The Game Plan is the first professional book that gives secondary administrators, literacy coaches, and other instructional leaders a step-by-step blueprint for implementing the Common Core Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and the Technical Subjects and other college and career readiness standards. The book provides principals, district supervisors, instructional coaches, and other leaders with a coherent, realistic plan to build a school-wide culture of literacy instruction, data use, and PLC-based cycles of reflection, planning, and action. This multi-year plan is built on a continuous cycle of improvement philosophy and is modular in nature, allowing leaders to rearrange, substitute, and modify the plan to meet the needs of any secondary school.
Organized in two parts, the first section of The Game Plan lays out a semester-by-semester flexible configuration for introducing, implementing, and supporting the literacy standards over the course of six full school years; this section also includes detailed guidelines for creating a comprehensive assessment plan to gather, analyze, and act on school data. The second section includes instructional tools and strategies for reading, writing, vocabulary, and other aspects of the literacy standards that teachers in all subject areas can use.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1How to Use This Book
Chapter 2Principles of Professional Learning
Chapter 3College and Career Readiness Standards
Chapter 4Year 1: Summer
Chapter 5Year 1: Fall Semester
Chapter 6Year 1: Spring Semester
Chapter 7Year 2: Summer
Chapter 8Year 2: Fall Semester
Chapter 9Year 2: Spring Semester
Chapter 10Year 3: Summer, Fall, and Spring Semesters
Chapter 11Years 4-6
Appendix AThe Play Book: Literacy Strategies for the Content Area Classroom
The Starting Line
Strategy Map
Text Structure
Text Annotation
Academic Vocabulary
GIST
Four Square Notes
Prompt Analysis
Text-Dependent Questioning
Silent Conversation
Save the Last Word for Me
Anticipation Guides
RAFT
LIFT OUT
CRAVAT
2-3 Column Notes
Show and Tell Vocabulary
Text Mingle
Analyzing Visual Text
Nonstop Writing
Carousel Brainstorming
Vocabulary Vignettes
Discussion Grids
Vocabulary Tableaux
Appendix BCoach’s Corner: Instructional Leadership Resources
Literacy Kickoff Meeting Planning Grid
Focus Strategy Reflection Guide
Halftime Meeting Planning Grid
Support Planning Grid
Leadership Reflection Protocol
Data Summary Plan
PLC Meeting Agenda
Literacy Strategy Classroom Observation Form
Teacher Self-Evaluation Form
PLC Self-Evaluation Form
Appendix CMoving Up to the Big Leagues: Expanding Literacy Beyond the School Level
About the Author :
Daron W. Kennett is the English Language Arts and English Learner Assessment Specialist at the Utah State Office of Education. He also teaches literacy endorsement courses through a number of local universities. Prior to this, Daron taught English language arts, reading, and ESL in public schools and served as the ELA supervisor in his local school district.
Kristin van Brunt has been an English Language Arts teacher for the Davis County School District in northern Utah for the past 21 years, and she currently teaches at Viewmont High School. She has extensive experience working not only with secondary students, but also with ELA teachers. In conjunction with the Utah State Office of Education, Kristin has facilitated professional learning related to the Common Core State Standards throughout the state, in both face-to-face and online formats.
Kim S. Rathke has spent 17 years in the classroom teaching Language Arts/Journalism to 7th through 10th graders. She is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescent Language Arts as well as holding endorsements in Reading, Gifted and Talented Education, and English as a Second Language. Kim has a Bachelor of Science in English/Journalism Teaching with a Minor in History Teaching; and a Masters of Education in Secondary Education with an emphasis on Gifted and Talented Education. Her thesis involved Tracking Student Writing Using Online Essay Assessment.
Review :
The Game Plan: A Multi-Year Blueprint to Create a School Culture of Literacy and Data Analysis is a professional resource intended for instructional leaders to implement a six-year plan of action for implementing the Common Core Standards of literacy in the areas of social studies, science, and technical subjects. . . .This step-by-step guide includes everything needed to develop a culture of literacy when implementing the Common Core Standards. Recommended.
In an era of educational quick fixes that do not work, the authors of The Game Plan offer a sane, research-based, multi-year professional development approach focused on improving literacy across all content areas in a secondary school. It is a must-read, call-to-action guidebook for all principals and instructional coaches who want to create a culture of continuous learning among their teachers and support staff.
The Game Plan is a completely accessible and very well designed guide for school leaders to meaningfully implement literacy instruction across all content areas. The framework is straightforward and flexible. As a former school district professional developer, I found that the challenge was always finding the tool that will "sell" the work with clarity and focused goals that the team can rally around. This is one of those tools.
