Pam and I led a training for all the teachers in the morning. The teachers have made such progress since the first time I was here. We reflected how the conversations have changed from teaching the teachers to turn pages and read slowly, to professional discussions around ways to use the read aloud to increase and support student engagement, comprehension and overall academic development. Using Eric Carle’s The Little Cloud we critiqued how I read the book, generating a list of critical read aloud strategies, such as pausing after every page, making eye contact and asking the audience to answer questions and make predictions. We extended the text by creating our very own teacher’s version of The Little Cloud, drawing and writing how we dreamed the little cloud would transform.
We then modeled for the teachers how to run a Child Study Team Meeting. The teachers appreciated taking the time to think about students holistically, and the mock faculty meeting demonstrated the importance of taking the time to share information about students with colleagues.
- Annie