Throughout the month of June, Delta State University’s College of Education & Human Sciences has served as the host site for the Literacy Across the Curriculum Institute for Teachers in Grade 5–12. The institute, titled "Putting the Pieces Together," enables teachers in middle and secondary schools to effectively incorporate the teaching of literacy skills in their own respective content areas. The institute is funded through a grant by the U.S. Department of Education’s No Child Left Behind: Improving Teacher Quality Program.
The teachers were selected using a rubric and must have a primary teaching responsibility in the 2013–2014 school year in English/Language Arts, Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, or Foreign Language. Special Education inclusion teachers whose primary teaching assignment falls with the stated subjects and grade levels were also considered.
As a result of attending the institute, teachers can become a teacher consultant who can lead other teachers in staff development sessions, exposed to current literature, authentic research, and current instructional strategies. The teachers will also develop a portfolio of hands-on activities and lesson plans while forming professional support groups with teachers across the Delta.
The institute recently had National Geographic representatives come and speak with the teachers about incorporating nonfiction text into their classrooms. They explained how the teachers can modify and adapt these tools to use text rich passages to engage students in content specific materials that best support teaching practices embedded in Common Core State Standards.
Upon successful completion of the institute, participants will receive 6 semester credit hours of graduate credit or they will receive 10 CEU credits. Mississippi Teacher Licensure can be renewed with either choice.
For more information regarding the institute please contact Dr. Levenia Maxwell-Barnes, Project Co-Director at lbarnes@deltastate.edu or (662)846-4309.
