Learning about Academic Vocabulary

Outstanding professional learning was led today by reading coach, Kelly McGough, and math coach, Lisa Lothspeich.  As a school, we will start on Monday implementing a school wide focus on academic vocabulary.  A new word will be highlighted and taught each "A" Day.  All teachers, including administrators and specialists, will intentionally teach and use the words throughout the 8-day rotation.  These words will be displayed in the classrooms, hallways, and lunchroom.  The focus will be on Tier II words that cross all contents and are often used in academic dialogue and text. These are the words that are not necessarily used in students' conversations, but are often seen in directions or test questions.

We appreciate the participation of our teachers and the outstanding preparation and presentations by Kelly and Lisa.  We believe this intentional teaching of academic vocabulary will result in higher student achievement.