Secondary ELA & Library Media News: April 2021
Dear Secondary ELA and Library Media Colleagues:
Welcome to National Library Week! You can learn more about this week's celebration here<http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek>, and be sure to thank your favorite librarians (or pat yourself on the back) for all that you do to share the love of reading and the power of solid research. Personally, I'm looking forward to when the public library buildings in my area open again to the public.
There are many important causes that are recognized in the month of April with many opportunities for classroom connections: the importance of poetry, our librarians, the acceptance of autism (check out 15 books to read for Autism Acceptance Month<https://diversebooks.org/15-books-to-read-for-autism-acceptance-month/>), and our Earth. Be sure to check them out.
Also I'm offering a free professional learning opportunity focused on equity-based MTSS in Secondary ELA settings. See the details below -- I'm hoping you and/or the educators you serve will join us.
Lastly, I hope you found rest and rejuvenation during your spring breaks. We're in the home stretch, folks.
Naomi
What are you currently reading, listening to, and watching?
My Current Reads: The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, The Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder that Shocked Jazz-Age America<https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-4514-9862-5> by Karen Abbott
My Current Music Listen: "Lovely Day"<https://open.spotify.com/track/0bRXwKfigvpKZUurwqAlEh?si=f_WQXMFfQBaWeO7ldE…> by Bill Withers
My Current Watch: UMFA's Black Refractions Exhibit <https://umfa.utah.edu/black-refractions> The exhibit ends this week, so if you're in the neighborhood, get a ticket and go or schedule a virtual tour<https://umfa.utah.edu/virtual-visits>. It's really superb.
Educator Spotlight
Darren Perkes
Teacher - Green Canyon High School
Instructional Coach - Cache County School District
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How long have you been teaching?
This is my 23rd year of teaching (1 at Box Elder Middle School, 18 at Sky View High School, and 4 at Green Canyon High School)
Who/what inspired you to become a teacher?
God. And I fought him. I never considered teaching as a career growing up. I had two uncles who were dentists. They worked four-day weeks, had lots of toys, took lots of vacations, and spent plenty of money. I wanted that . . . or so I thought. Everything I worked on in the program for dentistry shut me down. Classes frustrated me. Activities made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. Doors closed faster than they opened. But I had an English class at USU that was the only bright part of my week. I wish I could tell you my professor's name, but I have some undiagnosed disease called "forgetsnamesalot." That one class made me feel alive and hungry for learning. Then the dreams came. Yes, I had dreams about teaching. The weird thing is that I do remember one name in my dreams. Phyllis Bestor - my twelfth-grade English teacher at Orem High School. My dreams weren't about my current situation. They were previous dreams I had had back in high school and suppressed at the time but brought back to life. I would dream about what my teachers had done well and what they could have done better to improve my learning. One math teacher let me go get donuts every day for $3.18 a dozen at Winchell's. Loved that at the time, but I did not learn a thing. Mrs. Bestor was disappointed when I was late to class. She encouraged my research on Apartheid and made me want to help the cause through writing. She helped me learn without knowing I was learning. Dentistry may have helped me have money, but teaching gave me life. Ha, sounds pretty cheesy when I write that, but I stand behind it. Best decision I ever made.
What has been the most rewarding part of teaching?
The rollercoaster. The highs. The lows. The twists. The turns. The new people I meet every time I ride. I love inspiring the kids (and I use "kids" as a term of endearment and not to belittle them in any way), but I am inspired by them possibly more than they are by me. And often I do not know how or if I did inspire them. That is what is so amazing about the back-and-forth. Teaching has taught me how to work hard for success, learn from failures, and expect the unexpected. I am rarely disappointed from day to day. I embrace the moments!
What are your hobbies/interests when you are not teaching?
Golf is my happy place to unwind and find peace, at least in how I define it. I enjoy being outdoors with my family hiking, skiing, mountain-biking, traveling, eating treats, and watching movies. Since I never became a dentist, I do not have a boat, an irresponsible muscle car, or a summer home in the Bahamas. But I do have four wonderful children and a loving wife with whom I would prefer to spend most of my time. I enjoy holding hands with and kissing my wife as well. Gross! Why did he say that :-)
What do you think is the most important thing about teaching ELA to kids?
Communication. We cannot survive without a means of communication. Our job is not simply teaching students how to read and write. We are teaching them how to think critically, consider perspectives responsibly, evaluate written, spoken, and implied meanings effectively, and communicate appropriately. The greatest statement I have learned from a conference I attended that helps me work with students, and teachers, is, "Don't judge, get curious!" I must do that for my students in order for me to help them individually learn. But I am also working to help them understand how to do this with everything they learn. Think about that statement for a minute with any aspect of English writing or literature. It works. Curiosity encourages genuine learning. Kids may have access to all the information they could ever need, and more, with technology, but they still need us to help them learn how to use it.
What is your favorite book? Author?
I would usually just say the book I am reading at the time, but one that sticks out the most is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. What we create matters.
Register NOW! Equity-Based MTSS in Secondary ELA Professional Learning
A reminder about registration for the FREE professional learning opportunity that we're hosting:
Equity-Based MTSS in Secondary ELA, April 20 and 27 from 9-12pm with a follow-up in Fall 2021
* Virtual sessions with Dawn Miller from SWIFT Education Center
* Register on MIDAS | Course # 59317-1 by April 14
* 6 relicensure hours
Who should attend? Consider your school/LEA system of supports:
* Administrators
* ELA/Literacy Directors
* Coaches
* ELA & SPED educators
Learning Targets
* Have a shared understanding of an Equity-Based Multi-Tiered System of Support and a growing research base that demonstrates positive outcomes in academic and behavioral arenas
* Examine a Fidelity of Integrity Assessment that can be utilized by Building Leadership Teams to evaluate implementation strengths
* Explore tools that can be used to design a tiered system
* Delve into high leverage instructional practices at the secondary level that could strengthen Universal Support across content areas
* Reflect on current strengths and develop actionable steps to define or strengthen current tiered support
The WRITE Center Webinar Series
The WRITE Center continues to offer webinars on a variety of topics focused on ELA instruction.
* What Works Best for Literacy Instruction? Visible Learning for Literacy in History/Social Studies and ELA with Douglas Fisher, Ph.D<https://education.sdsu.edu/directory/edl/douglas-fisher>. on 4/15/2021 3:30-5pm (PST)/ 6:30-8pm (EST)
Information and registration found here: https://www.writecenter.org/webinars.html
Central Utah Writing Project, One-Week Institute
June 21-25, 2021
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
4116 JFSB, BYU Campus
This course will emphasize nurturing the writer within each participant.
Teachers of all grade levels and subject areas will learn research-driven strategies to cultivate their students' ability to write and think successfully, engage in peer review, foster clear thinking, and facilitate inquiry.
Educators will be given ideas and resources necessary to teach and model the writing process effectively in their classrooms.
Cost
* $300 regular enrollment (45 points)
* $450 university enrollment (3 Southern Utah University credits)
To register, pay by credit card at this link: https://commerce.cashnet.com/webcuwp
Registration Deadline: May 31, 2021
National Poetry Month is in April!
Resources from Academy of American Poets
https://poets.org/national-poetry-month
Interviews with Poets from NCTE
https://ncte.org/resources/poetry/
The Poetry Learning Lab from the Poetry Foundation<https://www.poetryfoundation.org/resources/learning>
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn
The Poetry Learning Lab is a great source of knowledge, including a glossary of poetry terms, links to public domain poems, and inspiring essays on poetry from writers and educators.
Utah Poetry Festival
April 16-18
https://utahpoetryfestival.com/utah-poetry-festival-schedule/
A virtual celebration of Utah's poets and poetry, online Friday, April 16th to Sunday, April 18th, 2021. Register to watch live or stream all events later via the Utah Humanities YouTube channel<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyHUS-MR80gR4coQvsi86LQ>. Live events will feature public Q&As. All events closed captioned by AI Media<https://www.ai-media.tv/en/ai-media/>.
Teaching Poetry: Audio Recordings of Poetry and Literature from the Library of Congress
Wednesday, April 21, 4 p.m. ET
This event is open to the public; NCTE membership not required.
Join NCTE as we continue our celebration of National Poetry Month with the Library of Congress. In this session, Library of Congress experts will share two core resources for educators wishing to use audio recordings in their work with students:
Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature<https://www.loc.gov/collections/archive-of-recorded-poetry-and-literature/a…>
Listen to audio-recorded readings of former Consultants in Poetry, including Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks and Robert Frost; Nobel Laureates Mario Vargas Llosa and Czeslaw Milosz; and renowned writers such as Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, and Kurt Vonnegut read from their work at the Library of Congress. The Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature at the Library of Congress dates back to 1943 and contains nearly 2,000 recordings of writers participating in literary events. Each April, the Library adds 50 newly digitized recordings to the online collection as part of National Poetry Month.
Poetry of America<https://www.loc.gov/poetry/poetry-of-america/>
Learn about this collection of field recordings by a wide range of award-winning contemporary poets. Each poet reads a singular American poem of their choosing, and also speaks to how the poem connects to, deepens, or re-imagines our sense of the nation. The feature includes a print version of the poem to complement the recording, as well as a piece by the participating poet.
Registration here: https://ncte.org/events/opportunity-library-congress/
Annual Sor Juana Contest
F O R O R I G I N A L P O E T R Y & S H O R T S T O R I E S I N
S P A N I S H
DEADLINE:
June 11, 2021
https://www.artesmexut.org/sor-juana-poetry-contest
Earth Day, April 22
Join Caldecott Medal Winner Michaela Goade and Carole Lindstrom for an event to celebrate Earth Day!
Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth's water from harm and corruption. Carole and Michaela will read the book, talk about the inspiration, and then lead readers in a Water Protector pledge.
Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gH_hz3xXQ9WBfx0BKFtBwg
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Secondary Literacy Director Meeting Dates
Mark your calendars! To receive a meeting invite, contact Brenda McMurtrey at brenda.mcmurtrey(a)schools.utah.gov<mailto:brenda.mcmurtrey@schools.utah.gov>
For 2021-2022:
* September 22, 2021 from 1-3pm
* November 19, 2021 from 1-3pm
* January 25, 2022 from 1-3pm
* March 22, 2022 from 1-3pm
Join the Listserve
Want to stay in the loop of future newsletters?
Join the Secondary ELA ListServ at https://lists.uen.org/mailman/listinfo/secondaryela or
the Library Media ListServ at https://lists.uen.org/mailman/listinfo/library-media
UEN's Learn @ Home Resources
Find many learn at home resources for educators, students, and families at https://www.uen.org/learnathome/
Have an item for the monthly Secondary ELA & Library Media newsletter, a research or teaching tip,
or an educator spotlight nomination? Email brenda.mcmurtrey(a)schools.utah.gov<mailto:brenda.mcmurtrey@schools.utah.gov>
by the first of the month.
**Please note: LEAs have the duty to select instructional materials that best correlate to the core standards for Utah public schools and graduation requirements. (UCA 53G-4-402(1(a)). Posting of these resources by USBE staff curriculum content specialists does not imply the resources have received official endorsement of the State Board. Educators are responsible to ensure use of these materials complies with LEA policies and directives.
Naomi Watkins, Ph.D.
Secondary ELA and Library Media Specialist
Utah State Board of Education
801-538-7616
