By Kaitlin Gutowski Rethinking Literacy: What Today’s Classrooms Really Need Teaching literacy in elementary and middle school today isn’t what it used to be—and honestly, that’s a good thing. The world has changed, and so have our students. As educators, we’re not just teaching kids how to read and write anymore. We're helping them navigate emotions, make sense of digital media, and express themselves in creative, meaningful ways. Let’s talk about what that looks like in real classrooms. Storytelling as a Tool for Empathy We’ve always known that stories are powerful. But in the early years especially, fiction does more than just entertain—it builds empathy and emotional understanding. When students engage with characters facing tough decisions or big feelings, they start to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Take The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld. This simple yet profound picture book gives kids a gentle introduction to grief, emotions, and how to support others. Books like this open up space for rich conversations and help kids process their own feelings, which ties directly into both cognitive development and social-emotional learning. It’s a reminder that reading isn’t just about comprehension—it’s about connection. Literacy Means So Much More Now We’re all seeing how the definition of literacy has expanded. These days, being “literate” means being able to: Figure out if an online article (or AI-generated image) is legit Understand and communicate using audio, video, visuals, and interactive media Be smart, safe, and kind online Create and collaborate in digital spaces So, we’ve got to teach more than reading strategies. We need to talk about digital footprints, misinformation, and ethical tech use—yes, even in the elementary grades. That means staying up to date ourselves, even when the tech landscape is changing fast. It can feel overwhelming at times, but it’s also a great opportunity to bring real-world relevance into our classrooms. Don’t Sleep on Poetry Let’s not forget how magical poetry can be in a literacy-rich classroom. Short, expressive, and often deeply personal, poetry invites students to experiment with language in ways other texts don’t. It builds confidence, creativity, and even supports speaking and listening skills. As Carter (2004) puts it, “Poems are perfect for developing speaking and listening skills – for discussing, analyzing, debating, reflecting upon, sharing – as well as for learning and ultimately performing.” Plus, when we bring poetry into shared readings or performances, we’re tapping into Vygotsky’s ideas about learning through social interaction. That’s where the magic happens—when kids build meaning together. What This Means for Us as Teachers So where do we go from here? If we want to meet the needs of today’s learners, we need to: Use literature to spark conversations about feelings, relationships, and identity Embrace digital tools—not just as add-ons, but as part of the literacy journey Make space for creativity and self-expression, especially through poetry and performance Keep evolving with the times and supporting each other as we do Teaching literacy is no longer just about sounding out words or writing neatly. It’s about helping kids make sense of their world, their emotions, and the massive amount of information they’re exposed to every day. It’s complex, for sure—but it’s also incredibly rewarding. Here’s to growing with our students, one story, poem, and digital lesson at a time. Reference Carter, J. (2004). Page to stage: developing writing, speaking and listening skills in primary schools. David Fulton Publishers. Retrieved from eBook Central (accessed through LIRN).

MAME Special Project Grant

By: Jessica Kaminski Lavallee School Lavallee School recently received a generous grant from the Manitoba Association for Multi-Age Educators (MAME), which has enabled our school to purchase a variety of math manipulatives. These tools, which include tactile objects like cubes, counting beads, geometric shapes, equality balance scales, and ten frame kits, are designed to provide students with a hands-on approach to learning math concepts. Before receiving the grant, our school had a very limited manipulatives collection, making it difficult to convey foundational ideas such as making a number, breaking a number apart, and equality, without tools that allowed students to physically manipulate numbers. Because our collection was limited, we had to share the manipulatives amongst our three classrooms, which meant that we couldn’t all use them in our day-to-day teaching. The infusion of MAME's grant funding has transformed the early years math learning environment at Lavallee. We have seen a noticeable difference in student engagement and comprehension since we now have enough manipulatives for each classroom on our K-2 team. Students are now able to physically explore math concepts by building numbers and equations on a regular basis. These manipulatives allow learners to move beyond traditional methods and truly experience math as an interactive process. It also has created a lot of excitement for our learners. Thanks to the MAME grant, our Lavallee K-2 team is making great strides in building foundational math concepts in our youngest learners. The MAME grant has provided much-needed math manipulatives that are making a tangible difference in how students approach and understand math. We look forward to teaching math with these wonderful manipulatives for years to come!

Submitted by: Cindy Pellerin Thank you for the support from MAME and the Professional Development for Executive Members fund, I had the opportunity to attend the 30th anniversary of Plain Talk About Literacy and Learning in New Orleans. It was an informative , 3-day experience focused on literacy for all learners through evidence-based practices and collaboration. The conference had incredible presenters, some hands-on sessions, and valuable teaching strategies that I am excited to bring back to the classroom. Here are a few sessions that I attended: Dr. Robert Brooks – Building Resilient Learners Dr. Brooks emphasized the importance of: Positive relationships between students and adults—and among peers. Focusing on students' strengths, not just their challenges. Creating a sense of competence , which boosts confidence, friendships, and academic engagement. Linda Farrell – The Fastest Ways for Students to Catch Up When They Are Missing Orthographic Skills Linda shared strategies for students struggling with foundational reading skills: Teach letter names first , then sounds , and finally shapes . Encourage students to look at the letter when making sounds—not the teacher. Keep instruction focused—avoid overwhelming them with too much at once. Practice Activities: Alphabet songs (with and without visual aids) Vowel identification Random letter/sound recall High-frequency word reading Flashcard Strategy: 12-card decks per student: 4 known letters 2 just learned letters. 6 new letters Mastery : 3 days of all-correct responses More info: Readsters.com Andrea Harrell – Comprehension: The Ultimate Outcome Andrea reminded us that reading is more than decoding—it is about meaning . Surface-level reading : Reading for speed or score Deep reading : Thinking, questioning, and applying background knowledge. Strategies: Sound chaining (e.g., not → nod → pod) Phoneme-grapheme mapping Fluency trees : Building sentence fluency step-by-step Beth → Beth has → Beth has two → Beth has two dogs. Syntax building with sticky notes and index cards: who do Example: The frog swims in the pond. Phrasing practice : Read in chunks, not word-by-word. Fluency cycles : 2 days on a passage, 2 days on a new passage then assessed with a new passage on Friday. I have already started using syntax and phrasing activities in class to improve descriptive writing and fluency. Dr. Kastner- Getting Started with Structured Literacy Grades 3-5 this session emphasized the importance of daily reading and writing in every classroom. Key points: Build background knowledge : through read-alouds, visuals, art, texts, discussions, and content-rich media. Encourage talking about reading to deepen understanding. Explicit vocabulary instruction : Pronunciation Meaning Examples Checks for understanding Based on work by Anita L. Archer Helpful Resources from these and other sessions: CollinsDictionary.com Learning Without Tears Amplify Heggerty UFLI I am incredibly grateful to MAME for making this professional learning experience possible. Not only did I come away with new ideas and research-backed strategies , but I also felt validated that I am already doing many things right. I have already started weaving these techniques into my multi-age classroom to better meet the diverse needs of my students and I am excited to see their literacy skills continue to grow! **The next Plain Talk About Literacy and Learning conference is being held March 11-13, 2026 in New Orleans.

Submitted by: Lisa McAvoy Grade 1/2 Marion School MAME Executive Member & Blog Editor In February 2025, with the support of funding provided by MAME, I attended the 30th Plain Talk About Literacy and Learning conference in New Orleans. This three-day conference is presented each year by the Center for Literacy and Learning and focuses on evidence-based reading research and strategies for educators of all grade levels. I attended a number of very informative and useful sessions. Two sessions I attended focused on increasing student engagement and provided a lot of simple ideas I could start using in my classroom immediately.  The first session was presented by Dr. Anita Archer. Dr. Archer argues that hand raising is inequitable and she encouraged teachers to use structured coral responses rather than asking students to raise their hands to answer questions. When teachers ask for raised hands we only hear one student’s voice and can only assess that one student’s knowledge. Often we see the same students raising their hands and this can discourage others from participating. With structured coral responses all students are expected to respond to questions. They are actively engaged, thinking and responding throughout a lesson. Structured coral responses are used when answers are short and the same. For example, when a teacher is showing a series of letters and students are responding with the corresponding letter sound, or students are reciting times tables or addition facts. To prevent students from blurting out, teachers can use a hand signal to indicate thinking time and then another signal when students can respond. (e.g. opening and closing your hand). Dr. Archer also encouraged the use of class coral reading from projected slides and the use of group cloze reading, where the teacher reads and then students fill in missing words. Other suggestions for whole class responses were to have students hold up fingers to indicate a certain answer or have printed response sheets where students could hold up a piece of paper to indicate a response. For these hold up questions, Dr. Archer says questions should be clear, students need think time, and they should wait until the teacher asks for responses to be shown. Another presenter, Jake Dagget also encourages structured coral responses. Many people may know Jake Dagget from his popular Instagram videos where he uses songs, chants and gestures to teach and reinforce concepts and encourage active student engagement. You can see some of Jake’s chants on his Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jake_daggett/?hl=en You can also learn more about structured coral responses and adaptations that can be made for students with additional needs at this website https://www.aisnsw.edu.au/teachers-and-staff/teaching-and-learning/literacy-and-numeracy/foundations-of-effective-instruction/engagement-strategies/choral-responses. The next Plain Talk About Literacy and Learning conference is being held March 11-13 2026 in New Orleans. Check out https://www.mycll.org/plain-talk for more information.

Submitted by: Kathy Klenk A big thank you to MAME for the $1000 Special Projects Grant to purchase an iPad as an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device for the H.S. Paul School team to use to model language with their students. This device will have a profound impact on students with autism by significantly improving their communication skills. Many children with autism face challenges in verbal communication, making it difficult for them to express their needs, emotions, and thoughts. An iPad equipped with AAC apps, such as Proloquo2Go, provides a user-friendly and customizable platform that enables nonverbal or minimally verbal students to communicate effectively. In addition, we were able to purchase the Pictello app which will be able to showcase the learning that students are doing. This technology fosters independence, reduces frustration, and enhances social interactions by giving students a voice. Additionally, iPads are portable and versatile, allowing seamless integration into various learning environments, including classrooms, therapy sessions, and home settings. By investing in this tool, this grant directly supports the students' ability to develop language skills, build confidence, and engage more fully in their education and daily lives.

Submitted by: Kara Grant Springwell School  We at Springwell School would like to thank MAME and their Special Projects Grant Fund for providing us with funds to kick-off our STEAM Based Collaboration area in our school library. This area will promote collaboration, creativity, hands-on learning, imagination, and a variety of learning opportunities for our K-8 students for years to come. Creating a place in our school for students to focus on hands-on activities, to elevate their learning, and to learn together has been a goal of ours for the last couple of years. We hope to eventually expand the space to include a 3D printer to further our technology and art skills but for now we will focus on the circuits, gears, magnets, and coding activities that have been purchased with this grant money. We hope to incorporate exploration and collaboration time for our early years and middle years students as often as we can!

Submitted By: Kara Grant Springwell School Title: An Educator’s Guide to STEAM Author: Cassie F. Quigley and Danielle Herro Our school is well on our way to incorporating more STEAM learning options for our students. I felt at a loss and was unsure where to even begin! Other than constantly scrolling various websites for ideas, activities, and ways to link the ideas I had to my outcomes and curriculum I decided to begin my hunt for the perfect book to help me figure this all out! Which led me to my purchase of “An Educator’s Guide to STEAM.” Although this book was not completely what I expected it really enlightened a new way of teaching for me! This book did not focus on the hands-on activities which I have learned to be STEAM activities, this book focuses on teaching in a STEAM way; meaning that the focus is on making and teaching lessons in a problem-based, real-world connections kind of way. The lessons are organized to involve each STEAM component (inter-curricular). This book provides multiple examples of how other teachers use STEAM in their classroom, (often for research and problem-solving tasks/projects) and it highlights how they incorporate technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to a science-based outcome. This book emphasizes the importance of keeping tasks in a problem-solving manner, incorporating student choice, allowing for multiple solutions, using technology, and reminding us how important teacher facilitation is. There is also a section on STEAM assessment. If you are looking for ways to incorporate hands-on activities into your lessons to deepen the learning of your students this is not the book for you, but if you want ideas on how to teach the STEAM way, then this is definitely going to open up some new ideas and add to your daily teachings.