So school starts soon. And I am very excited!!! I really want to get my kids writing and reading and loving it. So I am trying to plan for ways that I can inspire that to happen. Here is a picture of my school....
You are looking at the hallways of the school. Then from the outside you go into the separate classrooms. It's crazy to me, but pretty cool.

Curriculum Based Measurement

I'm here! I'm here! I'm here to tell you that I use curriculum based measurement weekly with some of my dyslexic students. They love being able to visualize their improvements, and that in itself is motivating.

The site that I love is Jim Wright's Intervention Central! Check it out. I believe I touched upon it in this post when I was first falling in love with CBM.

Assessment

Alanna - fellow literacy geek - where are you?
I am currently learning about research-based assessments. Have you ever heard of CBA (Curriculum Based Assessment) and CBM (Curriculum Based Measurement)? It's a very interesting method of graphing student progress based on the norms of their specific classroom.
I was curious to know what type of assessment techniques do you have set in place at your job? What other types of assessments have you heard of people using? What do you think is most effective?

Here is a link about CBM if you're interested http://cbmnow.com/documents/cbaManualhand.pdf

BOOKS FOR LITERACY GEEKS

Now that I am an up and coming literacy specialist I wanted to share some of the resources that I have found useful and am curious about any resources you have liked.
First is 'Words Their Way' by Bear. The spelling inventory is a great resource for guiding instruction. I have used it with my ESL tutoring, and I'm not quite sure how effective it is for the ESL student, but it has helped me recognize the vowel pattern sounds that ESL students have trouble distinguishing.
Still in it's plastic is 'The Mosaic of Thought' by Keene and Zimmerman, which was recommended to me by a 30 year veteran teacher of reading. She said this book changed the way she thought of reading comprehension.
Also there is a handy website for leveling books: http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/index.html

LITERACY GEEK

Hello there my literacy friend. I am just trying to use technology to help me teach. Have you heard of webquests? Check it out at http://webquest.org

Interactive Books with Power Point

Okay, so I've been neglecting this blog as of late...sorry folks. (In this case folks = Amazon Hil) I am here today, though, to tell you that I have learned how to make interactive books for young children, or the multiply handicapped by using Power Point. How cool is that? Last night I made one with Ten Apples Up On Top which is a Theo LeSieg (aka Dr. Seuss) classic. Granted, the computer "reads" it with my voice. I had to record each page and install a clip on each page. It took a while, but it was really fun and I like the way it came out.

Hil, if you ever have to do some assistive technology literacy project, this might be for you.

Very cool book exchange

I only have a few minutes, but I have to rave about an international book exchange: BookCrossing. I for one have too many books that I love dearly, but I know I won't be rereading for a long time and they aren't appropriate to bring to school for my students. So I've been "releasing" them.

Basically, you register your book with BookCrossing (and it's free). You put release information...generally when and where you will be releasing the book. Other BookCrossing members in your area will be alerted to the title and location of the release. There is also an opportunity for non-members to find it. I have a book plate with the books registration number and a bookmark with BookCrossing instructions.

I've read about books on their website that have made it across the continental US. Some books have even become international. It's really a very cool way to get rid of books and let others have a literary treasure hunt of sorts.