Julia Sadowsky Brent Elementary School Preschool-3 2011-2012 School Year Vision Thesis Statement Instructions: Draft a student-friendly

synthesis of your vision that encapsulates what you want your students to be able to leave your classroom doing Kid Friendly: We are powerful, We are brilliant, We are independent and what we have to say matters. We am caring, responsible and we do our best work every day because it is our job to learn, take care of our classroom and take care of our friends. Everything we learn in school makes our brains grow bigger and bigger and is launching us towards making our dreams come true. By working hard and helping hard this year, we will be great scholars, great authors, great readers and great friends. Parent Friendly: This year students will develop a positive self-concept as a student and view school as something that is important, something that they love and something they can be incredibly successful at. They will believe that they are powerful, brilliant, and independent and that what they have to say matters. They will take on many responsibilities as a member of our classroom community and hold one another accountable for doing their part. Students will operate as a team, helping and caring for one another, and cheering one another on as they reach their academic goals and achieve great accomplishments. Together, families, students and teachers will collaborate in a relentless effort to propel students towards a high level of achievement in all academic domains. This will undoubtedly increase their success in our classroom, their success throughout their educational career, and consequently, this will increase their life opportunities.

Academic Big Goals

(Quantitative) Literacy: What academic goals will you hold your students to? (e.g., what content-specific standards/skills will they master and to what level of mastery/growth?) All students will master 90% of literacy standards

I will measure their progress on an ongoing basis (e.g., at the unit level) by

If students reach these academic goals, they will concretely be able to

Concrete teacher actions that will help kids achieve these goals.

Quarterly Formal Assessments, Data Tracker

(See Data Tracker with outlined literacy standards)

All students will be able to identify the names (upper and lowercase) and sounds

Monthly Formal Assessments (GOLD Alphabet Recognition

*Identify 26 capital letters when presented in a random order

* Teachers are planning on a yearly, unit, and daily level * Teachers are scaffolding/differentiating plans to meet the needs of individual students * Teachers are collecting data regularly, aligning that data to standards, analyzing the data and re-teaching skills accordingly * Teachers are using data to show families how students are doing, and providing them with individualized activities to support at home learning * Teacher modeling and demonstrating the best practices for parents through workshops and mini-lessons * Posting the alphabet in multiple accessible locations throughout the classroom

of all 26 letters.

Game), Anecdotal notes

*Identify 26 lowercase letters when presented in a random order *Know that every letter makes its own sound *Produce the correct sound each of the 26 letters makes when presented in a random order

* Incorporating the alphabet and literacy into every learning center * Making the alphabet exciting and accessible for multiple learning styles (tactile, kinesthetic, musical, visual, etc.) *Sing letter-sound songs daily * Incorporating letter and letter sound identification into transitions and routines * Emphasize daily that we are learning letters and their sounds so we can read!

All students will be able to identify 15 sight words.

Quarterly Formal Assessments, Anecdotal notes, Checklists

*Instantly identify 15 sight words when presented in any context.

All students will be able to blend the sounds of 3 letter words in order to recognize the word.

Quarterly Formal Assessments, Anecdotal notes, Small Group checklists

*Incorporate sight words organically throughout the day (morning message, read-a-louds, writers workshop, etc.) * Use sight word flash cards for transitions and down-time opportunities (waiting in the hallway for special teacher to get ready, while students are waiting in line at water fountain, etc.) * Share sight words with families, provide them with flashcards and fun ideas for utilizing materials *Know what a word is * Model and perform think-a-louds of *Know that every letter blending words together makes a sound *Use morning message as a time to *Know that you blend the explicitly teach that groups of letters sounds of the letters to read form words the word * Plan differentiated small group *Look at a 3 letter word, lessons on blending sounds throughout identify the sound of each the year letter, and use the shoulder, *Share shoulder, elbow, wrist

elbow, wrist technique to blend the sounds and ultimately identify the word Writing: What academic goals will you hold your students to? (e.g., what content-specific standards/skills will they master and to what level of mastery/growth?) All students will write at at least a Level IV (Semiphonetic) on the BEL Writing Continuum, and grow at least 2 levels throughout the year. I will measure their progress on an ongoing basis (e.g., at the unit level) by If students reach these academic goals, they will concretely be able to

technique with families

Concrete teacher actions that will help kids achieve these goals.

Collecting weekly writing samples

* Write at a level that is at least 2 levels higher than the level they performed at when they entered school

All students will write their Collecting weekly writing first names accurately. samples

* Writers all the letters of own name in the correct sequence, form and orientation

*Consistently perform think-a-louds when modeling writing *Incorporate writing materials in every learning center possible *Provide myriad real-world situations for writing (pen-pals in another class, writing letters to family members or book characters, creating class books) *Celebrate writing with Best Work Board and Publishing Parties *Collect weekly writing samples, analyze, record data and use date to inform the planning of small group and Writers Workshop lessons *Provide daily fine motor activities for all students (playdough, shaving cream writing, lacing, sensory tables, etc.) *Have student names posted in multiple locations throughout the classroom

*Provide writing materials in as many centers as possible throughout the classroom *Invest students in writing their name (Great authors & artists have to sign their work, If you write your name, friends and family will know this is yours, People will think youre in kindergarten because you can write your name already!) *Constantly model signing your work *Perform think a-louds when writing (top to bottom, left to right) *Consistently require students sign their work All students will be able to go through the 3 step writing process independently. (Think about what I want to write, Draw the pictures, Write the words) Anecdotal notes from Writers Workshop, scaffolded writing time and independent writing. *Look at the When I Write.. visual and accurately point to and label all 3 steps (Think about what I want to write, Draw the pictures, Writer the words) * Create an original story with illustrations and words without prompts * Post When I Write.. visual in an accessible place in the classroom as well as in students individual writing journals *Share When I Write.. visual with families and clearly explain the writing process we use in class *Perform think-a-louds, using the When I Write.. visual as a guide, when writing small moment stories at afternoon meeting and any other time I

am writing a story throughout the day * Consistently use these steps as a guide when prompting students to write their stories Math: What academic goals will you hold your students to? (e.g., what content-specific standards/skills will they master and to what level of mastery/growth?) All students will master 90% of math standards

I will measure their progress on an ongoing basis (e.g., at the unit level) by

If students reach these academic goals, they will concretely be able to

Concrete teacher actions that will help kids achieve these goals.

Quarterly Formal Assessments, Data Tracker

(See Data Tracker with outlined Math Standards)

* Teachers are planning on a yearly, unit, and daily level * Teachers are scaffolding/differentiating plans to meet the needs of individual students * Teachers are collecting data regularly, aligning that data to standards, analyzing the data and re-teaching skills accordingly * Teachers are using data to show families how students are doing, and providing them with individualized activities to support at home learning * Teacher modeling and demonstrating the best practices for parents through

All students will be able to count to 30 with understanding.

Monthly Formal Assessments, Anecdotal Notes

*Rote count to 30 *Count objects using 1:1 correspondence *Know that the last number you say is how many *Construct sets of up to 30 objects

All students will be able to identify numerals 0-20.

Monthly Formal Assessments, Anecdotal Notes, Small Group checklists

* Instantly identify all numerals 0-20 when presented in a random order

workshops and mini-lessons * Constantly model and perform thinka-louds of using 1:1 correspondence, explicitly saying And I know the last number I say is how many.. so I have 10! * Incorporate real-world counting into routines throughout the day (How many students are here, weather chart, calendar, snack portions, etc.) *Plan differentiated small group lessons for 1:1 correspondence and constructing sets throughout the year *Provide best practice workshops on 1:1 correspondence and constructing sets for families *Send home engaging and exciting activity suggestions to support counting with understanding * Post large visuals of numerals in the classroom *Incorporate numerals throughout the learning centers *Plan lessons, activities and transitions that make numerals accessible for multiple learning styles (tactile, kinesthetic, visual, musical, etc.) * Plan differentiated small group lessons that involve numerals

Qualitative Vision at the

Student Level Prioritized Traits, Knowledge, and Mindsets (e.g., the targeted beliefs and ideas that will empower students to achieve their academic goals and embrace life-long learning)

Concrete Student Actions (e.g., how will students operate if theyve internalized these traits, knowledge, and mindsets?)

Concrete Teacher Actions (what are the daily/weekly/monthly systems, routines, and rituals that I will use as a teacher to reinforce these student actions?)

Persistent
Students demonstrate persistence and are eager to try again when faced with a challenge.

*Sees tasks through to completion * Attempts multiple strategies for solving a problem * Plans a variety of appropriately challenging tasks and pursues goal until it is complete * Asks classmates and teachers for help and feedback

*Perform think-a-louds when modeling planning a task, expressing persistence (Ex. I am choosing to work in the art center today and I am going to try to mix paint until I can make pink paint. I am going to try my best and try every color combination until I make that pink paint!) *Perform puppet shows and role play situations when things do not work out immediately, demonstrate thinking of a new way to solve the problem and emphasize not giving up *Always model asking peers and teachers for help when you run out of ideas *Respect and validate the thoughts and ideas of others *Encourage and highlight persistence when students demonstrate it *Provide an encouraging and supportive classroom environment *Highlight the strengths and accomplishments of each child throughout the day through personal dialogue or whole-group presentation *Have a living best work board *Provide multiple opportunities for whole-group interaction (outdoor games, songs and dances, morning and afternoon meeting activities) *Consistently give out cheers for students

Confident
Students are confident in their abilities and know that what they have to say is important.

*Says positive things about themselves, their work, and their abilities *Uses a strong voice to share their thoughts to the group *Tries new things *Interacts with peers *Actively participates in group activities * Celebrates their successes

Independent
Students feel comfortable navigating the classroom, daily schedule and routines independently.

*Peforms daily classroom routines without prompts * Can identify each period of the day when looking at the class schedule * Can work independently or with classmates for an extended period of time without adult assistance *Can meet all personal needs without adult assistance (go to the bathroom, get water, get a tissue, find classroom materials, etc.) *Finds own solution to problems

Motivated
Students connect daily learning to their brain growing bigger and bigger.

*Excited to be at school/ Excited to learn *Says, My brain is growing bigger! *Celebrate academic successes *Relates daily accomplishments to big goals (I know all my letter sounds now, I am going to be able to read!) *Volunteers to participate in activities and lessons *Use classroom materials purposefully and respectfully

Committed

accomplishments and efforts (A-W-E-S-O-M-E, Youre Awesome! Totally. Etc.) *Model using a strong voice, explicitly discuss how to use a strong voice and why it is important *Encourage a strong and clear voice during students share time each day * Spend the first six weeks of school solidifying classroom routines, practicing, modeling and performing think-a-louds *Deliver all instructions clearly and explicitly *Provide visuals of routines and schedules throughout the classroom *Visit the daily schedule regularly throughout the day *Perform a Guided Discovery of every material brought into the classroom *Create clean, organized and labeled learning centers in which all tools are safe and within the read of every student *Provide I Can.. visuals throughout the learning centers *At morning meeting, energetically welcome and remind students of why they are in school I am so glad youre here because we have so much to learn and your brains are going to grow bigger and bigger! *Purposefully plan the why in daily lesson plans and clearly communicate this with students *Create a joy factor! *Celebrate the academic successes of students with praise, encouragement, high-fives and fun chants and cheers *Create Best Work Board *Explicitly discuss what makes work Best Work

Students believe it is important to always do their best work.

*Spends time on their work *Compares their work, recognizes their best work and can explain why it is their best work

*Perform think-a-louds and model spending time on your work *Have individual conferences with students in which they choose their Best Work *Perform Guided Discoveries for all classroom materials

Vision for my Class Culture Concrete Students Actions (e.g., how will students learn to treat, work with, and push each other in ways that will set them up for long-term success? What values will they need to uphold in their interactions with others?)

Concrete Teacher Actions (e.g., what are the daily/weekly/monthly systems, routines, and rituals that I will use as a teacher to reinforce these student actions?) * Spend the first six week of school performing community building activities *Refer to the class as a classroom community and explicitly teach what the word community means *Celebrate the successes of each student, and involve the classroom in the celebration (cheers, chants, air high-fives, etc.) * Highlight the strengths of students to the class *Pair students into buddies to teach one another skills (Ashton and Claire are paired together. Ashton I would like you to help Claire learn numerals 4 and 5 this week. Claire I would like you to teach Ashton how to zip his coat this week.) *Enlist students who have mastered a skill as teachers during center time and small group time

Team
Students view themselves as part of a classroom community and are eager to help their peers reach their goals and celebrate with them when they do.

Participate in group activities Cheer on their classmates when participating Celebrate classmates accomplishments (highfives, good jobs) Give classmates compliments Push classmates to learn

*Perform puppet shows and role plays that model each problem solving strategy *Read books and have class discussions on how we could use As professional problem solvers, students will problem solving strategies to solve the problem collaborate to find solutions to their problems. (Trade, Take Turns, Share, Work Together, Ignore, Say Please, *Use the problem solving visual in lessons and hang it in multiple accessible locations throughout the classroom Say Stop, Ask a Friend, etc.) *Purposefully plan small group lessons on problem solving strategies *When a problem arises, bring the visual to the students and walk U3.L2. Using problem solving to deal with them through using the visual to solve their own problem distractions *Encourage students to solve problems independently and highlight U3.L3. Demonstrating polite interruptions those who do U3.L4. Understanding solutions to promote fair *Send the problem solving visual home with families along with a play U3.L5. Using calming-down and problem-solving clear description of what each strategy is and examples of using it. Encourage families to keep this visual accessible and to utilize it skills to deal with having something taken away when solving problems at home U3.L7. Understanding that fair ways to play promote fun U3.L8. Understanding and applying joining-in (to play) steps Attempt multiple strategies to solve a problem

Problem Solvers

*U & Ls indicate corresponding unit and lesson in Second Step Violence Prevention Program.

Empathy
Students will recognize the emotions of their classmates and actively take steps to make them feel better. (Hug, Handshake, High-Five, Problem Solving, Kind Words, etc.)

*Explicitly plan lessons about identifying emotions *Stop instruction to go through the steps of making students feel better, always recognizing their emotion (Friends, I notice Jaleb isnt happy. How do you think he is feeling? Jaleb, why are you feeling sad? What can we do to make you feel better? Give him a high-five. Continue instruction.)

U1.L2. Understanding physical clues to identify others feelings U1.L3.Understanding situational clues to identify others feelings U1.L4. Understanding physical clues to identify our own feelings U1.L5. Understanding that peoples feelings about a situation can change U1.L6. Understanding that others can have different feelings about the same situation U1.L7. Understanding that some actions are accidental U1.L8. Using words and actions to show that you care U1.L9. Understanding that helping is a way to show you care Using hugs, handshakes and high-fives to make friends feel better when they are upset

*Post visual of how to make friends feel better in accessible locations throughout the room. *Model using this visual when making students feel better in role plays, small group lessons and throughout the year organically. *Share hugs, handshakes and high-fives strategy with families

*U & Ls indicate corresponding unit and lesson in Second Step Violence Prevention Program

Caring
Students will always use kind words and kind hands with one another, working to keep each other safe and happy.

*Incorporate Kind Words and Kind Hands into Classroom Promises, Revisit these promises as a group regularly *Perform puppet shows and role plays about kind words and kind hands *Highlight issues involving kind words and kind hands in read-a-louds *Discuss how using, or not using, kind words and kind hands makes

Use kind words and hands Helps others Shares with others Understands how others feel in a given situation Understanding that you have the power to make a friend feel better when they are upset

people feel and why *Have classroom meetings to discuss and breaches of these promises and brainstorm solutions for students to fix the problem

Listening
Students will respect one anothers ideas, and actively listen when their classmates are speaking. Understanding listening rules help everyone learn Following listening rules Focusing your attention with ears, eyes and brain Understanding we need to listen when our classmates and teachers are speaking, because what they have to say is important Responding logically to a classmates comment Engaging in conversations with more than 2 back and forth exchanges

*Appreciate student voice in the classroom *Provide time for students to share their thoughts, ideas, opinions *Explicitly teach and model active listening *Perform puppet shows and role plays on how only one person can speak at a time (or else we cant understand what people are saying!) *Always give students and co-teacher full attention when they are speaking *Encourage students to share their ideas

Vision for My Leadership at the School Level The kind of relationship that I need to have with Concrete teacher actions that will help to foster and cultivate key influencers (e.g., administration, colleagues, this relationship with key influencers at the school level etc.) at the school level to set my kids up for short and long-term success will look like This year I am determined to have an impact outside of *Co-plan with my pre-school team members the four walls of my classroom, and outside of the ECE *Find an upper-level class to be reading buddies with

wing. While continuing to collaborate with my ECE colleagues, I want to extend my collaboration to the elementary teachers to find unique ways in which we could work together to create mutually beneficial activities and projects for our students to work on together, across grade levels. I also want to dedicate time and space into developing an after school empowerment program with the aim of supporting the self-esteem and confidence of the students in the upper-grade levels, a common issue that the elementary teachers found many of their students to be struggling with last year. There are many extremely influential parents at my school, and I aim to be more proactive in developing my relationships with them and providing my time and resources into helping them with their myriad projects that support the Brent Community.

*Find an upper-level class to be writing buddies with *Find fifth graders to volunteer to be teachers helpers in our classroom once a week during their recess *Implement my Point and F.L.E.X. afterschool program twice a week *Attend PTA Meetings *Volunteer for one of the Leadership Roles on the Green Team *Communicate with PTA members regularly *Make myself available for their projects *Attend and volunteer at school events that dont explicitly involve preschoolers

Vision for Parent/Family Engagement Kind of relationship that I need to have with parents/families that will most contribute to my students short and long-term success will look like Families will be an essential part of our classroom community. It is imperative that I develop open, trusting and respectful relationships with my students families so that we can work together from day one. From the first time we meet I need to convey the serious amounts of learning that will take place in our classroom this year, and that they are going to be an integral part of making that happen. I will immediately enlist them as co-teachers and support their role with constant communication,

Concrete teacher actions that will help to foster and cultivate this relationship with parents/families *Home Visits *Comprehensive Welcome Packet *Constantly Update Family Board *Frequent Positive Phone Calls/E-mails/Conversations *Organized Communication System *Monthly Newsletters *Monthly Family versions of unit plans, with suggested activities to support the skills we will be covering that month *Weekly Individualized Progress Updates

individualized updates and tailored at home activities to ensure they are sustaining a rigorous level of learning at home. There will be strong communication between the families and myself, to ensure that we are all working together to form the best supportive team we can in order to launch each student to their fullest potential. Families will know that they are not only welcome in our classroom, but they are needed in our classroom. Their perspectives and abilities will push all students learning and provide experiences that simply would not exist if myself and my instructional aide were the only adults in the classroom. Students families, extended families, neighbors and friends will all be a part of our classroom community. Whoever is important to the student is important to our classroom. Letting families know how important their influence is on their childs learning and setting them up with the skills and materials to effectively sustain learning at home now, will set high expectations for the at-home learning the child will participate in throughout the rest of their educational careers. This will undoubtedly increase their success in the classroom and consequently, their life opportunities.

*Comprehensive Parent Teacher Conference Packets *Eagerly inviting families to join us in class, and being specific about when we need them *Learn about the jobs, hobbies, talents of family members and invite them in to share their strengths when they relate to a topic of theme (Ex. Invite Roberts mom who is in the navy to come in and talk about boats when we are learning about the ocean) *Highlighting and celebrating when family members join us (pictures on family board/ newsletter, etc.) *Creating a Classroom Community Calendar with at least 5 special dates from each family *Plan field trips on varying days so different family members can join us *Plan a classroom community event once a month (potlucks, publishing parties, musem nights, art exhibits, family picnics, etc.)

Vision Rationale/Reflection Heading into Year 2

Last year, my students were able to meet and exceed the goals I set for them. At the time, it seemed like a cause for a big celebration. Looking back, however, I know that we could have done more. I know that they were capable of more and that I did not push them as far as they could go. Mastering 80% of literacy and math standards is not enough to undoubtedly put them on the path for success in whatever life path they choose. 80% is simply not enough. That means that this year, I know that I need to set the bar for academic excellence even higher. I am setting higher expectations in all academic domains and setting higher expectations for the independence and perseverance they will use to achieve their goals. By the end of the year, my students will be reading leveled books, writing full sentences and be as ready for Kindergarten as the students in Pre-K4.