Stirling School Goals:

Literacy
Numeracy
Student Assessment
Instructional Strategies
Character Education
Kagan/Google/HS redesign
PLC collaboration

Assessing
Professional Needs
Please list which KSA your
goal(s) align the closest to:
- KSA 1 contextual
variables
- KSA 7 students need
for security
- KSA 9 many
approaches to teaching
and learning
- KSA 11 assessment
- KSA 14 contributing to
the quality of your school

Planning
for Growth
Relevant school goals
- Literacy
- Instructional Strategies
- Student assessment

Other School Initiatives

- DEAR program

Guiding Question -

How can use of book clubs help students become more

active
readers
and to help
encourage
and strengthen
Goal #1:
Book
Club/ Literacy
initiative.
Implement
and study
literacy?
how the
use of a book club (or clubs) can improve literacy of
students (incorporation into DEAR).
Possible Resources
Books/ Articles
Book: The Book club connection: literacy learning and
classroom talk by Susan McMahon and Taffy Raphael. (uleth
library)

Article: Book Club Plus: organizing your literacy curriculum to

bring students to high levels of literacy by Taffy Raphael (pdf)
Article: Resource for middle school book clubs. Daniels, Harvey.
Voices From the Middle; Sep 2002; 10, 1; Education Database
pg. 48 (pdf).
Staff/ PSIII
Comparing strategies for running the book club.
Strategies:
Incorporate book club into DEAR time, having small groups
with books that students will be drawn to
Having short discussions about the books being read
Use baseline testing to see where students reading level
and monitoring progress of literacy at the end of the year
Using books that students will become engaged in
finding appropriate reading level/ grade level/ content
(challenging students with higher reading level)
Indicators and Measures of success:
Students being more engaged in the reading process
showing enjoyment, becoming invested in the reading,
discussing readings with classmates
Students showing interest in reading (whether free-time or
DEAR time)
Students literacy/ reading level increasing
Students reading comprehension level increasing

Guiding Question -

How will developing consistent, effective, and efficient closures

strengthen
learning
for students
and help
my
Goal #2:help
Develop
consistent,
effective,
and efficient
closures
instruction?
Possible Resources
Books/ Articles
Article: Closure: Its more than just lining up. By Charles Duncan
and James Clemons.
Article: The Influence of Need for Closure on Learning and Teaching
by Teresa Debacker and Michael Crowson (pdf)
Staff
Collecting data from conversations with staff about instructional
strategies that they use to close a lesson.
Strategies:
Become cognisant of time during lessons, to ensure students are
on time for their next class
Using timers as a bell to better become aware of time
Develop and incorporate closure activities into every lesson
Try out different strategies with students to see what works best
for me and the class (grade 7, 8, and art)
Talk to staff about strategies they use for closing lessons in their
classrooms
Read and incorporate different strategies for lesson closures
Indicators and Measures of success:
Students out of class on time, without being rushed
Taking time in the last 5 minutes of class to wrap-up, remind
them of assignments and tests, answer any last minute
questions, students engage in a closure activity
Students being aware of the main objectives of the lesson
Students effectively reflecting on the lesson and what they
learned at the end of the class period
Formative Reflection:

Summative Reflection:

Formative Reflection:

The purpose of educational growth plans is to ensure quality learning experiences: every student, every day, no exceptions.
Summative Reflection: