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Thank you for viewing Creating Active Readers (CAR), a series of virtual visits to middle school English classes. Teachers can learn a lot by observing each other teach, and with CAR you can do it at your computer.
CAR was designed for personal or small group staff development for English teachers who want to improve their students’ ability to comprehend text independently. The goal for CAR is that while viewing these lessons you will be able to expand your own repertoire of teaching strategies, and thereby enhance your students’ abilities to read and comprehend. An attempt was made to arrange the lessons from basic to more complex, but you and your teammates may choose to view them in the sequence and at the pace you feel is most beneficial to you, your students, and your school. The square buttons on the homepage will give you an overview of each lesson in the series.
Also on the homepage are one or two highlighted triangular buttons. These are the only observations that you can access on the CD. The others are on the additional six disks in the box. Each is composed of videos, and resources. In the resources you will find printable materials to support you as you view and implement CAR.
Each classroom visit is accompanied by a lesson plan, which you may want to read prior to viewing. It may be beneficial to print a copy of this plan, found in the resources section. You may also wish to print the observation checklist, also found with the resources, to use while viewing.
In order to view the videos, the plug-ins on your computer must be connected to your browser. Check with the technical support in your division to have the plug-ins installed. Then, go to video on the menu and click next or previous to navigate through the lesson. The captions can be read while you watch, and if you do so, each observation should take approximately thirty minutes to complete. There may be some portions to which you will want to return in order to implement with your own students what the teacher and students are doing.
After you have finished your virtual visit, it is hoped that you will want to implement a similar lesson. It is not necessary to use the text we feature; choose one you feel is appropriate to your students, and approved by your division. Selections from the adopted anthology or the trade books assigned to and purchased for your grade level will be ideal. A blank lesson plan is provided to use while you plan your lesson.
Your division may grant recertification points for completion of lessons similar to those demonstrated in CAR. The documentation for this process is also included in the resources. Please consult the current Virginia Licensure Renewal Manual for guidelines, and get prior approval from your division’s recertification office. |
