Emily Butler Smith

Helpful reminders for the return to school. 💗#tcadvancinglit healthmatters.nyp.org/how-to-help-ki…

@249Ps Congratulations!🎊🎉🎈

Congratulations Principal Brown on her defense of her dissertation. Meet the new Dr. Brown. The Caton School salutes you!!! #wherecollegebeginsinprek

Looking forward to Day 1 tomorrow at TC with all the SDs and Staff! Also NYC Ss go back to school! Have a great day everyone! Rest up!

Excited for this!

Excited for this transition and the school year ahead!

@TCRWP Excited for the work, learning and year ahead! 💕

Eyes on the ball:"Despite nebulous claims that there is widespread neglect of phonics in classrooms, no recent data substantiate those claims...There are possibilities, grounded in data, that are at least as reliable & convincing as increasing phonics." washingtonpost.com/education/2023…

Planning for small group instruction using decodables can be simple and fun. I love these @TCRWP Jump Rope Readers as a kinder mom and literacy coordinator!

Dynasty?

Both a phonics program & a balanced literacy program are crucial 4 reading & writing success.4 children in pre-K-2, the greater emphasis should be on phonics, but should not exclude exposure to a strong literacy program, which introduces the love of reading. Athena Galitsis

But research suggests that phonics alone is not the answer, and a program that balances that with instruction in comprehension strategies, vocabulary development and developing a love of reading is essential. Elizabeth Phillips

Calkins & her staff have advocated teaching phonics for many years, and I don’t know of a school working with Professor Calkins that doesn’t incorporate phonics instruction into its literacy program. Elizabeth Phillips

#TCRWP Some very thoughtful responses to the NYT article! nytimes.com/2022/06/04/opi… Read this thread.

The American Institute of Research devoted years to a careful, objective study of 229 schools and found that schools using the Reading and Writing Project’s curriculum outperformed similar schools that used other curriculums. Liz Phillips readingandwritingproject.org/blog/american-…

Learning to read is complex. It’s the educator’s job to combine rote skill-based learning with Lucy Calkins & her team’s beautiful curriculum, “Units of Study,” allowing children to take ownership of the process. Lori Ash

Soemthing new I started this year: A summer reading list for my outgoing 2nd graders! For the last 21 days of school, I am reading the first chapters of each book to give kids a taste of the writing style and characters. On the last day, they will each bring one home to cherish!

For those who need a reminder…

@bethahickey Yes, who are we (am I) and who do we (I) want to be? #tcrwp

Q7: Spend time authentically getting to know one another - who are we? what matters to us? #tcrwp

@hayhurst3 Something I think about as a parent, too. Purchase of books for reading at home and then donate to our school asap (or one of the schools we partner with). #tcrwp

Recently a child asked me for a book that I did not have in my collections. I bought it for her on the spot (I like to do that when students ask - I want to be the adult that says, yes for books). #tcrwp

A5 I read books, I go to my school (and) local librarians (they are amazing sources of information). I follow others who are passionate about the work on Twitter #TCRWP