April is National Poetry Month! Occurring annually, from April 1-30, National Poetry Month was launched in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. The intent of National Poetry Month is to celebrate poets’ role in our culture and to reinforce the idea that poetry matters. 

Anis Mojgani is Oregon’s current Poet Laureate. Mojgani is a two-time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam and winner of the International World Cup Poetry Slam. As Poet Laureate, Mojgani’s role is to serve as an ambassador of poetry across the state. Here’s Mojgani sharing a poem that was commissioned by the Oregon Parks Department in celebration of the Parks’ Centennial celebration (the celebration took place in 2022).

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students examine primary sources that illustrate historical events, read Maya Angelou’s poetry, and synthesize their learning in an interactive, creative writing assignment. While tagged as a lesson for grades 6-8, it’s easily adaptable for grades 9-12. And in this grades 3-5 lesson, 

This lesson on the Oregon Open Learning Hub is an effective way to integrate both science and language arts content standards. In this lesson, students listen to poems in the book Science Verse by Jon Scieszka. Students then create diamante, acrostic, or theme poems with illustrations. To help increase fluency, students read their poems to the class. Finally, students create original poems using facts they have learned in the current science curriculum.

April is also School Library Month, and April 4 was School Librarians Day. Established by the American Association of School Librarians, this month-long celebration honors school librarians and school libraries. April 7-13 marks National Library Week, and this year’s theme is “Ready, Set, Library!” You can find resources and more information from the American Library Association.

April 23 is not only William Shakespeare’s birthday, but it is also Talk Like Shakespeare Day. There are numerous lessons and resources available.

New and Noteworthy

Announcing the launch of Oregon's Instructional Frameworks Website! 

Oregon’s Early Literacy Framework provides a research-based instructional vision to guide the teaching of reading and writing. The framework is designed to build statewide coherence, clarity, and common ground on literacy instruction in grades K-5. The Oregon Department of Education is committed to supporting and strengthening literacy development for students. Deepen your understanding of the framework by exploring ready-to-use resources and professional learning opportunities for educators on the Oregon Instructional Frameworks website, available now, with more to come this summer! 

Also, please join us this coming Monday, April 15, 2024, for a webinar on the role of writing in early literacy learning. More info below: 

The Role of Writing in Early Literacy Learning Monday, April 15, 2024: This webinar provides an opportunity to learn how Oregon’s Early Literacy Framework centers writing as an essential element of a comprehensive early literacy program. Presenters will share instructional examples focused on bringing students’ identity, culture, and assets into the classroom through writing and the reciprocal relationship between reading and writing development. Participants will leave the webinar with practical ideas for integrating writing throughout the school day. Register here.

Thank you from the Literacy Team

The Early Literacy Team at ODE would like to extend deep gratitude to schools and districts for applying for the Early Literacy Success School District Grant. We are excited to announce that 226 grant applications have been approved thus far, which represents more than 98% of Oregon K-5 students!

The Early Literacy Success Initiative is groundbreaking for the state of Oregon, and we are excited to see the impact that this funding will have on early literacy practices. As we continue to ground in Oregon’s Early Literacy Framework, we look forward to ongoing collaboration and partnership with schools and districts, along with opportunities to spotlight high quality literacy practices as they are implemented across our state.

It has been a pleasure for our Early Literacy Team to meet with schools and districts to learn more about your Early Literacy programs. In case you haven’t met our new Literacy team at ODE, their information is listed below. We are happy to connect to listen, learn, or support in any way that is helpful as you implement your grant. Reach out to connect with our team at K5.Literacy@ode.oregon.gov.

Early Literacy Team: 

Program Coordinator: Leanne Moll

Policy Analyst: Sophie Hiton

Program Training and Communication Analyst: Hilary Mankofsky

Administrative Specialist: Joey Clarke

Director: Angelica Cruz

NEW: K-5 Newsletter

The Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) Office of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment is launching a new quarterly newsletter for K-5 educators. This newsletter provides resources, opportunities, guidance, and ODE updates tailored specifically to support the integrated and well-rounded instruction that elementary education entails. It aims to streamline information related to K-5 academic standards and instruction into one convenient communication. 

To sign up for the newsletter, click here

ODE Announcements

2024 Smarter Balanced State Network of Educators: Tools for Teachers Instructional Resource Author Recruitment is Now Open! Recruitment is now open for the 2024 State Network of Educators (SNE) Summer Workshops scheduled for July 9-11, 2024 held in Portland, OR, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown. SNE Workshops provide educators with an in-depth opportunity to learn the formative assessment process as they contribute to the critical work of building new instructional resources for Tools for Teachers. Selected educators will write instructional resources in Language Arts or Mathematics aligned to Oregon’s assessment targets and standards. The workshop is also a great chance to meet and learn from colleagues across member states. New and returning educators are encouraged to apply using this Interest Form by 5:00 PM PT on Friday, April 19. For more information about Tools for Teachers or the State Network of Educators, please contact Andy Byerley, Mathematics Assessment Specialist, or Tony Bertrand, ELA and Social Sciences Assessment Specialist.

Practice Brief: Local Performance Assessments

Performance-based assessments are a vital component of a district’s balanced assessment system. OAR 581-022-0615 requires public school districts and charter schools to administer Local Performance Assessments (LPAs) in grades 3-8 and once in high school in the content areas of writing, speaking, mathematical problem solving, and scientific inquiry. This two-page Practice Brief is designed to help educators and leaders take a student-centered approach to meeting the requirements of the policy by understanding the benefits of performance-based assessments, how to use district-adopted instructional materials as a source of LPAs, and how to use a single task across multiple content areas. Contact the ODE Assessment Team with questions or for more information.

Research and Resources for Your Classroom

‘Short Burst’ Tutoring in Literacy Shows Promise for Young Readers

A new study from Stanford University focuses on the impact of small, regular interactions with a reading tutor. Grade 1 students worked with a tutor for “short bursts'' during the regular school day. Students “saw more substantial gains in reading fluency than those who didn’t receive the support, according to the study. They were also 9 percentage points less likely to be considered at risk on a district literacy test.” Read more in this article from The 74.

Oregon Open Learning Featured Resource for National Poetry Month The Oregon Open Learning Hub is a digital resource repository and collaboration space for educators, administrators, and other educational partners to curate, create, and remix open educational resources (OER). The Hub is a portal to over 50,000 openly licensed resources available on OER Commons, searchable by grade level, subject, and standard.  April is National Poetry Month. Check out these featured resources for an example of the content included on the Hub!  Poetry Portfolios: Using Poetry to Teach Reading In this K-2 lesson, students have the opportunity to explore language skills as they read and dissect poetry by sharing a weekly poem. Students investigate meaning, sentence structure, rhyming and sight words, vocabulary, and print concepts. After studying each poem, students receive a copy of the poem, which they can illustrate to demonstrate their understanding of the poem. All the poems from the unit are then compiled into a portfolio that students can take home to share with their families and communities. While tagged for grades K-2, this lesson is easily adaptable for older grades, as well.  This Introduction to Poetry mini-unit provides an introduction to poetry that can be used for middle school or early high school, and can be easily adapted for lower or upper grades, as well. Each lesson will take about a class period and covers basic poetry terms, figurative language, sound devices, etc. Several examples of poems are included in the lessons, along with notes for the instructor, guided practice opportunities, and assessment suggestions.  Want to learn more about OER and the Oregon Open Learning Hub? Asynchronous learning options include the OER Professional Learning Group on the Hub and the User Guide for Oregon Open Learning.

Accessibility Tip

National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled Resources

The National Library Service (NLS) for the Blind and Print Disabled has numerous resources for people with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a physical disability or other print disability—like dyslexia—that makes it difficult to read or hold regular print materials. And, their services are free. You can also find support through the State Library of Oregon, which has several supports for Oregonians with print disabilities, including a large talking books catalog.

Library Corner

Oregon Information Literacy Summit Call for Proposals

The 18th Annual Oregon Information Literacy Summit is a virtual series of events held during the last two weeks of May. The Information Literacy Advisory Group of Oregon (ILAGO) is seeking proposals for 10-minute presentations, and encourages you to submit a short description by the end of  Thursday, April 18, 2024. Each separately-scheduled 60-minute session includes one or more mini presentations on a topic, followed by group discussion with attendees. Sounds like fun, right? ILAGO hopes you will join them.

Submit the Call for Proposals form to share your presentation idea, and ILAGO will be in touch to coordinate from there.

Questions and comments are welcomed at ilago.chair@gmail.com

Future Ready Librarians Webinar Series

Future Ready Librarians will host a webinar series – one topic a month through November (minus June and July). The first one was April 10, and the topic was AI in libraries. Sessions will be recorded. You can find the session recordings at the webinar series registration link above.

Opportunities for Educators

Coming Soon: Literacy Leaders’ Network Meeting 

Our Mission: To build a literate society of readers, writers, thinkers, and listeners

Next Meeting: May 9, 2024

Meeting Facilitation: Co-hosted by Oregon Council of Teachers of English (OCTE), Oregon State Literacy Association (OSLA), Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL) and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) Language Arts, Literacy, and Multilingual and Migrant Education teams, and WestEd.

To join, please register here to receive a Zoom link for the meeting.

Literacies and Math for Oregon’s K-8 Students Dear Oregon Educators, You are invited to register for the Educators’ Summit in Corvallis, August 6-7, 2024.   Working group projects and learnings will be featured, and you will be able to: Learn about innovative, field-initiated, and piloted classroom-based resources and professional development through interactive sessions  Engage with inspirational plenary speakers (Speaker announcements coming soon!) Network with Oregon teachers and educational leaders Receive a PDE certificate, or register (at a low cost) for one to two transcript visible graduate credits for participation.  With Summit registration of an eligible Oregon educator, Summit participation includes*: Meals provided at the conference site One lodging night booked through the conference registration process A flat fee for travel dependent on distance from Corvallis A $1,000 stipend for participation in the 2-day conference *OSU/ODE have the right of final approval for the disbursement of funds related to Summit attendance and participation. If you have any questions, please contact Martha Ahrendt. Register here

Stand for Children’s Three-Part Webinar Series: Three High Leverage Components of the Early Literacy Success Grant

Join Stand for Children for a workshop series reviewing three high leverage components of the Early Literacy Success Grant: planning for a high impact summer program, hiring literacy coaches, and launching high-dosage tutoring. These three 60-minute virtual workshops will be facilitated by Dr. Nell Duke and Dana Nerenberg.

Olga Lengyel Institute’s Oregon Summer Seminar: “Lessons from the Past: Understanding the Holocaust and Human Rights Violations”

Education staff and professionals have the opportunity to attend The Olga Lengyel Institute's Oregon summer seminar "Lessons from the Past: Understanding the Holocaust and Human Rights Violations" this summer in Portland, Oregon from July 30 through August 3.  Facilitated by two Oregon educators, participants will explore ways to address the Oregon Holocaust and Genocide, Tribal History/Shared History, and Ethnic Studies mandates in their curriculum.  The seminar is offered free to educators and those who attend will receive free books and resource materials to use with students.  Space is limited to 25 participants and applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

If you have questions, please reach out to seminar facilitator Carrie McCallum.

To read more about TOLI or to apply to the seminar, visit: https://www.toli.us/regional-program/oregon/

Facing History & Ourselves Summer Learning Opportunities

Facing History & Ourselves is offering several professional learning opportunities this summer, at low or no cost. “Through these transformational learning experiences, you'll gain access to innovative teaching strategies; discuss new scholarship around identity, history, and bias in education; and explore curricular resources grounded in our unique approach. All will help you start the next school year better prepared to foster a more equitable and student-centered learning environment.” Find out more on the Facing History & Ourselves Summer Professional Development for ELA Teachers webpage.

Opportunities for Students

Save the Date! Verselandia is Happening Soon!

Verselandia! is the annual youth poetry slam championship presented by Literary Arts. It is the Grand Slam for the winners from individual school slams hosted by public high schools. Finalist poets compete for five great prizes. This year, Verselandia! will be held on April 25, from 7-10 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Check out Portland Literary Arts for tickets and information.

Jakob and Sala Kryszek Art & Writing Competition

Details about the annual Jakob and Sala Kryszek Art & Writing Competition for middle and high school students is now available on the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education website. We have updated the prize so the grand prize winners can choose between a trip to The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. or The Holocaust Museum LA in Los Angeles. Submissions are due April 26, 2024.

Write the World Writing Competitions for Students

Write the World helps “students develop the writing skills they need to succeed and make an impact” on their world. There are seven writing competitions currently available.

Click Here for Recurring Features

Contact Us

If you have ideas for the newsletter or want to contact the ODE ELA specialists, please reach out:

Tina Roberts -- Language Arts Education Specialist

Tony Bertrand -- English Language Arts / Social Sciences Assessment Specialist

Sody Fearn -- K-2 Balanced Assessment Specialist

Sarah Thorud -- Early Language and Literacy Intervention Specialist

Mindi Helmandollar-Armatas -- PreK-3rd Grade Coordinator

Jennifer Fontana -- Multilingual and Migrant Education Specialist