November 2022
 The next live Elementary Ed chat for Oklahoma elementary teachers is scheduled for Monday, December 5th. The topic of discussion will be Tackling Challenging Behaviors: Starting Fresh in the New Year. During each session, you will have a chance to work with the OSDE elementary curriculum directors and other educators to learn new approaches to overcoming challenges in the classroom. Register using the links below to attend one of the sessions:
Monday, December 5th 4:00 pm
Monday, December 5th 7:00 pm
Did you miss the October Elementary Ed chat? You can still meet the OSDE elementary curriculum directors and learn more about their favorite classroom strategies by viewing the recorded session here and the presentation slides here.
The OSDE is investing in YOU and OUR kids! We are providing a unique opportunity where educators invest two years in research-based Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training on the science of reading starting this month through December 2024.
The training focuses on the science of reading, which uses evidence-based research on how students learn to read, why they struggle and how to make individualized interventions. The academies will result in educators more effectively teaching students to read.
Registration for Cohort 4 of the Oklahoma Science of Reading Academies is available now until 12:00 pm December 16. After registering, please then attend a mandatory informational webinar. Learn more on the Science of Reading Academies web page and in this FAQ document. The Oklahoma Science of Reading Academies is an initiative under Ready Together Oklahoma: An Action Plan for Supporting Students Through the Pandemic and Beyond.
Participants of this training have reported:
“I did not have any training as intense and important as this training.”
“We all need to hit pause on all of the other million things we are doing and do this. It is worth it.”
“Our students deserve better. Our colleagues deserve better. I am advocating for more teachers to join the cohorts.”
We hope your school year is off to a great start! We are cheering you on and stand ready to support.
For questions, please contact Megan Ashbaugh at megan.ashbaugh@sde.ok.gov.
The Oklahoma Literacy Association Annual Conference will be held on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Oklahoma Christian University. The theme is Energizing the Reading and Writing Connection. Dr. Carol Jago will be the keynote speaker. Her keynote will be titled, Reading and Writing in the Digital Age.
If you are interested in presenting at the conference during a breakout session, submit presentation proposals using the link below. Presentations can be for any age between Pre-K and 12th grade and should be based on current literacy research. Proposals are due on Jan. 13th.
Presentation Proposal Link - https://tinyurl.com/2uyp2u8m
A registration link to attend the conference will be coming soon. We hope to see you there!
For additional information, please email oklahomaliteracy@gmail.com.
 Flyers are available for PreK-6th grade students
The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) has published 58 new or updated Oklahoma Family Guides to give families a convenient way to support their children’s classroom learning at home.
The guides originally were produced in fall 2019 for core subjects – English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies – in PreK through second grade. In 2019, the OSDE added guides for the same subjects in third through sixth grades. All now include additional examples to help make student learning expectations more concrete and understandable and to reflect shifts in academic standards since that time. Guides for PreK through sixth grade are newly available for health, music, physical education and visual art.
Written by subject matter experts in the OSDE’s Office of Curriculum and Instruction, the guides include grade- and subject-specific expectations, learning goals for the school year, what to do at home to help children reach learning goals and guiding questions to foster additional skills.
Each of the guides is a printable, one-page flyer convenient for at-home use or while meeting or talking with teachers during conferences or other occasions. Guides are available by individual grades and subjects, for all subjects within a single grade and for all grades within a subject. To access the Oklahoma Family Guides, visit sde.ok.gov/oklahoma-family-guides.
Imagine Literacy and Language Supplemental Online Learning Platform
Free for Students in Kindergarten, First, Second, and Third grades and students who are reading below grade level in grades 4-6.
Imagine Language & Literacy is a supplemental, adaptive online curriculum that provides targeted instruction in all four domains of literacy — reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Its flexibility makes it suited for various instructional settings including whole-class, small-group, and one-on-one. Imagine Language & Literacy can be utilized both in school and at home to reinforce and support students in meeting grade-level proficiencies aligned to the Oklahoma Academic Standards for English Language Arts.
The Barbara Bush Foundation (BBF) is now offering their Book Explorers program to Oklahoma districts at no cost during the 2022-2023 school year. All materials are included in the program and stipends for those who qualify to oversee the program at the site-level are available through funding by the OSDE.
Book Explorers is a reading mentoring program that pairs students in grades 1-3 with a reading mentor that uses targeted strategies and activities, informed by the science of reading, to build literacy skills and confidence.
The Book Explorers program resources are fully online and contain nonfiction and narrative digital books. Each digital book is accompanied by a mentor guide that helps mentors make the most of their sessions, and a parent guide filled with fun, enriching activities designed to engage and foster a love of reading in young learners.
Parent guides also include access to a free adult literacy app for parents who wish to improve their own literacy or English skills without attending classes. All 56 Book Explorers Parent Guides and a collection of select book titles are available in Spanish.
Click here for additional information on Book Explorers.
If interested, please contact Heather Brinkworth, heather@barbarabush.org, Book Explorers Program Manager for the Barbara Bush Foundation.
The OSDE is pleased to offer the From the Start Reading Project, a set of 9 professional development courses on evidence-based foundational literacy in the OSDE Connect virtual learning platform. These dynamic modules provide professional learning on the components of strong early literacy instruction with a focus on practical classroom application, and cover the following topics:
- The Early Elementary Literacy Block
- Oral Language
- Phonemic Awareness
- Phonics
- Foundational Writing
- Vocabulary
- Language Structures
- The Writing Process
- Comprehension
Through these courses, educators will learn highly-effective strategies based in the Science of Reading. Each module is 1-2 hours in length, can be accessed individually or as a complete set, and is available for educators to explore independently for personal growth or with a team of colleagues. Upon completion of each module, teachers will have access to download a Professional Development certificate.
This training is ongoing and available through OSDE Connect - Enroll in Module 1 here.
For questions or more information, reach out to Christina Hicks at Christina.Hicks@sde.ok.gov.
|
