Literacy Awards reinforce the Three Personal Standards. They motivate students, provide immediate feedback, and build on language, literacy and content matter. Layers upon layers of support!   

One common worry when teachers start using scouts with Literacy Awards is a fair and equal distribution of awards. Because Literacy Awards are so motivating in changing personal behavior, teachers are tempted to make sure everyone earns the same number of awards daily.  

We have seen teachers overcompensate by creating tracking systems for who has earned an award. This is time consuming and not necessary. You have too much on your plate to add a Literacy Award checklist!   

Another frequently asked question about Literacy Awards is…  

What if scouts only pick their friends?  

Teaching the routine for how scouts will choose classmates, identify the personal standard exhibited by that classmate, and passing out awards is an important part of the process. Students...

The start of the school year is upon us and you will have, undoubtedly, seen your class list by now or you may already have met your new class. Unfortunately, a ritual that plays out in classrooms across the world on the first day of school is that teachers unintentionally mispronounce students’ names. The familiar scenario is the teacher mangles the name or doesn’t even attempt it and will try to cover by saying something like, “I’m not sure how to say this”, or laughing at themselves for the mistake. The student will then either try to correct the teacher, will say nothing, or will offer a nickname or Anglicized name as a replacement. The teacher internally breathes a sigh of relief that Eun Kyung can be called Sally, and everyone moves on. But has Eun Kyung moved on? What’s happening inside her head right now?

A simple act like not being able to pronounce a name may seem innocuous to us but can have devastating consequences for students. In Project GLAD® training we discuss validat...

A number of years ago, I called my teaching partner and excitedly told her I was down at Pike Place Market in Seattle, and I found a treasure trove of postcards with historical images of Native people. I was buying them all up and we had a ready-made set of images for our upcoming Native American unit. I was so excited!

It happened to be December 31^st.

Her reply was not as enthusiastic. “I thought you were calling to invite me out for New Year’s Eve, but you’re calling to talk about Picture File Cards?”

 Ok, I’m kind of a GLAD geek, I have been for years, and am proud of it! I will also disclose that this conversation happened in the early years of my teaching career in the days before Google images and the one-button print and done! But there are many of us out there who still go “old-school” at times to find images for picture file cards, either as a preference or because of printing limitations.

Where can you find free images for Picture File Cards when you don’t have an unlimit...

The weather is warm, the flowers are blooming. That means it's assessment season! Sorry, you'll never look at spring the same way again.  

Whether gearing up for a classroom-based assessment or one that is more formal, teachers usually ask,  

"Does the GLAD® model include any strategies for summative assessment, or to help students prepare for summative assessment?" 

The Graffiti Wall is just such a strategy! We don't often have time to model it in a training, so if you haven't seen it yet here are some tips.  

• The teacher composes test questions for the number of teams in the class. One question each is written at the top of a piece of chart paper and they are placed around the room.  
• You may choose to hang the question chart next to another chart that could be a resource for the answer. 
• The questions can be written in black ink, the teacher color, or the color of the corresponding team that will begin at that chart.  
• Teams go to a chart and answer the question using a m...

Ever feel chatty when you’re happy?  Or so angry you just want to yell?  Ever talk late into the night with the love of your life? Or have sadness so deep words are lost in the swell? 

Emotions are the language of the heart. They release, captivate and invite us to speak.  In so many ways it is the overflow of the heart from which we speak… or are silenced.

Safety and stress produce and repress language. This is particularly true for those attempting to communicate in bi and multilingual settings. When we’re stressed, we all tend to revert back to what we know. Imagine trying to learn a new language, personally, in the midst of a pandemic. And then trying to communicate only in that language. It’s like trying to diet in the midst of a pandemic. Just too much!

And yet, that’s exactly what our emerging bi and multilingual students have been expected to do all year long. Our language learners deserve a standing ovation and our deepest respect. 

As we begin to meet with these students ...

The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, and hope is spreading all around us. Yes, it's spring!

This year, we needed the signs of new life that spring brings more than ever. 

Whether your students are in the classroom or joining you from home, consider all the ways you can bring fresh life into their daily learning experience. Perhaps you'll adopt a class bunny (for the courageous!), plant seeds, or go on a geometry treasure hunt in nature.

 Some of my favorite writing lessons came from taking students outside in the spring to observe and write about the growing flora and fauna.  One spring we fit all our writing standards into an insect unit. We wrote insect poetry, scientific journaling on the butterfly life cycle (watching pupas emerge in the classroom), creative writing inspired by Chris Van Allsburg's, Two Bad Ants, and of course our very own entomologist reports on each student's insect of choice.

Those of you already teaching with GLAD® strategies can imagine the p...

Over the past year we all had to pivot our work and discover innovative ways to use GLAD® strategies online. Just like you, we've experimented with a number of online tools to deliver our instruction to students without diminishing the rationale and power of GLAD®.

A tip when creating a digital activity is to ask yourself,

"Does this online tool support or strengthen the purpose for this strategy, or am I trying to adapt the strategy too much to fit the parameters of the online tool?"

If the later is true, then it's not the tool for you. Keep looking for a way to deliver your GLAD® instruction that retains the language development aspects of the model. 

Many of our initial ideas were scrapped, but we persevered, found work-arounds for app limitations and gleaned great ideas from others along the way. And we're still at it - continually developing new ideas to take us forward into hybrid learning! 

We've highlighted a few online tutorials in the past. Now we've put them in one pla...

Does the idea of hybrid teaching make you hyperventilate? How can I meet the needs of students online and in the classroom, while staying safe and sane myself? 

You’re not alone!

 Teachers across the country are currently tackling the challenges and opportunities of hybrid teaching models. A flipped classroom may be the key you’re looking for – without flipping out yourself.

 Since you spent the last year learning how to implement distanced learning, the easiest way to pivot to a blended model is to keep doing what you’re already doing. Retain your digital LMS. Post all assignments digitally. Then get ready to FLIP!

 What is a flipped classroom?

 The flipped classroom is a “pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject m...

Let’s face it! The quarantine 15 is a real thing! It’s because we’re sitting on our backsides in front of the computer all day long. Students and teachers are used to getting up and moving around the classroom. We need that oxygen moving through our brains to think clearly and stay engaged. 

 How can we incorporate movement during online learning? 

 It’s going to benefit our waistlines and chins, as well as our brains if we can think of ways to get moving during online instruction. In a GLAD classroom, there are multiple times throughout the day where we move students from their seats.  We move to the carpet.  Students stand when reporting an answer. We all move during chants and other strategies. We encourage you to continue those practices online. 

When students are reporting an answer during synchronous learning, have them stand. Teach them to back up a little bit so they’re still in the camera view. 

Continue to chant with your class. Show the chant on the screen and have every...

Online 10/2 Lectures

Going asynchronous with Pictorials, Graphic Organizers or Comparative Input Charts? Keep engagement high with short video chunks and interactive engagement.   

Spoiler alert - today's online tip is based on a FREE app and works with any video lesson! Quick and easy! 

Acceleration - A Language Rich Jumpstart for the New Year

Are you as eager to start the New Year as we are? This year, consider giving yourself, your team, staff or district a jumpstart with ACCELERATION.

Acceleration is language rich PD that answers the questions and provides the support teachers need now to meet the needs of their language learners (and the rest of their class) whether you're online, onsite or going hybrid.

Your 6 week session provides weekly strategy support, community encouragement and online tips.

Acceleration BEGINS JANUARY 19th, so spread the word and get ready for a refreshing and energizing launch to a NEW YEAR! 

We can't wait to see you there! 

Sara & Jody