Parents and Guardians,

I would like to use this letter as an opportunity to not only introduce my self and my
teaching practices, but also to inform you about the upcoming unit in your childs
class. It is my goal to keep you well informed on the texts, assignments, discussions,
and activities being taught to your child, with the hope it will open up doors for better
communication between us!
As your son or daughters teacher, the way I plan to teach reading and literature is
grounded in the philosophy of dialogic pedagogy, learning that takes place through
dialogue. Having had numerous experiences in both learning and teaching in a
conversation based environment, I find it unites a class in multi-dimensional ways,
meaning we will examine a range of different aspects of classroom communication
and interaction. It is ideal for discussing sensitive and complex issues where
students can and make meaningful understandings and connections between their
lives and the texts in literature. This is a very inclusive, safe, informal, guided
environment, where students build communicative forms, interpersonal relations, the
exchange and development of ideas, power, and pupil and teacher identities. I also
find it ideal in meeting the Colorado State Standards for Oral Expression and
Listening in that students will be able to collaborate effectively as group members of
leaders who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge
the ideas of others, and contribute ideas to further the groups attainment of an
object. (CCS: SL. 7.1-7.3).
That being said, your childs attendance is crucial, for this class will largely be
discussion and interaction based. Over the next six weeks, students will be actively
engaged in the novel, Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Due to its sensitive
nature, the book will primarily be read and thoroughly discussed in class. Counting
by 7s is told by twelve-year-old Willow, a shy, inquisitive genius whose adoptive
parents encourage their middle school daughters scientific endeavors and
mathematical pursuits. Through her emotional journey, Willow learns that good can
come out of tragedy, as she copes with the shock and grief that accompanies the
loss of her adoptive parents to an accident. While this book does discuss some
sensitive issues, it is my belief that it covers core concepts that are essential to the
middle school population. Through teaching this text students will be able to: relate
to a character who has a difficult time fitting in, gain a better understanding that first
impressions are often wrong, offers insight to friendships across cultures, how good
can grow out of tragedy, while also offering a positive illustration of a young persons
interest in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Structurally, this book is broken up into small chapters, allowing it to be primarily
read during class.

Class will run with students journaling or discussing questions pertaining to previous
sections read. We will then dive into the text as a class, reading a couple chapters
each day. Students will have countless opportunities to practice their reading fluency
and comprehension through means of reading aloud, listening to others read, and
reading independently. Along with having multiple opportunities to strengthen their
reading skills, students will develop various strategies that align with both the
Colorado Common Core and Boulder Valley School District Standards that will help
them become life-long, independent readers! These strategies will assist them with
in the processes of pre-reading, during reading, and post reading, and they will be
assessed as engaged readers through a series of graphic organizers and activities
that will graded off a Standards Based rubric. Students will learn strategies on
making inferences or educated guesses using information within a text, and will be
assessed on the different types of inferences, in order to reach a higher level of
comprehension in a variety of texts. Students will also learn new or challenging
vocabulary within the text, and be assessed on their ability to read and determine
the meanings and pronunciation of unfamiliar words and phrases using a graphic
organizer. Upon finishing the book, students will learn a post reading strategy used
to evaluate literary elements, (setting, character development, plot structure, theme,
and conflict), and will be assessed on their ability to frame and summarize their
thoughts and comments when describing those elements. As a final project, students
will demonstrate their knowledge of the book and newfound strategies through the
means of a Personal Narrative Essay.
All of my assessment plans and teaching methods are center around the integration
of both reading and literature instruction. Reading instruction uses the rationale that
in order for students to learn to read well they must: understand how sounds are
represented in order to read and spell words, practice reading enough to become
fluent readers, learn new vocabulary words, and learn to self-monitor when reading to
make sure what they read makes sense by correcting their own errors. Literature
instruction on the other hand, focuses on using experiences from authors original
narrative and interpretative works to support students in developing literacy.
Students are encouraged to respond, share, and talk about a good book after reading
it, as all readers and writers naturally do.
It is my belief that both of these instructions are equally important to developing
reading, writing, and thinking skills, which is why I integrate the two as close as I can
to equal. My assessment plans consist of vocabulary and self-monitoring strategies,
which are grounded in reading instruction. Meanwhile, literature instruction is seen
being taught alongside reading instruction; with whole-class and peer discussions
about the narrative, students grapple with making predictions about the story, work
to build a plot line, and aim to apply the themes to their own lives. Through closely
intertwining these instructions, my goal is to be able to access and support your child
on any level, and to help all students become better readers, writers, and thinkers!

I want to thank you for your time in reading this letter, as well as giving me the
opportunity to educate and inspire your child! Together we can create life-time
writers, thinkers, and most importantly, readers! Please feel free to contact me any
time with any questions, comments, or concerns. I look forward to getting to know
you over the course of the year!
Sincerely,
Ms. Marcantonio