Lena Shaw Elementary 23-24
OUR CONTEXT
OUR CONTEXT
We are diverse: Lena Shaw is an elementary school rich in its diversity. This is a strength and source of pride in our school. Our learners join us from all over the world, and we celebrate both our commonalities and our differences. Our learners are kind, compassionate and we work together to build a sense of community and belonging. We are all ORCAS at Lena Shaw.
We are adventurers: Due to our proximity to Green Timbers Park, our students frequently experience place-based learning and learn Indigenous Principles within the classroom, but also directly in nature. It is a joy to see the students and staff with their wagons as they embark on adventures in our neighbourhood forest.
We care about our our world: Lena Shaw strives to offer real-world experiences for our students wherever possible. For example, utilizing students' math skills in a grocery store, their social skills by practicing ordering at a restaurant, and entrepreneurship and global awareness through the creation of businesses to raise money for charities. We frequently have guest speakers from different perspectives come and share their voices with our students and hear from our students in return. Our students are also fortunate to see and experience educational opportunities and careers that they may be interested in one day!
We are part of our community: Lena Shaw believes in community school connections. We hosts a variety of after school activities to continue the school and community connection. We are thrilled to have been selected to host the Sarah McLachlan School of Music (SoM) at Lena Shaw where students have access to rich musical instruction and to Canada Scores which combines soccer and poetry. In addition, we have a vibrant StrongStart program at our school as well as a pilot program called JustB4. There is such rich learning happening both in our K-7 classrooms as well as our Pre-Kindergarten classes as we get ready to have them join us!
We are artists: Last year we hosted our first ever Art Crawl where students showcased their learning through art! We were so thankful to have had hundreds of families join us here at the school where students were able to take their families around the school to share their learning, but also take them to other classes throughout the school to see what was happening at differing grade levels. We are excited to host this again in the spring to share our students' learning.
We are active: Lena Shaw hosts a variety of sports, clubs, and other activities, so that students can build connections and feel a sense of belonging.
We learn about ourselves as learners and people: Lena Shaw students self-reflect on their learning and learn how they learn best! We encourage students to advocate for themselves and utilize strategies when support is needed.
We all belong at Lena Shaw: All of our students are all of our students at Lena Shaw.
OUR LEARNERS
A primary goal for our learners is to enhance their self-perception as readers, leading to increased reading fluency and comprehension. When students view themselves as capable and proficient readers, they are more likely to engage with texts confidently and enthusiastically. This positive self-perception can be fostered through targeted encouragement, recognizing individual progress, and providing diverse reading materials that align with their interests and reading levels. By creating an environment where students feel supported and motivated to improve their reading skills, they can develop a stronger sense of competence and enjoyment in reading. As a result, this improved self-perception can translate into better reading habits, greater engagement with challenging texts, and ultimately, higher reading fluency and comprehension.
- Research indicates that students with a positive self-perception of their reading abilities are more motivated and engaged in reading activities. This increased motivation leads to more frequent and diverse reading, which in turn improves reading skills and academic performance (Bandura, 1997).
- Performance and Achievement: Students who view themselves as competent readers tend to achieve higher reading scores and perform better in other academic subjects. A study by Shell, Colvin, and Bruning (1995) found that reading self-efficacy was a strong predictor of reading achievement and overall academic success.
- Reading Frequency and Choice: Students with a higher reading self-concept are more likely to choose challenging texts and engage in voluntary reading outside of school. They tend to read more frequently, which enhances their reading proficiency and comprehension skills (Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000).
- Engagement and Persistence: Positive self-perception fosters greater persistence and effort in reading tasks, even when faced with difficult texts. This resilience contributes to improved reading outcomes and academic success (Wigfield & Guthrie, 1997).
- Lifelong Learning: Positive reading self-perception not only contributes to immediate academic success but also fosters a lifelong love for reading and continuous learning. Students who develop a strong reading self-concept are more likely to pursue further education and career opportunities that require strong literacy skills (Alexander & Fox, 2013).
Our learners are seeing themselves as readers.
Our learners are engaging with a variety of texts.
Our learners are expanding their vocabulary through regular reading.
Our learners analyze and critically evaluate texts, identifying themes, arguments, and biases.
Our learners connect the content they read to their own experiences and broader world contexts.
Our learners are cultivating a habit of reading regularly and for pleasure.
Our learners discuss and share their reading experiences with others.
Big Idea: Stories and other texts connect us to ourselves, our families and our communities.
Core Competency: Positive Personal Identity - Students define who they are by what they value.
Curricular Competency: Read at grade level. Engage actively as listeners, views and readers, as appropriate, to develop understanding of self, identity and community.
OUR FOCUS
To investigate how enhancing students' self-perception as readers correlates with increased reading scores.
Building on our foundation of Social Emotional Learning (SEL), the educators at Lena Shaw strive to envelop our learners in an environment that focuses on stimulating a love of reading. We strive for our students to build rich connections with the First Peoples' Principle that learning is embedded in story. Stories and text connect us to ourselves, our families and our communities. Educators at Lena Shaw are interested in exploring the connection between the students ability to see themselves as readers and how it influences students reading levels.
In a survey conducted by our teacher-librarian with our grades 1-7 students
Students were asked:
Do you enjoy reading?
When do you read?
How do you prefer to read your books?
What format of books do you prefer reading?
Genres of fiction I like are...
I like reading books about...
Our library learning commons has books I want to read.
I have enough time to find something to read during my library time.
It is easy for me to find a book I want to read.
I enjoy the books I choose.
I finish reading the books I check out.
I prefer to read.. (fiction, non-fiction, etc.)
I like to read books in other languages
What we found:
10% of our learners do not like to read
42% only like to read sometimes
17% only read when told to by their teacher
Reading Habits Outside of School
Using our data from the MDI (Middle Years Developmental Index), we found that of our Grade 5 students, 49% of those students do not read for fun outside of school. Only 9% grade 5 students read for fun everyday. In addition, we found that 73% of these students do not visit the public library afterschool or on weekends. Only 25% go to the library once per week.
OUR NEXT STEPS
We wish to dive deeper into:
Understanding self-perception.
- How do our students currently perceive themselves as readers?
- What factors contribute to a positive or negative self-perception as a reader?
Impact on Reading Scores:
- How does a student's self-perception as a reader influence their reading performance?
- What is the relationship between self-perception and actual reading achievement?
We will increase the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data:
Quantitative:
Reading Assessment Score
Surveys
Reading Habits and Participation
Qualitative:
Student Interviews and Focus Groups
Teacher Observations
Reading Portfolios
Parent/Guardian Feedback
From here, we will continue with an Action Plan.
1. Interventions - implement strategies to improve self-perception, such as reading mentorship programs, postitive reinforcement, and diverse reading materials that reflect students' interests and backgrounds. Foster a supportive reading environment through school-wide initiatives and classroom practices.
Continue with Initiatives:
- Buddy Reading
- Early Literacy Teacher
- Family Noisy Reading
- Chart It
- Drop Everything and Read
- Author Visits
- Public Library Visits to Lena Shaw and to the the Library
- Diverse Collection of Materials
- SORA
Add Initiatives:
- School Wide Reading One Time per week
- Resident Reader and Mystery Reader
2. Ongoing Monitoring - Continuous track progress through regular assessments and surveys. Adjust interventions based on data insights and feedback.
3. Professional Development - Provide training for educators on fostering positive reading self-perception and its impact on reading achievement. Share best practices and successful strategies within the school community. Teachers play a crucial role in shaping students' reading self-perception. Positive feedback, encouragement, and providing appropriate reading materials can enhance students' confidence and interest in reading (Hattie, 2009).
4. Out-Of-School Programs - We know that participation in out-of-school programs can result in greater connectedness to school and success in school as well as decreased negative behaviours (Durlak et al, 2010). We will assist students to connect with after school activities, particularly with the public library, to increase opportunities to connect as readers and provide access to additional literature.
By focusing on the relationship between students' self-perception as readers and their reading scores, Lena Shaw can create targeted interventions that not only improve reading performance, but also foster a lifelong love of reading.
Surrey Schools
Formed in 1906, the Surrey School District currently has the largest student enrolment in British Columbia and is one of the few growing districts in the province. It is governed by a publicly elected board of seven trustees.
The district serves the cities of Surrey and White Rock and the rural area of Barnston Island.
