages and allows them to
explore and find books.
As far as the mentor texts go,
have a look at how Laura and
Ken have done that too. We’ve
spent thousands of dollars on
these materials. Taking the time
to organize them is vital.
Room numbers? YES!
Other coding? SURE!
Please just remind your TA
never to cover up text or
important pictures.
 JEN MUNNERLYN !
An Update on…Updating the Coaching Role
As you know, Jane and I have been discussing the evolution
of the coaching role at ACS. The conversation has been
based on recognizing where things have gone well, and how
those successes can be used to support teachers in other
academic areas. Because elementary teachers teach every
subject, the responsibility to be an expert at all things, at all
times, can be a heavy one to bear, especially when there are
increased expectations on teaching using best practice meth-
ods.
Considering our journey over the past 2 ½ years in literacy,
I’m reminded of how we started, not really knowing what we
needed or how to get there. However, over time, we’ve devel-
oped teams, systems, and built a professional culture around
exploration and improvement of practice. The same principles
can be applied to the other disciplines.
Therefore, I’d like to share the initial plan we have for this
work.
First of all, my role will be expanded to include “coaching”
other subject areas. As you know, coaching can take many
different forms. From facilitating a meeting to modeling a les-
son to helping teachers order and organize supplies. How and
where to start is what I’m still working through.
What is clear, is that the emphasis on coaching will be dic-
tated by the curriculum review cycle. That cycle has every
subject area either being “analyzed, revised, adopted, imple-
mented, or monitored/adjusted” every year. Those descriptors
will help guide our level of work. However, initially, I see this
spring (March-May) as an opportunity for me to explore with
you, needs in science and math and to actively be part of
planning for implementing the new social studies curricu-
lum next year. To do this, I will again be asking for your par-
ticipation on a team: science, social studies, or math. We will
meet, discuss, and plan for future work. Specifically, we will
consider how I might best serve you.
Between now and March 1, please be thinking about your
ideas/ questions/ concerns/ needs in math, science and social
studies. In March, I hope to organize our first meetings on
these new teams. Please let me know if you want to be part of
a specific team.
Looking forward, and considering our literacy work, it is best
to sum it up with a phrase you can all appreciate: “When
your’re done, you’ve just begun!” In many ways, literacy IS
the elementary curriculum. Our work over the past 3 years,
has brought
! us closer to fully up-and-running workshops in
FEBRUARY, 2011
reading and writing. We are beginning to have clear expecta-
tions aligned with grading and we have spent a lot of time and
energy on ordering and organizing the supplies necessary for
you to teach this way. (Think back to my old office in the staff
room and compare that to the plethora of books across the
school now! You will be hard pressed to find an institution with
more supplies than this one.) The coaching role at ACS will
continue to be heavily invested in building teacher capacity in
literacy. In other words, you and I will continue our work on
literacy teams and continue getting better analyzing that data.
I will always be available to coach into your rooms and to help
you plan for teaching reading and writing.
Next year, we will have a school-wide push on setting up,
documenting and teaching word study. It will be a huge learn-
ing curve, for all of us. Some early release days will be de-
voted to word study, with others being used for the other cur-
riculum areas. There will be much more information about
what those days will look like and what you can expect,
probably in April.
Even with this expansion, the coaching role will always be
geared toward helping new teachers enter and be successful
at ACS. Next year we will have several new teachers joining
our journey. I will be coming back a week early just to work
with them. Before the end of the year, I will be speaking with
your team/team leader to identify specifics I need to cover
with your new team member(s).
Finally, I would like to ask for your support as I take on this
new learning. I believe Jane is moving to this model with the
right intentions. She sees it as a way to provide you with more
support, as a way to expand our successful vertical work, and
as a way to ensure each curricu-
lum area is given the appropriate
focus. In advocating this change, I
was clear about seeing the role of
“instructional coach” as being a
facilitator/leader, but not necessar-
ily an expert. I will be learning right
along side you. My training as a
coach was about coaching, not
about literacy. I think the methods
are the same, even if the content is
different.
The ultimate goal is to create systems that keep the school
moving forward regardless of who are in any of our positions.
I am excited to see how this develops.
PAGE 2 - Jen
 JEN MUNNERLYN ! FEBRUARY, 2011

WORD STUDY WORK!!

team will be meeting in February to
develop our plan and to create useful
materials for every grade level to use
during this launch. If you’re interested,
you can see Real Spelling in use in all of
January 27-29th the word study team will the WS reps classrooms as we play
be heading to Doha to study with Pete Bowers around with it this spring. We will also be
at the NESA Winter Institute. Pete has providing
developed a teaching approach called PD/Info
Structured Word Inquiry which uses the around WS
materials from Real Spelling. These kits, and on the
Pete’s suggestions for implementation and Early
instructional practice will be our focus next Release
year as we launch new approaches in teaching and
word study. Don’t panic! The word study Teacher In-
team is confident we can make a plan, provide Service
clarity and offer PD for you both this spring Days, May
and next year. In fact, we’ve already booked 5th and 15.
Pete in for 3 “visits” at ACS next year. (2 virtual Wish us
and 1 live.) Upon our return, the word study luck!

REPORT CARD CORRELATIONS

On January 27th, reading and writing team reps will be

hard at work on Q3 report card correlations. This work will
involve both grade specific and vertical analysis. Hopefully, by
the end of the day, teams and individuals will be feeling like
their correlations represent a “picture of student learning”
for each descriptor and each of the numbers 3, 2, 1. Just a
reminder that these are due to Jen on Feb. 10th.

Assuming working this work is successful, Quarter 4

report card correlations and Quarters 1 and 2 revisions will be
worked on during upcoming PD Days. (March 10/May 15)

I’ve mentioned this at a couple of meetings, however it is worth

noting that our plan for me to cover new student DRAing from Oct. 1-
April 1st is clicking right along. So far, I’ve DRAed a student in every
level but KG2 (they just did their first DRAs). Similarly, most of the
students were at or above where we would expect them to be at this time
of year. As you get new students, please remember to coordinate a time
with me to get this assessment completed.

! PAGE 3
JEN MUNNERLYN ! FEBRUARY, 2011

Calendar-
Wed. February 2, 9,
16, 23 3:30-4:30 *
ACS Writing Club
Sun. February 6, 13,
20, 27 12:05-1:10 **
Learning Lunches- Math/
Science/SS Forums
February 8th
3:30-4:30
Grades 3-5 MAP Data
CALENDAR NOTES: *ACS Writing Club analysis meeting (Goal
As I mentioned in my work)
**Learning Lunches
last newsletter, we will February 10th

During the month of begin our ACS Writing 3:30-4:30
February I thought we Club on Wednesdays from
might use the learning Report Card
3:30-4:30. The goal of this Correlations Q3 DUE to
lunch time to hold an club is to give teachers a Jen
open forum on the other chance to write, discuss
curriculum areas: science, their writing, improve February
social studies, math. This their own strategies and 22


will give me a chance to finally to work through 3:30-4:30
listen and learn about K-5 Writing Celebration!
some suggested sessions
your current units/ (Goal work)
from Living and Teaching
programs as well as the the Writing Workshop by February 23-
teaching strategies you Kristen Painter, Forward 12-3:00
employ. This discussion is by Carl Anderson.
open to everyone who has Word Study Team
something to say. Requirements: Meeting
Similarly, you can also 1.A Willingness to
February 24-
attend if you just want to write 1:15-2:45/3:00-3:45
hear what your colleagues 2.A Willingness to Early Release Day- Regie
have to say. :-) share Routman Session 11
Feb. 9- Math 3.A Willingness to Early Childhood Meeting
Feb. 16- Science partner/conference/
Feb. 23- S. Studies teach a colleague.
* Learning Lunch- still 2 sessions 4.A Writer’s Notebook

! PAGE 4
 Wondering about our collaborative goal work?
We have many upcoming dates when we will be actively working on collaborative
goals. Remember, our goal this year was for K-2 to practice using protocols to
analyze writing data and for 3-5 to do the same with student reading data. When
Fred sends out “what to work on” for ERD and PD days, he mentions K-5 Team
Goals. He is not referring to this, but rather to the other 4,000 things you are
working on as vertical teams (like report card correlations) and what you are
working on as grade level teams.

See the calendar below for dates we will be actively working on these
collaborative goals. They are all also on the Google ES Calendar.

K-2/3-5 Collaborative Goal Meetings

Date/Time/Who Data Type Protocol to be used
Tuesday, October 12 DRA/MAP/Words Their Way
3:15-4:30 Data Analysis Meeting
All K-5

I will fill this in...

Thursday, October 14 On Demand Writing, Words
1:45-2:45 Their Way Spelling Inventory
All K-5 Data Analysis Continued...
Tuesday, October 19 Writing Celebration!
3:30-4:30
All K-5
Tuesday, January 24 DRA Data Protocol
3:30-4:30
K teachers
Tuesday, February 8 MAP Data Analysis
3:30-4:30
3-5 teachers
Tuesday, February 22 Writing Celebration!
3:30-4:30
K-5
Tuesday, April 19 Writing Celebration!
3:30-4:30
K-5
Tuesday, April 26 WTW 2nd Spelling Inventory
3:30-4:30 Analysis
K-5
Tuesday, May 5 FINAL Regie Routman ERD-
3:30-4:30 Staff Reading PD Celebration/
K-5 Reflection
Tuesday, May 24 On Demand/Wrap/DRA/MAP/
3:30-4:30 WTW Spelling Inventory
K-5