October 2023 Elementary ELAOK Newsletter

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ELAOK: Elementary

October 2023 

Fall Regionals for Elementary Teachers

ELA Icon

The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is excited to announce it will be hosting educator workshops across Oklahoma in October and November 2023.  Elementary English language arts (ELA) and elementary social studies will be paired together on the same dates and locations so elementary teachers are able to attend both. 

Writing in the Elementary Classroom 

Sharon Morgan, Program Director of Early Childhood and Elementary Literacy, will be presenting Writing in the Elementary Classroom. The goal of this session is for elementary teachers to gain knowledge of foundational writing skills and how to utilize the new writing resources from the ELAOK framework to support students throughout the writing process.  This session will conclude by analyzing and assessing the qualities of student writing samples.

If you have questions, please contact sharon.morgan@sde.ok.gov.

Social Studies: Enhancing the Science of Reading 

Brenda Beymer-Chapman, Project Manager of Social Studies and Personal Financial Literacy, will be presenting Social Studies: Enhancing the Science of Reading. Social Studies content is vital to developing knowledge of the world we live in. Knowledge-building is a key component to becoming better readers and writers. In this session, participants will explore texts and resources and discuss how they can be used to enhance both social studies and literacy. Participants will also explore social studies standards and resources provided in the social studies frameworks.

If you have questions, please contact brenda.chapman@sde.ok.gov.

Literacy Fall Regional Sessions

For all literacy offerings, including presentations by Sharon Morgan, Jason Stephenson, and our HEROES Literacy Team, use this link.

Elementary Subject Area Fall Regionals

For all elementary offerings, including literacy, social studies, and STEM, use this link. 

Dyslexia Awareness Month

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month!

Thank you to Rhonda Reader, a Literacy Team Regional Coordinator for our HEROES literacy team, for sharing her expertise in the following article. 

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading characterized by a deficit in the phonological component of language and difficulty with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, poor spelling, and decoding abilities. It is neurological in origin, which means the brain functions differently when learning to read. Students with dyslexia may perform well in language comprehension areas such as using vocabulary and background knowledge skills accurately, so dyslexia is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities seen in the classroom. Oklahoma recognizes dyslexia in our schools under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This is the second year Oklahoma schools have screened for the characteristics of dyslexia. A great resource for information on these screenings is the OSDE’s RSA Implementation Guide, found here.

OK Dyslexia and Dysgraphia

Dyslexia screenings are important because early identification of the risk factors of dyslexia or reading struggles can guide intervention and instruction before reading difficulty occurs. Research supports the need for early identification and assessment (Birsh, 2018; Nevilles & Wolfe, 2009). “The best solution to the problem of reading failure is to allocate resources for early identification and prevention” (Torgesen, 2014). Oklahoma has an updated Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Handbook that can be accessed here.

The updated handbook provides comprehensive dyslexia information, guidance, and resources to support students who are at risk for the characteristics of dyslexia or already identified with a reading disability.

More information on dyslexia can be found in the following resources:

Imagination Library

Imagination Library Winner

Oklahoma is fortunate to have one of seven children worldwide who received an invitation to join Dolly in celebrating her 200 million books gifted milestone. Congratulations to Austyn Ordonez, daughter of Miguel and Ashley Ordonez, who received a special bookmark in her Imagination Library book. She will receive a video chat with Dolly, an autographed photo and a personalized, signed letter from Dolly. There will also be $2,000 given to the local library.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is now available in 350 communities across Oklahoma! This program provides free books monthly to children from birth to their fifth birthdays to help families prepare their children for school. To determine if your school is in a sponsored area, consult the Existing Affiliates table on the following page:  https://sde.ok.gov/imagination-library-affiliates.

Here is the registration link to share with families to get enrolled:  https://imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability/

For questions about Imagination Library or if you’d like to start a program in your area, please contact program director Laura Sikes at laura.sikes@sde.ok.gov.

Writing Contests

The writing contests page has recently been updated to include new contests and deadlines for the 2023-2024 school year. All listed contests have categories for students and a few have categories for teachers.

Providing students the opportunity to enter writing contests can motivate them to engage more fully in the writing process as they prepare to publish a final draft.

 Hand holding a pen

Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English Fall Conference

OKCTE

The Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English will host its annual fall conference on Friday, October 27, at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva. The 2023 theme is "Connections," and the deadline to register is October 20.