Mamaroneck High School Ninth Grade English Program Praised

The ninth grade English curriculum at Mamaroneck High School recently was lauded on a national stage during the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference in Washington DC.

According to the school district officials, Penny Kittle, a nationally recognized English teacher and Literacy coach, praised the high school’s efforts in enticing students to read independently.

Below is the district’s press release about the initiative and a video featuring student reactions:

Nationally Renowned English Teacher & Literacy Coach Penny Kittle couldn’t stop tweeting during the recent MHS presentation delivered at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference in D.C. “There is brilliance here. #ncte14 Teachers who inspire and amaze me-- make me better, “ she wrote. “Know your research, Margaret says... Smart teachers, brilliant teaching--Mamaroneck High School-- you are SOMEthing!” and “Mamaroneck High School teachers are so inspiring that I want to start a standing ovation in the middle of their session,” she tweeted.

The story of how MHS’s 9th grade English curriculum has been revised to dramatically increase students’ range and volume of independent reading and incorporate the one-to-one iPad initiative was selected as the basis for a presentation to a packed audience at the NCTE conference. Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction Annie Ward, MHS Principal Elizabeth Clain, English Department Chair Margaret Groninger, and English teachers Elena Elmoznino, Waldina Pineda, and Juliana Zalon presented a panel discussion/workshop with the title: “One English department’s odyssey to transform ninth grade through reading and writing workshop and iPads.”

“Our panel shared with conference attendees from around the country how we put research into practice and reimagined the way ninth grade English looks in our school,” Clain said. “The focus on the workshop model in the 9th grade with an emphasis on mentor texts was a big change. This model is student-centered and rich with choice and opportunity. Communication between administration and teachers was key, as was the flow of support and resources among all of us. The investment and positive energy of all fueled this engine of change.”

The teachers shared how they used the timely publication of Kittle’s Book Love as their guide and provided examples of their practices and materials. They also made their materials available for participants.

“We modeled book talks, showed how we keep records of our one-to-one conferring, and shared several units that integrate independent reading, whole class texts and rich writer’s workshop that are Common Core aligned as well as engaging to students,” Groninger said. “Additionally, we shared how several of the programs integral to our practice such as Good Reads, Google Docs, Confer and Overdrive help us use technology to integrate independent reading and writer’s workshop and build social energy around reading and writing.”

MHS administrators shared their vision and how they supported the team as they made it their own. They talked about how they fueled the program with crucial start up materials and then supported teachers through ongoing professional development and open communication. Panel members also discussed student reaction to the independent reading initiative (showing a video produced by MHS 2nd year video student Celeste Burrell), shared survey results, and talked about what students gain from our reading program. The panel concluded with a Q&A period.

Each year, the NCTE Annual Convention draws thousands of elementary and secondary educators, college faculty, administrators and other educational professionals from around the world to participate in four days of professional learning programming. NCTE attendees hear presentations from award-winning speakers, attend thought-provoking sessions, share best practices, and test the latest teaching materials. NCTE, with 35,000 individual and institutional members worldwide, is dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education.

Photo: Mamaroneck High School teachers. Photo credit: Mamaroneck School District and Penny Kittle’s Twitter page