OLD-Professional Development
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- PD Operations / HELC
- Design, Media, and Online Learning (DMOL)
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Effective Practices
- PL Toolkit
- PL-1 Develops Student Learning Goals
- PL-2 Data-driven instruction
- PL-3 Design Effective Lesson Plans, Units & Assessments
- I-1 Objective Driven Lessons
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I-2 Check for Understanding
- Assess Mastery
- Begin with the End
- Checkpoints
- Chunking Text
- Closure
- Cold Call
- Exit Ticket
- Graphic Organizer
- Guided Practice
- Non-Verbal Signals
- Open-Ended Responses
- Post It
- Randomizing Responses
- Right is Right
- Running Roster
- Stretch It
- Structured Peer Conversation
- Student Conferences
- Student-Generated Questions
- Teach Back
-
I-3 Differentiation
- Chunking Text
- Double Plan
- Exit Ticket
- Flexible Grouping
- Graphic Organizer
- Grappling
- HOT Question
- Independent Practice
- Leveled Text
- Multimedia
- Open-Ended Responses
- Post It
- Product Menus
- Right is Right
- Running Roster
- Stretch It
- Structured Peer Conversation
- Student-Generated Questions
- Take a Stand
- Tiered Assignments
- Workstations
- I-4 Higher Level Thinking
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I-5 Maximizing Instructional Time
- 100 Percent
- Academic Posture
- Call and Response
- Cold Call
- Do Now
- Entry Routine
- Exit Routine
- Job Assignments
- Material Organization
- Non-Verbal Interventions
- Non-Verbal Signals
- Open-Ended Responses
- Pacing Tools
- Right is Right
- Stretch It
- Strong Voice
- Student Conference
- Teach Back
- Tight Transitions
- Work the Clock
- Workstations
- I-6 Communicating Content/Concepts
- I-7 High Academic Expectations
-
I-8 Student Engagement
- Academic Posture
- Call and Response
- Closure
- Cold Call
- Do Now
- Engage and Connect
- Graphic Organizer
- HOT Question
- Independent Practice
- J-Factor
- Job Assignments
- Leveled Text
- Non-Verbal Signals
- Open-Ended Responses
- Product Menus
- Randomizing Responses
- Real-World Connections
- Reinforcers
- Structured Peer Conversation
- Student-Generated Questions
- Workstations
- Work Hard, Get Smart
- I-9 Classroom Management
- I-10 Classroom Climate
- Literacy Routines
- Academics
- Swivl Pilot Program
- Professional Development
Description
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Leveled texts are books that cover similar topics over a variety of reading levels and give every learner access to the content at an appropriate level of challenge. Leveled texts help teachers respect students' unique learning paths and help students become more proficient readers. The use of leveled texts improves comprehension at varying degrees of student ability. It can also help students deal with the frustration of reading difficult material by providing challenging text at a manageable level for the student.
- Collect a set of leveled texts (some campuses have purchased sets of these books) or select books from your library that can be leveled.
- Use an assessment tool to determine students' reading levels. Some examples include:
- Guided Reading Level - At the beginning of the school year, the student sits one-on-one with the teacher and reads from a benchmark book. Teachers may ask students to answer questions about the text or retell the story.
- Developmental Reading Assessment - At the beginning of the school year, the student will read a benchmark book to the teacher and then retell the story. The teacher then scores the student on a range of skills such as accuracy of reading, comprehension, and fluency.
- Lexile Measures - The student will take a school-administered Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) or a standardized level reading test that will generate a Lexile measure of reading ability.
- Match students to books that are on or close to their determined reading level. Again, students should not be frustrated while reading the text but challenged at a manageable level with some new vocabulary, text structure, and/or content.
- Assess students’ progress and determine when it is time for advancement to the next level. Students need to be re-assessed regularly to ensure they are progressing.
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Alerts
Keep in mind that planning is key, given that one concept is being taught through many story lines. Having enough leveled texts for readers at each level can be difficult. Collaborate with the grade-level to create a leveled-texts database.
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Quick Tips
Students at the same reading level can be grouped and taught specific reading strategies during small group instruction.
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Other Strategies
Jigsaw
The teacher provides students with leveled texts on a specific topic that are appropriate to the student’s reading proficiency. Students later get into heterogeneous groups to share their findings on the topic. This technique allows teachers to tackle the same subject with all of their students while discreetly providing them the different leveled tools they need to master the content.
”Just Right” Book Test
This strategy help students evaluate books and select the ones that are at their reading level. Students choose a book and read from a random page. They put one finger up for every word they do not know. If four or five fingers go up while reading they must choose another book, as this one is too challenging. If the student puts up one finger or none at all, then the book is too easy. If only two or three fingers go up, they have found a “just right” book.