[jorgefuriouso]

I need your help!

The Department of Education created an Open Innovation Portal where they encourage teachers to submit solutions to various challenges. I’m asking you to register and support a proposal on Basic Literacy through Picture Books. Basically, it encourages teachers to use real books, rather than packaged programs, to teach struggling readers.

At the top of each proposal page, you vote for the proposal by clicking on the stars for each category (Relevance, Affordability, etc). To submit the vote, though, you have to click another link somewhere on the menu bar, or go back a page. Otherwise, the vote doesn’t tally. If you’d like, feel free to post a question or comment at the bottom of the page as well.

I appreciate you considering this request; I know it takes a bit of effort to get registered at the site. But I think the proposal will help draw attention to the need for real literature in the curriculum, and put focus back on teachers and librarians, rather than programs and tests, as the real catalysts in education.

(I also posted an idea on Increasing Parent Involvement and another on Incorporating Student Voices in Decision Making, but that I think the literacy proposal is the strongest of the three).

[senior42]

How is this different than Whole Language a few years back that failed miserably

[Green_eyed_Ga]

I don't think she 's referring to phonics vs whole language.. Phonics still needs to be taught. I think she's referring to teaching kids to love reading again by reading real books instead of using prepackaged reading programs. We need to teach kids to choose books that interest them and they love to read.. They need to learn to pick just right books instead of being restricted to a reading level. I could go on and on about this because I feel strongly about it.

I used a reader's workshop approach this past year with my fourth graders and had great success with it. I saw amazing growth in many of my students!! It was stressful as I was the only one my team doing this and it was only my third year teaching. I did have the support of my principal, which helped!