Stevenson Elementary Staff & Students Shine in Literacy Design Collaborative Showcase

It’s an educator’s dream… a school full of engaged students who come to class every day excited about learning.

Stevenson Elementary School in Florida is turing that dream into a reality as it finishes its second year of implementing a Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) instructional design system. The LDC system empowers teachers, coaches and other education leaders to build students’ literacy skills and understanding of science, history, and literature. The meaningful reading and writing assignments are aligned to the College and Career Readiness Standards, developing students’ literacy skills to prepare them for the demands of college and career.

Educators from around Florida were able to tour model classrooms recently to see in person just how well students respond to the LDC teaching approach. This post first appeared on the LDC.org blog.


Stevenson Elementary Staff & Students Shine in LDC Showcase

Jeannie Sharkey

Stevenson Elem LogoAs the 2014–2015 school year comes to a close, we are delighted to share details on what surely ranks as one of the year’s highlights: our visit to R. L. Stevenson Elementary in Merritt Island, Florida for the school’s first LDC Demonstration Day. In Year 2 of their LDC journey, Stevenson educators—led by Principal Michael Corneau and Assistant Principal Rick Sheppard—stand as shining examples of what it really means to “walk the walk.”

MCorneauA hands-on instructional leader, who was first exposed to LDC during an initial orientation and training presented by the National Literacy Project / Florida Academic Literacy Network in summer 2013, Michael has guided his teachers in developing rigorous and relevant standards-based lessons that comprise a literacy-saturated curriculum. He attributes LDC with igniting the passion for teaching at Stevenson and helping teachers to “focus on a more deliberate set of practices that help students to take greater ownership of their learning through more engaging work that is much more collaborative in nature. “ (Read more about Michael’s personal LDC journey.)

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As visitors navigated the campus, they could hear the excitement in students’ voices—eager to participate in “LDC-ing” as some put it. Visitors toured model classrooms from kindergarten through sixth-grade hosted by enthusiastic educators Alison Fletcher, Christine Snow, Nadya Acevedo, Krista Sonsini, Erin Zapata, Angela Schoon, Roxanne Polochak, Jonathan Bolitho, Tracey Hertzog, and Heather Lacey—who taught a variety of LDC science, social studies, and ELA modules.

LDC SE Skype sessionThe day also included an Administrator Round Table discussion, a Skype video conference featuring fifth grade students from Stevenson debating solar energy versus hydro-power with students from West Melbourne Elementary School, and a panel discussion facilitated by Dr. Lynn Spadaccini director of Elementary Programs at Brevard County Schools.

Visitors left Stevenson Elementary impressed by the level of pride, enthusiasm, and engagement exhibited by both students and teachers alike. Kudos to Principal Michael Corneau, Assistant Principal Rick Sheppard, and their amazing staff for providing an inspiring opportunity to experience “wall-to-wall LDC.”


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Jeannie Sharkey is the Communications & Marketing Director with Literacy Design Collaborative. Follow LDC on Twitter, @LitDesignCollab.

 

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