Students write questions for literacy graduates and we have them in a basket on hand throughout the year - a visit is always something to treasure. After that first visit is over, graduates come in again and again. The "graduates" are so inspirational, and the conversations down-right heart-warming. Some recent exchanges:

•  What are you most proud of? I'm most proud of my literacy! 

• What would you say to yourself in middle school? I'd ask for help instead of hiding behind acting out - and be in Mrs. Brown's class sooner. You guys are lucky - you're here now. I had to wait until 10th grade.

• What helped you the most with your reading? Learning to read every single letter. If you would listen to me about one thing, it's learn how to do that with Mrs. Brown. It's probably the hardest thing I've ever learned, but I learned to do it and you can, too.

Please visit our google site, "The Work of Centuries" - you will find images from our class, readings and research conducted by our students, and their final product - a training manual for trailblazing used by Green Mountain Club volunteers.

Each year we choose a theme for Structured Literacy that shapes and guides our focus. Each class (I, II, III, & IV) engages with the theme as their literacy needs allow. Our focus is on getting their skills to a level where reading uncontrolled texts in addition to their phonics lessons is helpful (they are able to decode most words and have left guessing by the wayside).

For this year's theme, for example, students with the most intensive needs engaged in "The Work of Centuries" with videos, discussions, read alouds, and a photography project celebrating their experiences with Vermont's forests. In this way, they were able to  participate (building belonging!) without a loss of too much intervention time in word-level reading. Other classes planted trees with local conservation groups. The most advanced students (the ones finishing up our phonics curriculum and developing fluency with authentic texts) were the ones who researched and wrote "Blazing 101" with the Green Mountain Club. They also toured Vermont's only national park to learn about reforestation efforts and built a footbridge on the Appalachian Trail.

Please visit our google site, Honoring our Veterans, to learn about our visits with veterans, writing about their stories, and hosting them and their families for a Celebration of Learning in the spring. 

The students ended their interviews with the question, "What advice do you have for young people today?" The answers were unforgettable--view the posters with pull-quotes to read them! This project was inspired by a unit from High Tech High.

Please visit our google site, Still I Rise, to learn about our year-long collaboration with members of the Thompson Senior Center and read some wondrous poetry!

Tools for designing yearly community partnerships and thematic units with deeper learning objectives