2009-08-24

=**LLT Meeting**=

8/24/2009 9:00-10:30 Room 112

Attending: Stacey Varone, Debbie Pye, Donna Elmore, Kristin Bulgarelli, Valerie Piccini, Nancy Rowan, Mary Teresa Maule Alft

=AGENDA=


 * PRIORITY LA WORK FOR PLE
 * Daily Schedule
 * Pacing Guide Calendar
 * Best Practice - Whole Group Instruction/GRR
 * Best Practice - Phonics/Word Wall
 * Stage 11: Eliminate or Redefine
 * Destiny Implementation Decisions


 * []

MINUTES

 * Pacing Guides were updated for 09-10; agreed with both Grade 1 & 2 that there would be no new story the weeks of 11/2 and 3/1, to allow further time for assessment.
 * What is the date for the common assessment for the third trimester - not on the Google PD calendar; mt will check on this.
 * Reviewed the changes in the common daily schedule:
 * Read Aloud as a separate content removed; incorporate as an instructional framework throughout all content areas
 * Added time in the morning for pledge/lunch/attendance
 * Added RtI/DEAR as an alternative to Morning Meeting for RtI/DEAR weeks (See Google PD calendar)
 * Instruction resumes at 12:30 - time to return from recess/special
 * Adjusted Handwriting from 10 to 15 minutes for one family
 * Added dotted lines to indicate flexibility in rotating content, to meet the needs of students pulled out for support programs (Generally able to flex Word Work, Flexible Groups and Writing Workshop); students will not have to miss the same content every day. Teachers can flex by day, week or semimonthly.)
 * Best Practice: GO! Charts during Whole Class Instruction: grade levels selected stories for the first trimester for use with a GO! chart (Grade 1: 2 fiction; Grade 2: 2 fiction, 1 non-fiction); the pacing guide will be updated to reflect these stories.
 * Grade 1: 10/5 __Todd's Box__, 10/26 __Boots for Beth__
 * Grade 2: 9/14 __The Mixed-Up Chameleon__, 10/12 __Wilson Sat Alone__, 10/26 __Helping Out__
 * Word Wall discussion
 * Now: Words on the word wall are high frequency reading words and words from Writing Workshop
 * Suggestion: Have a Pattern Wall to represent the Harcourt Phonics/Spelling patterns; Have a word wall that focuses on spelling words (irregular & very common)
 * Harcourt "Spelling" words are primarily focused on the phonics generalizations instructed during the week. How can the pre/post test help define instruction and be used as a phonics assessment?
 * Remove the Small Group blocks from the Pacing Guides - not being used.
 * Word Study
 * Students have four categories of focus words: high frequency (sight) words from Harcourt; vocabulary words from Harcourt; Phonics/Spelling words from Harcourt; spelling (irregular and very common words) not now specified in the curriculum - added through Writing Workshop lessons
 * Stages & Indicators
 * Suggestion to eliminate Stage 11
 * Stage 10 - Book Level M (Indicator M); Book Level N & higher (Indicator E); Book Level O & higher (refer to reading specialist for recommendations)
 * Will discuss this with Marie
 * NOTE: Marie understands the need to adjust the indicator for students reading at Level N and higher to an E, to align with the use of E at lower stages. However, we should continue to use Stage 11 as a benchmark, to help clarify the reading instructional goals and assessments for students who have mastered Stage 10.
 * Stage 10 Book Level M = M
 * Stage 10 Book Level N = E and a referral to the reading specialist to provide instructional goals that align with Grade 3 curriculum and Stage 11 criteria; students who attain Stage 10 by the end of the first trimester in Grade 2 are eligible to participate in Great Books.
 * Stage 11 Book Level O and higher = E
 * This needs to be shared back to LLTs at the next meeting and then shared with teachers.