Sheena Brieske

Literacy 798
Initial Goals
10/12/16
Activity 4 - Identification of Initial Goals
Identify appropriate goals for your journey that flow logically from
initial self-assessments and reflections. If you are currently
completing a Professional Development Plan for Licensure Renewal,
consider how you might incorporate those goals on this journey. If
you are involved in identifying professional goals for your work
within buildings or districts, consider how you might incorporate
those as well.
Goal

Area

Rationale

#1 Writing
Workshop
I will increase my
knowledge of best
practices in Writers
Workshop by reading
Lucy Calkins book
Writing Pathways, as
well as
corresponding books
for units of study. I
will implement her
units of study.

Types of
Approaches

My current school
district uses a
combination of Lucy
Calkins workshop
model for Writers
Workshop and Linda
Dornes Partnership in
Comprehensive
Literacy for Readers
Workshop. I am much
more familiar with
Readers Workshop
than Writers
Workshop. Lucy
Calkins has a very
organized way of
teaching writing that is
developmentally
appropriate and fits
with the Common Core
State Standards. I will
read through her books
and implement her
lessons within my first
grade classroom.
After this school year, I
will know the
curriculum much more
and have experienced

Progres
s

success and trials. I

will be able to adapt
my instruction for
more productive
lessons for the
following year.
#2 Teaching
Writing to English
Language
Learners
I will increase my
knowledge of best
practices for
teaching writing to
students who are
English Language
Learners by reading
credible educator
journal articles
regarding this topic.
I will also research
useful graphic
organizers that could
be used with
students who are
learning English.

Student
Groups

In the past, I have

made writing
modifications for
students with
disabilities, but a
different group I have
not had much
experience with is
English Language
Learners. I am
teaching in a new
district this year, and
the ELL population is
higher than my last
district. I know would
like to become more
aware of successful
ways to teach writing
to students who do not
speak English as their
first language.

#3 Motivation and
Affect

Dimensions
of Reading

Some students love to

write and others do not
have the same positive
outlook. As educators,
our words have the
ability to play a large
role in motivation.
Positive phrasing,
along with efficient
instruction, can result
in students ability to
create quality work.

I will increase my
knowledge of best
practices of
motivation and my
dialogue during
instruction by
reading Choice
Words: How Our
Language Affects
Childrens Learning,
by Peter Johnston.

#4 Literacy
Coaching
I will increase my
knowledge of best
practices in coaching
literacy to other
teachers by
communicating with
my schools literacy
coach. Together we
will compile a list of
helpful texts for me
to read to become
more knowledgeable
in the area of
coaching other
educators.
I would also like to
read Becoming a
Literacy Leader:
Supporting Learning
and Change, by
Jennifer Allen.

Professional While earning my

Responsibili Reading 316 license, I
ties
gained valuable
experience learning
how to coach students
in the area of literacy.
Now that I am working
toward my Reading
317 license, I am
excited to accumulate
tools, resources, and
strategies that will help
me coach my gradelevel team and other
teachers within my
school.