Recommended Reading

Cheryl's Book Review

The book I am previewing this month is entitled Failure is NOT an Option, Six Principles That Guide Student Achievement in High-Performing Schools, by author Alan M. Blankstein. I know many of you have already read this book; however, I believe the principles in this book, especially Principle #1, specifically speak to the implementation of Great Expectations in schools across the state and other states.

The quote stated at the beginning of the book by Eric Hoffer is such a powerful quote. “In times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves beautifully equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.”

Eric Hoffer (July 25, 1902 – May 21, 1983) was an American social writer and philosopher. He produced ten books and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February 1983 by President of the United States Ronald Reagan. His first book, The True Believer, published in 1951, was widely recognized as a classic, receiving critical acclaim from both scholars and laymen.

The Principles are as follows: Principle #1 – Common Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals Principle #2 – Ensuring Achievement for All Students: Systems for Prevention and Intervention Principle #3 – Collaborative Teaming Focused on Teaching and Learning Principle #4 – Using Data to Guide Decision Making and Continuous Improvement Principle #5 – Gaining Active Engagement From Family and Community Principle #6 – Building sustainable Leadership Capacity

If you have not read this book, I encourage you to read it. It is filled with powerful yet common sense information to set the course for leading a school to success. It is motivating as well as enlightening.


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The Director's Column for February, 2010

Greetings from the Great Expectations office in beautiful Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I believe this winter has been a challenging one with all the snow and ice that has fallen. I know many of you have suffered with the loss of electrical power and my thoughts are with you.

The classroom practice I am focusing on this month is Practice #8 which states:

“Enriched vocabulary is evident and is drawn directly from challenging writings and/or wisdom literature. Sources should include classic literature, myths, fables, poetry, proverbs, quotes, and other genres.”

This practice is important for the following reasons:

  1. Challenging vocabulary activities increase the love of language.
  2. New vocabulary enhances dialogue and enables students to communicate more effectively.
  3. Vocabulary from challenging literature is rich and fresh, making it exciting for students.
  4. Enriched vocabulary and interesting literature provide novelty for the brain.
  5. Great literature introduces readers to many different genres (poetry, fiction, autobiographies, folk tales, plays, essays, etc.)
  6. Character-building literature enriches students’ vocabulary and expands their horizons.
  7. Literature-rich content stimulates imagination and helps students discover their expanding world, and provides new ways to look at life’s changes.
  8. Analysis of wisdom literature involves thinking and feeling and allows students to make connections between themselves and the characters in the story.
  9. Making connections is vitally important to learning. The use of quality written works can provide anticipatory sets that help students connect with real life situations.
  10. Diverse literature allows students to experience cultural literacy.
  11. Diverse literature introduces students to great authors.
  12. Immersion in literature can lead to a life-long love of reading and learning, which increases future opportunities.
  13. Enriched vocabulary can build self-esteem in students, and high self-esteem increases academic potential.

     

The following “How To’s” for implementation will help you successfully integrate this practice:

  1. Select meaningful literature, character-building poetry, myths, and fables from various cultures as content for reading lessons.
  2. Use excerpts from wisdom literature to set the “stage” for new topics.
  3. Introduce authors and discuss how their writings relate to real life.
  4. Develop a classroom library that students can use.
  5. Allow students to create their own form of book reports.

     

The successful implementation of this practice will “look like” and “sound like” the following:

  1. Teachers and students use enriched vocabulary drawn directly from challenging writings and/or wisdom literature.
  2. Teachers use visual displays and word walls that include enriched vocabulary drawn directly from challenging writings and/or wisdom literature.

 

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