A Treasure Chest of Resources
The new school year has begun. How exciting—this new year is a treasure chest filled with unknown riches and wonders galore! How will you make the most of what’s inside? Will you dive in head-first, excitedly digging to the bottom? Or will you consider one item at a time, thinking about its story and its place in an unknown future? Educators are treasure seekers, finding gold and silver in some of the most unexpected places. We are risk takers and problem solvers, scientists and artists in pursuit of those brilliant and awe-inspiring nuggets of student success.
Unlike the traditional treasure hunter, we do our best work together rather than alone. We don’t hoard or sell our riches to the highest bidder but freely send them out into the world to shine for the benefit of all.
As you begin this new year, we wanted to take a minute to remind you that your aren’t on this journey alone. You have colleagues all around you, some of whom you know and some who are waiting to meet you. We have handpicked some tools and resources from the Literacy in Learning Exchange that could come in handy along the way.
For lesson plans and instructional strategies:
- Follow ReadWriteThink.org for timely recommendations of expert- and peer-reviewed literacy lessons and strategies.
- Follow the News and Information Literacy Professional Learning Community for curriculum resources that cross content areas and grade levels.
For professional learning resources and discussions:
- Follow the NCSS C3 Literacy Collaborative Grant Project (C3LC) for learning modules focused on aligning social studies instruction with the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards and the Common Core.
- Request to follow one or more of the 21st Century Literacy groups that are part of the ACTFL Languages and Literacy Collaboration Center professional learning and inquiry process, where new resources are posted regularly.
- Follow NCTE to keep up to date with our latest events and opportunities.
For tools and strategies to strengthen how your team works and learns together:
- Get to know the Framework for Building Capacity and use the Asset Inventory self-assessment tool to set goals for strengthening collaborative structures and practices.
- Focus your team’s learning by establishing an Inquiry Plan to dive deeply into a specific literacy practice.
- Follow Human Systems Dynamics for resources related to finding patterns within complexity, to supplement your inquiry processes.
If you are new to the Literacy in Learning Exchange, this archived Guided Tour is a great way to get started. The list above is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what you can find on the Exchange. Check out all the stakeholders who have contributed to this site.
Last but not least, please take a few minutes to tell us how we are doing and how we can support your literacy-related collaborations and professional learning. We look forward to following your journey and hope that you’ll share some of your stories and lessons learned along the way.
Here’s to a bountiful year!