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SMART Goal: Given 1 month of guided reading instruction, students in below grade-level reading groups will increase their reading level by at least one level. This article gives an overview of the strategies that need to be taught in reading groups that help students become effective readers. These strategies for understanding words are called word-attack strategies. These must be taught explicitly.

This article talks about gaps when it comes to vocabulary used by students. Some of the suggestions in this are very helpful. This year, we noticed that our 5th grades have a very basic vocabulary. When it comes to answering questions verbally or in a written response, students do not use vocabulary that has been introduced related to the topic. They often substitute it for an easier word or use the same word repeatedly. This also impacts students when they need to use context clues to determine the definition of a word in a text. I like the idea of an interactive word wall in the classroom or sending give and take conversation starters home with students.

("Week 8" Group Members: Beth and Ruchel) The article explores a study conducted to see the patterns of within-group variability in the emergent literacy skills of preschoolers who are at risk for academic difficulties. The study can be used as a helpful resource to determine the relationships between early patterns of literacy performance and later reading achievement.

"At some schools, up to 70 percent of kids are refusing to take the exams". "Thousands of students are opting out of new standardized tests aligned to the Common Core standards, defying the latest attempt by states to improve academic performance".

Encouraging students to set reading and math goals can be very beneficial to students learning.

Setting goals is a great way to keep students motivated in their learning. When students set goals, they are more likely to reach their SMART Target Learning goal.

In this journal article, the gamification and data are explored and used to inform instruction for a science classroom. It explains the gamification model used and how data was collected. Lastly, it concludes with possible lessons and actions teachers planned to take after completing PD sessions on using the data collected to inform instruction.

Vocabulary instruction is essential to effective math instruction. Not only does it include teaching math-specific terms such as "percent" or "decimal," but it also includes understanding the difference between the mathematical definition of a word and other definitions of that word...

This article, by the Access Center, discusses how to implement differentiation effectively in the classroom. The method put forward states that one must access student readiness, determine student interest and identify learning styles to successfully differentiation. Multiple strategies are also presented for implementation in a math classroom setting.

This article provides developmentally appropriate strategies for supporting math instruction in the early childhood classroom. Strategies include how to set up a math rich classroom, as well as, how to children to engage in mathematical play.

Great list of online sites with games to help students master mental math.

In this article, the Florida department of education provides useful strategies, graphic organizers, and ideas for teachers to use when they teach word problems in the classroom setting. This resource is organized by four main ideas including understanding the problem, devising a plan to understand the problem, implementing a solution, and reflecting on the problem. Within each of these larger topics, the resource provides multiple strategies and resources that can be immediately incorporated into the classroom. The resource also contains an appendix that provides blank copies of many of the resources discussed.

This resource provides a list of 10 strategies to support English Language Learners (ELLs) in math. The best practices which stood out most to me are eliciting nonverbal responses when students need to demonstrate understanding, such as a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. This allows students to answer questions without having to produce the language. In addition, this resource supports my SMART target learning goal to support students with explaining how to solve for an unknown in an equation. The resource suggests using sentence frames so students can better participate in discussions, which also provides structure as students explain their mathematical thinking.

SMART Goal: Given 1 month of guided reading instruction, students in below grade-level reading groups will increase their reading level by at least one level. This article explains how implementing consistent guided reading in the classroom can improve reading levels. This directly relates to my SMART Goal because it gives suggestions on how to organize and implement the difficult task of guided reading groups.

This article describes a model for teachers to employ when training students with disabilities to self-advocate on a day-to-day basis, thereby supporting students' ability to obtain needed accommodations while also engaging school contexts with a positive sense of self-directedness, agency, and efficacy.

A doctoral dissertation about enhancing writing at the elementary level. Teachers used an intensive 9 week writing program and observed the effects on the students' writing performance. Learning gaps with writing is very wide and instructional changes are made in order to help students write better. Cross-curricular instruction with writing is also emphasized in this study.

This is a collection of instructional strategies that can be used to improve student writing and cooperation and encourage critical thinking. Links to strategies are sorted by teachers' needs: Monitor Progress, Compare and Contrast Ideas, Form Groups, Get Moving!, Work Together, Adapt Content, Share Ideas & Opinions, and Take Notes. Within these categories are several links to various strategies to meet these needs. Each of the links leads to a clear description of how the strategy can be used and multiple examples and clickable resources that can be utilized by teachers immediately. This site has a plethora of interesting activities and tasks for students to encourage better collaboration and thinking. An instructional gap our team recognized that is quite prolific among middle school-aged students is the lack of elaboration or explanation of details in their expository writing pieces. Students can organized paragraphs and essays write clear topic sentences and conclusions, but they struggle supporting their claims with specific details and then explaining how their details relate to the topic.

In this article, Dean breaks down the writing process for teachers. This resource provides educators with a comprehensive instructional guide for writing. In order to best fit instruction for our students, writing needs to be individualized and differentiated. Instructional strategies that are effective are based on the students' needs.