August 2020
Literacy News You Can Use
In collaboration with the Department of Education and the Iowa AEA system, UnboundEd developed three short (1-2 hours each) professional learning modules housed on AEA Learning Online for Iowa educators to use. The audience for the modules is educators: teachers, teacher leaders, curriculum directors, administrators, AEA consultants, etc.
Educators can access the modules for free through the AEA Learning System:
Module 1: Assess Student Needs with the Standards as a Foundation
Module 2: Focusing Lessons to Match the Curriculum with Student Needs
Module 3: Accelerate Student Learning by Scaffolding for Equity
Additional information is available via Iowa Department of Education's Return-to-Learn Support site: Iowa Academic Standards (Equity).
International Literacy Association (ILA) hosted a free virtual event on August 4, 2020: Literacy Teaching in Turbulent Times.
Stand for Children's Jonah Edelman facilitated a frank conversation with Ernest Morrell and Nell K. Duke about the challenges and opportunities of teaching during an unsettling and uncertain time.
Those unable to attend the event can access the ILA site now to view on demand. ILA recordings are also available via ILA's Facebook and YouTube.
Join WestEd Senior Research Scientist Aída Walqui for an engaging online series that highlights scholarly perspectives on the education of English Learners across a wide variety of settings.
Representing a wide variety of interests in the field, guest speakers share their perspectives from American universities as well as research and development institutions from four different countries.
All sessions have a different but complementary focus on research advances in the education of English Learners. The sessions are organized thematically and are free to attend.
WestEd offers recordings for those unable to attend specific sessions.
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We hear stories of educators in our state who are devoted to instilling a love of reading and learning. Often this work continues into the summer, as they dedicate many hours to plan lessons, volunteer at book sales, or donate time and resources in other ways to ensure students can access books. The summer of 2020 is no exception.
Jill Siefken, Leadership and Learning Consultant with Prairie Lakes AEA and a part-time literacy professor at Buena Vista University, devotes many hours in a labor of love to provide books for all ages in Siefken's Little Free Library.
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Jill's passion for literacy and ensuring all students have access to books inspired her to ask her father to build a Little Free Library for the front yard. She shares, "I never imagined how rewarding it would be to have the opportunity to put those books into children’s hands. I’ve had an incredible number of interesting conversations about books with children, as they stop by visiting my library." Jill created Siefken’s Little Free Library Facebook page to advertise it, share pictures, and activities that she started to promote literacy: "I started hiding books in baggies around my town with a note inside telling people to read the book, and then hide it for someone else to find. I partnered with the local ice cream shop to hand out books with ice cream purchases. I’ve also created Reading BINGO sheets with books for prizes, and stocked the library with journals, bookmarks, and pencils."
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Siefken's Little Free Library has been a wonderful addition to the community. She will discover messages of gratitude written in chalk and decorated rocks left behind. Jill shares, "When COVID hit our town, I began sanitizing every book that was donated or put into my Little Free Library. I provided hand sanitizer inside the library and didn’t expect children to return or share the books. The theme of Little Free Libraries is to take a book, share a book. Research tells us that choice, access, and time to read are critical components to children's reading success. I’m trying to do my part to offer choice and access. We can all play a part in supporting the reading lives of children."
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What are you doing to promote literacy?
Are you utilizing tools to design instruction, assess learning, or create professional development that supports all students meeting Iowa Core expectations in literacy?
Share your work and celebrations via the Spotlight Literacy Google Form.
Also, feel free to nominate another educator to spotlight his or her work. A literacy spotlight will be chosen each month!
Let's build bridges together and improve instructional practice.
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Leigh Bellville Literacy Consultant Bureau of Leading, Teaching, Learning Services Iowa Department of Education Grimes State Office Building 400 E 14th St Des Moines, IA 50319 515-689-3717 leigh.bellville@iowa.gov
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