ELA+Initiatives+Presentation+for+CSG

ELA Initiatives Goals:  Promote achievement at grade level in Reading, Writing & Critical Analysis  Infuse the Arts into the ELA curriculum  Encourage student engagement & portfolio building through technological resources.  Maintain the existence of the Literacy Skills classes, and college bound classes in order to encourage student engagement and promote excellence in standardized exams.

Action Plans to Achieve Goals:

ELA Committee Curriculum mapping on line (www.renaissancecharter.jot.com) Mock ELA and Regents Exams (in the Middle School, & in the high school when needed) K-12 ELA Professional Development work with Coach (assessing & creating continuity in curriculum)

Writing Projects Writer’s Workshop (Middle School) English Writing Rubrics (M.O.D.E.L) – based on the regents standards On line portfolios through Wikispaces - building towards a Senior Portfolio

Reading Silent Reading in Literacy Skills Classes (MS) – 20 mins. day Reading Groups to improve comprehension – small groups facilitated by Queens College & MGI students

Critical Analysis Classroom WikiSpaces for collaborative projects & Proboards for discussions Web Sites: 9/10 grade: www.trcs.wikispaces.com (collaboration) & http://teach11372.proboards106.com/ (discussion) 11/12 grade: www.trcs112.wikispaces.com (collaboration) & http://trcsjuniors.proboards67.com/ (11th grade discussion) & http://trcsseniors.proboards58.com/ (12th grade discussion) Elements of Critical Analysis Involved: Conceptualize, analyze, communication, purposeful work, forming opinions & action

Shared Inquiry Discussion Model Searching for answers to fundamental questions in a text-based class discussion.

Literacy Skill Grammar mini-lessons ELA test prep Improving organization / structure of essay writing & deconstructing multiple choice questions Mock ELA Test Middle School Initiative – Literacy Skills classes in the Middle School

College Bound Writing Personal Statements SAT Prep. Writing Mechanics Workshops