Oregon Reads Aloud Hits Book Shelves

Photo Credit: Stephanie Shaw

Yee-Ha! I've been having such a grand time participating in special events to promote Oregon Reads Aloud, a keepsake collection of 25 read-aloud stories for children, written and illustrated by a trove of talented Oregon authors and illustrators. It is a celebration of all things Oregon and a tribute to 25 years of SMART's (Start Making a Reader Today) work empowering children to read. It's due for release October 18, 2016.

My contribution to this collection is FIRST DAY JITTERS, a crisp, rhythmic story about the anxiety and excitement of starting school . . . in the Pacific Northwest! This rhyming read-aloud offers opportunities to introduce children to American Sign Language and hands-on, STEM-friendly activities and objects such as geodes, fossils and compost. I am so excited about this book. I know in my heart it will play an instrumental role in empowering young readers.

Please contact me if you'd like to invite me to visit your school, library, or community organization.

Oregon Reads Aloud is available everywhere books are sold, beginning October 18, 2016. Here are some links to get you started:

Amazon

IndieBound


Need more persuading? Here are some links to recent media coverage:

Book Blast Promo

News Channel 8 Story (10/11/2016)

The Oregonian's Coverage (10/11/2016)


Here are some fun photos from recent Oregon Reads Aloud events and celebrations:

Many Fellow Contributors

Powell's Book Signing for SMART Kids, October 11, 2016 

SMART Kids Hearing Stories from Oregon Reads Aloud
Powell's Books, October 11, 2016

Book Signing at Graphic Arts Books' Booth at PNBA, October 2, 2016

My Oregon Reads Aloud Event Hat,
With Images of Favorite Books That Were Read Aloud to Me When I Was a Child

Beaverton School District Boundary Adjustment Transition Plan Should Be Amended

Wow! I've been quiet for a long time. That's not like me, you might say. True, true. I have been busy summering, (more on that another time), and adjusting to the reality that I now have two kids in high school (a freshman and a senior). I've also been actively advocating for the students in the Beaverton School District.

I have posted below my most recent letter to the Beaverton School Board. Final decisions re: the high boundary adjustment process (which I've discussed previously here, here and here), are expected over the next few weeks.

It is my hope that the Beaverton School Board does the right thing for students and amends the current boundary transition plan to allow all students, including the Class of 2020, the opportunity to start and finish at the same high school.

If you'd like more information about the Beaverton School District High School Boundary Adjustment Process, you can find that here.

If you'd like to share your views with School Board members, you can find their contact information here.

The school district's Boundary Advisory Committee will be meeting tonight (September 28, 2016) to provide their input and review public input (however no additional public testimony will be allowed at tonight's meeting). The School Board is slated to discuss this issue at an upcoming meeting in October (however, the date for that meeting has been changed at least once, and I'm not currently 100% certain when it is).

The short story is that I want all students in our school district to be able to experience the benefits associated with continuity in their high school experience . . .  and the Beaverton School District seems to think it is adequate to simply mitigate the risks associated with disruption instead of avoiding the risks altogether.  I disagree. Although the District holds most of the cards on this issue, two things I can do are 1) Use my voice to raise concerns before all decisions are final and 2) Support students through the disruptions that adults seem ready to impose on them. I will do both. The letter below is one way I have brought my voice into the conversation. 

*****

Dear Members of the School Board, 

Thank you again for your careful consideration of the boundary-related issues in our school district. 

I am writing to you today to ask that you reconsider your approval of the current high school boundary transition plan.  

There were two objectives that you established at the outset of the High School Boundary Adjustment Process: 

*Relieve current and projected future overcrowding with a five-year horizon, and targeting 90% capacity or less.

*Minimize transitions for students. 

Our school district has fallen short on the objective of minimizing transitions for students, particularly for the Class of 2020. Under the current boundary adjustment transition plan, students in the Class of 2020 who are impacted by the boundary adjustment, but who do not qualify for the sibling rule, will be asked to change schools next year. Although my own two children will not be asked to change schools as a result of the boundary adjustment, I continue to press this issue with the school district because I strongly support the notion that all high school students should have the opportunity to finish at the same high school in which they started. Board Policy JC gives the superintendent authority to allow this to happen where and when possible ("At schools impacted by redrawn attendance boundaries, where and when possible, the superintendent may allow students to remain at their current school for one or more years to complete the highest grade level or levels offered.”) I ask that you direct the school district administration to innovate and find a way to make this possible for all high school students, including the Class of 2020. 

I recently gave testimony at a school district listening session and shared that I've heard district administrators' arguments that the Class of 2020 must transition to their new boundary school during their sophomore year to allow the newly built school enough attendees to operate successfully. I’ve also heard district leaders say it is simply not possible to allow members of the Class of 2020 the option to remain in their school of origin. I wondered aloud if these same people would have thought it impossible to put a man on the moon? Or impossible to develop a polio vaccine? Or find a cure for cancer? The students we are educating today are the citizens of tomorrow who will find the cure for cancer. Can we not set an example for these students by saying, “WE are Future Ready, and WE can find an innovative solution that will allow students in the Class of 2020 the option to remain in their school of origin and still have adequate enrollment in our new school to open it successfully." It may be challenging. It may be be complicated. There will likely be added short-term expense. But, it is possible, and it is important.

The most impactful study I’ve read about the importance of continuity of school was conducted by the National Institutes of Health (2012). Here is a link to the study:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4279956/ . Although studies on this topic are typically focused on the impacts of family-initiatived mobility (i.e. due to changes in housing, jobs, etc.), this particular study aimed to normalize the data for other elements of instability often found in individual students who are impacted by higher mobility (for example, poverty). 

What stood out for me in the research, is that the same types of mobility issues that are seen as concerns for individual kids who "switch schools” are the same general concerns that I and others have expressed re: the boundary-related transitions. The NIH study findings indicate that, "school mobility presents disruptions in social relationships with peers, teachers, and other important adults.” Likewise, the NIH study cites other research findings (see Parker, Rubin, Erath, Woislawowicz & Buskirk, 2006, cited in the NIH study) that indicate that "negotiating peer relationships is a central developmental task of middle childhood and adolescence, and school changes that disrupt these relationships likely impact student school engagement, behavior, and motivation to succeed academically.”)

What also stood out for me in the research (all of the research I read on mobility, not just this one study) is that researchers were looking for ways they could support kids through family-instigated mobility (i.e. mobility that the schools couldn’t control or necessarily stop from happening). This begs the question as to why our school district would knowingly create mobility disruptions for students when there are other options. I am hard-pressed to find convincing evidence that we are doing what is best for students when we ask them to disrupt their social relationships with peers, teachers and other important adults just as they are beginning their high school careers. It seems clear that the school district’s current transition plan is essentially a business decision, and the Class of 2020 will shoulder the cost of doing business. That is not okay.   

Under the current transition plan, students in the Class of 2020 will experience disruptions in their social relationships with peers, teachers and other important adults. I understand and agree that kids are resilient. I also understand that shifting students en masse is not exactly the same as individual students "switching schools." However, it is telling that the school district plans to build in the same types of supports for boundary-adjusted kids that the research suggests is of benefit to individual students facing “mobility-related” disruptions and transitions due to "switching schools.” I should also note that to my knowledge, the school district has not disputed that the transition being asked of the Class of 2020 will be disruptive, nor has the District provided evidence to suggest that there are not risks associated with disrupting students in the midst of their high school experience. The District's messaging has been focused on their confidence that the risks can be managed. It is my argument that if the District understands that this type of disruption has risks that need to managed, we need to step back and ask ourselves, “Why are we willing to subject a group of students to these risks?” and “What innovative solutions could we employ so as to avoid subjecting a class of students to these risks?”    

If we shift our thinking from, “There is no way we can afford this” or “There are too many logistical issues," to instead saying, “Let’s find and/or develop an innovative solution to this problem,” we can right this wrong. Innovative ideas might involve utilizing the transportation system that is in place for Options Schools. It might involve surveying students and families about their transition needs and preferences via their home room teacher and/or their google account and a QR code. Maybe it involves giving kids access to a TriMet bus pass. Maybe it involves allowing kids from across the District to Opt In to the new school in order to adequately populate it. There are options. WE need to focus our Future Ready minds on modifying the boundary transition plan such that all students have the opportunity to start and finish at the same high school.

Please do not rest with the belief that the current administrative transfer process is an adequate or appropriate solution for this problem. The administrative transfer process involves red tape, annual uncertainty for each individual student, and it also comes without the support of transportation, which creates equity issues. 

No matter what actual boundary lines our District finalizes, some families will be pleased, and some will not. But there are some families whose high school students will be directly impacted during the transitional years. I ask that you amend the transition plan to include a provision that allows these families the opportunity to make a transition decision that is best for them. 

Sincerely, 

Dawn Prochovnic

Parent of two Beaverton High School Students

(who are not currently slated to change schools via the boundary adjustment)

26 Ways to Incorporate Alphabet Signs into Your Story Times (23-25)

Image credit: Wikipedia

Today's post continues with a series of enrichment activities to incorporate alphabet signs into story time:

23. Crack the Code

Create two or three sets of playing cards described in Activity #14 (it can be helpful to have several extra cards for each vowel). Separate the cards into two piles (a pile of letter cards and a pile of alphabet handshape cards). Set the letter cards aside (they won’t be used for this activity). Player one uses the handshape cards to create a word or phrase (for example, “T-H-I-S  G-A-M-E  I-S  F-U-N”). Player two signs each handshape, translates the handshapes into letters, and says the word or phrase aloud. Switch roles and continue play.

Note:  The activity packets for younger (and older) children available on my publisher’s website includes several ready-made codes to crack!  

24. Create An Alphabet Book for Your Name

Give each participant enough sheets of paper for a cover page and one page for every letter in their name. Provide art supplies such as crayons, markers, stickers, old magazines, scissors and glue along with copies of the alphabet glossary (available on page 3 of the Story Time Activity Packet -Younger Children available at this link). Instruct participants to illustrate the cover of their book and each page with an alphabet-themed illustration that corresponds to each letter in their name. Encourage participants to read and sign their book with a partner. 

25. Read and Sign Along with an Alphabet Book

Use an easel to make a vertical list of the words from an alphabet book such as “Sign Language ABC” or the words from an alphabet themed story such as "A to Z Sign with Me." For example, page 8 of “A to Z Sign with Me” would be written as follows:

Eat

frankfurters while they're

good and

hot.

 

Now read each page of the book, taking pause to sign the letters featured on each page. Try this out with a variety of alphabet books including personal favorites such as Alligator Alphabet and classics such as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

You can extend this learning activity by fingerspelling the key words featured in each alphabet book, so instead of just signing A is for Apple, you could fingerspell, A-P-P-L-E.

To extend the learning further, encourage participants to look up the ASL signs for one or more words in the alphabet book.   

Helpful Resources:

Signs for A-Z

ASL Alphabet Glossary (use this link to download the activity packet for younger children, and the alphabet glossary from my books is included in that packet)

Start to Finish Story Time: Alphabet Signs

The sign for Alphabet

A to Z Sign with Me

Abdo Publishing Group

Please contact Dawn using the form to the left if you'd like to receive reduced pricing on books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series. This offer is available to workshop participants, consulting clients, and subscribers to this blog or Dawn's social media accounts.  

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for the next offering of my online class: Sing, Sign and Story Time for Professionals, please use the form at the left to send me your contact information. 

Please share your own ideas and experiences in the comment section below, and subscribe to my blog to receive more ideas over time.  Happy Signing!

26 Ways to Incorporate Alphabet Signs into Your Story Times (20-22)

Image Credit: ParentSociety.com

Today's post continues with a series of enrichment activities to incorporate alphabet signs into your story time:

20. Alphabet Icebreaker

Separate the playing cards made in Activity #14 into two piles: A pile of letter cards and a pile of alphabet handshapes. Alphabetize both piles from A to Z and take an equal number of cards from each pile to allow one card per participant (i.e. If there are 14 participants, select letters A-G and handshapes A-G for a total of 14 cards). The leader shuffles the cards and deals one card to each participant [NOTE: If there is an odd number of players, the leader should keep a card and participate with the other players]. When the leader says, “Go!” all players begin moving about the room while making the handshape for the letter (or handshape) represented on their card. The object is to find the other player with the matching card (i.e. the player with the letter “A” is looking for the player with the “A” handshape). Players sit down when they have found their partner. Play continues until all players are sitting down.

To extend the learning while players are waiting for everyone to find their match, partners can introduce themselves and practice fingerspelling their own name and their partner’s name.

21. Alphabet Name Challenge

Sit in a circle and choose someone to go first. The first person says, “My name is (Matt), and I know the sign for the letter (“M”) (and the participant makes the sign for that letter). The second person says, “My name is (Sara), and I know the sign for the letters (“M”) and (“S”) (and the participant makes the signs for those two letters). The third person continues, “My name is (Jose) and I know the signs for the letters (“M”), (“S”), and (“J”) (and the participant makes the signs for those three letters). Play continues until all participants have been introduced. 

22. Fingerspelling Name Challenge

This activity is a more challenging variation of Activity #21 above. Sit in a circle and choose someone to go first. The first person says, “My name is (Dawn, D-A-W-N). I’m going to a party. How about you?” as they point to/select the next participant. The second participant says, “My name is (Alex, A-L-E-X). I’m going to a party with (Dawn, D-A-W-N). How about you? as they point to/select the next participant. The third participant says, “My name is (Sam/S-A-M). I’m going to a party with (Dawn, D-A-W-N and Alex, A-L-E-X). How about you? as they point to/select the next participant. Play continues until all participants have been invited to the party and all participants names have been said and fingerspelled at least once. 

The sign for “Name” is a good enrichment for the activities in this post.  

Helpful Resources:

Signs for A-Z

ASL Alphabet Glossary (use this link to download the activity packet for younger children, and the alphabet glossary from my books is included in that packet)

Start to Finish Story Time: Alphabet Signs

The sign for Alphabet

A to Z Sign with Me

Abdo Publishing Group

Please contact Dawn using the form to the left if you'd like to receive reduced pricing on books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series. This offer is available to workshop participants, consulting clients, and subscribers to this blog or Dawn's social media accounts.  

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for the next offering of my online class: Sing, Sign and Story Time for Professionals, please use the form at the left to send me your contact information. 

Please share your own ideas and experiences in the comment section below, and subscribe to my blog to receive more ideas over time.  Happy Signing!

26 Ways to Incorporate Alphabet Signs into Your Story Times (17-19)

Today's post continues with a series of enrichment activities to incorporate alphabet signs into story time:

17. Word Power

Shuffle the playing cards created in Activity #14 and deal five cards to each player. Place the remaining cards facedown in a pile. The object of the game is to spell words with the cards in your hand. The first player begins by drawing one card and then determining if he can create a word using one or more of the cards in hand. Words can be created with any combination of letter cards and handshape cards. If one or more of the cards in hand can be put together to make a word, the player must fingerspell the word and then place the cards face up on the table. If the player cannot make a word, he draws three cards from the pile and his turn ends. Play continues until all of the cards in the pile are gone. The person with the least cards in their hand when play ends wins.

NOTE: For more than two players it can be helpful to use more than one deck of cards (or to have several extra cards for each vowel). 

18. Word Power Race

This game is a variation on game #17 above. Get a timer and then one full deck of cards from Activity #14 for each player. Each player shuffles his or her deck of cards before play begins. The object is for each player to to use his or her deck of cards to make as many words as possible in the time allowed. The timekeeper sets the timer for five minutes and says, “Go!” Each player arranges their cards to make words. For example, the cards for the letters or handshapes C-A and T could be arranged to make the word, “Cat.” Letter or handshape cards can be arranged horizontally or vertically, and each letter can be used more than once. For example, the cards for the letters or handshapes, I-M and E could be positioned vertically below the “T” in “Cat," to form a new word, “Time.” The player with the least cards in their hand when the timer rings, wins. The winning player must fingerspell each word they created to complete their win.

NOTE: It can be helpful for each player’s deck of cards to have several extra cards for each vowel. 

19. Word Game

This is a variation of Activity #12. Shuffle the playing cards created in Activity #14 and put them facedown in a pile. The first player turns over the first card in the pile and then 1) says the letter shown on the card, 2) signs the letter shown on the card, and 3) fingerspells a word that begins with the letter on the card.  For example, if player one draws a “P,” she would say and sign “P,” and she would say and fingerspell a word that begins with “P,” such as P-I-G. If player one cannot complete all three steps, she does not keep the card and her turn ends. If player one completes all three steps, she keeps the card and her turn ends. Play continues until all the cards in the pile have been turned over.

To increase the level of challenge, players can be invited to research and demonstrate the sign for the words they fingerspelled for each card they drew.   

Helpful Resources:

Signs for A-Z

ASL Alphabet Glossary (use this link to download the activity packet for younger children, and the alphabet glossary from my books is included in that packet)

Start to Finish Story Time: Alphabet Signs

The sign for Alphabet

A to Z Sign with Me

Abdo Publishing Group

Please contact Dawn using the form to the left if you'd like to receive reduced pricing on books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series. This offer is available to workshop participants, consulting clients, and subscribers to this blog or Dawn's social media accounts.  

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for the next offering of my online class: Sing, Sign and Story Time for Professionals, please use the form at the left to send me your contact information. 

Please share your own ideas and experiences in the comment section below, and subscribe to my blog to receive more ideas over time.  Happy Signing!

26 Ways to Incorporate Alphabet Signs into Your Story Times (14-16)

Today's post continues with a series of enrichment activities to incorporate alphabet signs into story time:

Image Source, Wikimedia

14. Create a One-Sided Deck of Alphabet Playing Cards 

This activity is similar to Activity 7, but the resulting deck of cards is one-sided instead of two-sided. Get some blank index cards, paste, and scissors, and download and print the alphabet glossary sheet from the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes Series (available on page 3 of the Story Time Activity Packet -Younger Children available at this link).   Cut out the letter "A" and the corresponding handshape from the manual alphabet. Paste the letter "A" on the front of an index card, and the corresponding handshape for the letter "A" on the front of a second index card. Repeat this process with pairs of index cards for each letter of the alphabet until you have a full deck of alphabet playing cards. These cards provide a fun way to practice spelling and fingerspelling and can be used for a variety of games and activities such as the activities described in #15 and #16 below:

15. Alphabet Concentration

This game can be played alone or with a partner. Use the playing cards created in Activity #14 above. Shuffle the 52 cards and lay them all facedown in a pattern of columns and rows. A player begins by turning over two cards. If the cards shown are a matching pair (i.e. the letter “A” and the handshape for the letter “A”), the player gets to keep the cards. If the cards are not a matching pair, both cards should be turned back over, and it is the next player’s turn. Play continues until all cards are matched. 

To add challenge to this game, a player must say (or fingerspell or sign) a word that begins with the letter in order to keep the cards. 

16. Fishing for the Alphabet

Image Source: Fat Brain Toys

Shuffle the playing cards created in Activity #14 above and deal five cards to each player. Place the remaining cards facedown in a pile. The object of the game is to get the most matching pairs. Players take turns signing letters of the alphabet to see if another player has a matching card. For example, if player one has the letter “C” or the handshape for the letter “C” in his hand, he would make the sign for the the letter “C” and ask another player, “Do you have a C?” If the other player has the matching card (i.e. the letter “C” or the handshape for letter “C”) she must give it to the first player. If she does not have that card she says, “Go fish,” and the first player takes a card from the pile. Play continues until all the cards in the pile are gone.

NOTE: It’s fun to add the sign for “fish” to this game.

Helpful Resources:

Signs for A-Z

ASL Alphabet Glossary (use this link to download the activity packet for younger children, and the alphabet glossary from my books is included in that packet)

Start to Finish Story Time: Alphabet Signs

The sign for Alphabet

A to Z Sign with Me

Abdo Publishing Group

Please contact Dawn using the form to the left if you'd like to receive reduced pricing on books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series. This offer is available to workshop participants, consulting clients, and subscribers to this blog or Dawn's social media accounts.  

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for the next offering of my online class: Sing, Sign and Story Time for Professionals, please use the form at the left to send me your contact information. 

Please share your own ideas and experiences in the comment section below, and subscribe to my blog to receive more ideas over time.  Happy Signing!

Beaverton School District Boundary Adjustment Process Recent Q and A

The Beaverton School District recently posted a summary of boundary adjustment Q and A's on their website. Not surprisingly, I had some thoughts about what the School District had to say. I shared those thoughts in the following letter to our School Board: 

May 5, 2016 

Dear Members of the School Board,

Today I reviewed the updated boundary information on the School District's website.

I read with particular interest the following Question and Answer:

"Question: Why was Free & Reduced Lunch Program (FRLP) information used as a primary criteria when student body composition is a secondary criteria?"

"Answer: The FRLP information was not used as a primary criteria. All criteria was considered by the Boundary Advisory Committee during their deliberations."

Although this may (or may not) be factually true, from my observation as a community witness to the Boundary Adjustment Process via the BAC conversations that members of the public were allowed to hear, and via the artifacts from the BAC’s meetings (for example, each map iteration), there is a great deal of evidence to support the notation that FRLP information was a dominant decision-making factor for the BAC. 

This is another example of why it would be beneficial to conduct important School District business in a manner that is genuinely transparent, whether or not the matter is legally required to comply with Oregon’s Open Meetings Laws. If the BAC’s deliberations had been recorded and fully open to the public, Board members and other members of the public who did not attend the BAC meetings could listen to the meeting audio to determine for themselves the apparent weight of FRLP information on the boundary lines proposed by the BAC and forwarded to the Board by the Superintendent. 

Further, regarding the following Question and Answer:

 

"Question: Did the School Board recently look at the criteria in Board Policy JC?"

"Answer: Yes, the School Board did review Board Policy JC and the criteria and gave the Boundary Charge to the Superintendent last June 2015. Policy JC was last reviewed in the following years: March 1997, Nov. 2007, Feb. 2009, May 2015. The criteria are to be considered by the Boundary Committee in their deliberations. They are not ranked or weighted or intended to be evenly applied."

I would like to bring to the Board’s attention the fact that although Policy JC may not require the Boundary Adjustment Committee to rank or weight the criteria, Policy JC does in fact require the Superintendent to do so:

"In planning and developing an adjustment of attendance area boundaries, the superintendent first shall consider the following primary criteria: availability of space, proximity to school, safety, and neighborhood unity. Whenever possible, neighborhood areas, particularly at the elementary level, should be retained within a single attendance boundary. The superintendent also shall consider transportation costs, student body composition, staffing patterns, feeder school alignment, and the efficient and economical utilization of the buildings.” (Emphasis added)

Given that the Superintendent relied heavily on the Boundary Adjustment Committee’s work in designing a new boundary, it begs the question how his proposal gives emphasis to the primary criteria, when the District’s answer to the above question indicates that the BAC did not rank or weight the criteria.

Shifting my attention from criteria to objectives, I continue to contend that we have fallen short on the objective of minimizing transitions for students, particularly for the Class of 2020. Policy JC reads,  ". . . where and when possible, the superintendent may allow students to remain at their current school for one or more years to complete the highest grade level or levels offered.” Although the Superintendent has argued that the Class of 2020 must transition to their new boundary school during their sophomore year to allow the newly built school enough attendees to operate successfully, I ask that we look for innovative solutions that will allow those students who wish to remain in the same school for the duration of their high school career the opportunity to do so. This might involve surveying Class of 2020 students/families about their preferences in this regard, allowing some students to transition early, allowing some students to arrange for their own transportation, and even allowing some students who are not in the boundary for the shiny new school the opportunity to fill “open slots” in that school so that it can start with a capacity that is conducive to a full complement of academic offerings and extracurricular activities. A Future Ready School District should be able to problem solve in innovative ways. Please set this expectation for our School District administration. 

Finally, I would like to point out that the Board is in a unique position to ask interested questions about the boundary adjustment process and anticipate answers in return. Although the general public has been able to ask questions, we have not been readily supplied with answers. For this reason, I request that you carefully consider the questions that have been posed by your constituents, and do your very best due diligence to seek answers to those questions in advance of your vote to approve or temporarily deny the District’s move forward on the proposed boundary adjustments.

With sincere appreciation for your service to our community,

 

Dawn Prochovnic

Beaverton Parent, Voter, and Community Volunteer  

NOTE: The School Board is anticipated to vote on whether or not "(1) the set of objectives approved by the Board at the outset were met; and (2) the superintendent applied the relevant criteria" at the May 16, 2016 School Board Meeting.