CCIRA June Newsletter 2019

New President of CCIRA starting today!
Jessica Rickert
2019-2020
Wishing Jessica a year of success and great things to come!
Innovation-Imagining the Future of Literacy

Please join us February 5-8, 2020 for a fabulous conference. You will have time to explore the Innovator’s Mindset, use Design Thinking to boost creativity and bring out the maker in every student. We are dedicating time for self-care; come learn strategies for making time for yourself!
Looking forward to learning alongside you in 2020!
Proposals wanted for the
2020 Conference on Literacy
We are still currently looking for presentation proposals for the 2020 Conference on Literacy. The annual CCIRA conference offers a high quality professional development experience for attendees. The purpose of CCIRA sessions is to promote best practices and current research in the field of literacy. We appreciate your willingness to share your expertise with conference attendees by hosting one or two sessions. You can click on the link below to submit your proposal on the CCIRA website. Thank you in advance, and see you in February 2020!

A Peek into the 2020 Conference!
The 2020 CCIRA Conference will kick off with a keynote from George Couros. Here’s a little about him.

George Couros is a leading educator in the area of innovative leadership, teaching, and learning. He has worked with all levels of school, from K-12 as a teacher, technology facilitator, and school and district administrator, and is the author of the book, The Innovator’s Mindset; Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity . He is a sought after speaker on the topic of innovative student learning and engagement and has worked with schools and organizations around the globe. George is also the creator of connectedprincipals.com , an initiative that brings educators and leaders together from around the world to create powerful learning opportunities for students. 

George is a leader in the area of innovation, yet his focus is always on the development of leadership and people and what is best for learners. His belief that meaningful change happens when you first connect to people’s hearts, is modeled in his writing and speaking. You can connect with George on his blog, The Principal of Change (georgecouros.ca) or through Twitter @gcouros. 

What People Are Saying about George Couros

“Great messages from George Couros. I'm laughing, I'm crying, I'm learning and thinking. Thank you.”

“Uplifting, amazing, motivating presentation George Couros. Be the game changer and change the lives of your students!”

“George Couros... your words will be forever in my heart. You are an amazing speaker. I will be a better educator, wife, mom, and daughter due to this message.”

“ I think George Couros’ keynote was the best I’ve ever experienced.”

George will be an amazing speaker to begin our innovation conference. Looking forward to learning alongside you!
Local Council News
Ten Mile Council
Members sharing their books at Books and Banter this past school year!











Picture submitted by Hollyanna Bates
Great things are happening at the Northern Colorado CCIRA Teacher Conference
Recharge! A Northern Colorado CCIRA Teacher Conference

Recharge! A Northern Colorado CCIRA Teacher Conference
Registration is now open! Join us from 7:30-4:00 at the Loveland Campus of University of Northern Colorado for a day of networking, learning, and to recharge for the new school year. We have amazing authors such as Mark Ludy, Julie Danneberg, Jennifer Dizmang and Laura Resau. There will also be presentation by many educators on Digital Literacy, Co-teaching, ELL and ESS. Gary Johnston will present about how to get parents involved. Registration is only $30. Contact Michele Warner at [email protected] or Rebecca Hoover at [email protected] for further information: Click here
Partners in Education

‌
‌
‌
June Teaching Tip
Researching Primary Sources

Research can often be a daunting task for educators. The time it takes to dive deep into a subject to find the perfect primary sources and contextual background is hard to come by. For this Teacher Tip, I wanted to provide some tips for selecting primary sources for elementary students . 

Be sure that the primary source includes:
  • a date of creation or publication is easily identifiable
  • the original format is evident (such as a page from a book, poster, or newspaper article)
  • the author’s name is on the document
  • handwriting or typography is legible and decodable
  • the content of the primary source can be easily placed in a time period familiar to the students
  • the facsimile of the primary source is clear and has a high resolution

All of these are crucial for the student to be able to connect the pieces together in the primary source in order to build historical context, provide evidence for their conclusions, and to critically think about the primary source’s content and time period.

Here are some examples of primary sources you might include at different grade levels, K-6:
  • Kindergarten: Introduce artifacts, photographs, song recordings, and other sources without text. Connect the primary source to the students themselves by making observations and basic comparisons.
  • Grades 1-2: Introduce diary entries, drawings, simple maps, and menus. Expand primary source to connect to their families by observing, analyzing, and comparing.
  • Grades 3-4: Introduce newspapers, letters, charts, and propaganda posters. Further expand connections to community and local region by inviting students to discern point of view and bias.
  • Grades 5-6: Introduce more complex historical documents (i.e. the Declaration of Independence) and maps. Connect primary sources to the nation by comparing drafts to final versions, multiple points of view and bias to synthesize learning and constructing new knowledge.
Announcing New Executive Committee Members!
State Coordinator
Michele Warner will be the new State Coordinator for CCIRA. As State Coordinator Michele will be working with the local councils to promote the wonderful things they each are doing, help council leadership and their members by being a resource for them, and she will help plan and facilitate Leadership meetings twice a year.
Marketing Coordinator
Emily Bradley is the new Marketing Coordinator. The Marketing position on the Executive Committee is a new position that was added to our CCIRA by-laws in February.
The position involves coordinating marketing strategies that will be used to promote CCIRA throughout the community and for the annual conference. Emily has worked previously on marketing the annual conference. She will continue to expand our outreach through social and visual media.
Executive Secretary
Corina Kaskey will be the new Executive Secretary. Her position is to keep detailed records of all Executive Committee meetings, Board of Directors meetings, General Assemblies, and any other formal discussion throughout the year. She is also the custodian of the corporate records, and handles special correspondence by the Board of Directors's or Executive Committee.
Did you know?
Penny Kittle, a 2019 CCIRA featured speaker, has a #BookLove foundation that funds classroom libraries as a result of the Summer Book Club. Clare Landrigan is the elementary club organizer and will be at CCIRA 2020. Together they are working toward providing funds for educators to use. Check out the website below for more information!

CCIRA Grants and Awards
 
Visit  CCIRA.org t o look over the array of grants and awards CCIRA offers. Begin to think about applying for a grant or nominating a deserving educator for an award to be presented in the Fall of 2019, and again at the Annual Conference on Literacy!
 
Please join in the excitement surrounding the new CCIRA Blog! It is off to a great start and will open up your world to ongoing professional development ideas with the ease of your computer screen! Start today by clicking on this link: 

CCIRA Executive Committee

Jessica Rickert, President : [email protected]
Sharon Miller, President Elect:   [email protected]
Pam Minard, Vice President: [email protected]
Amy Ellerman , Immediate Past President: ellermanamy @gmail.com
Michele Warner , State Coordinator:
Corina Kaskey , Secretary: [email protected]
Sue Goodenow , State Membership Coordinator: [email protected]
Emily Bradley, Marketing Coordinator: [email protected]
Cathy Lynskey , Treasurer: [email protected]
Lisa Kahn, Administrative Assistant: [email protected]
Is your local council, state committee, school, or community doing something extraordinary for literacy in Colorado? Do you have a great idea to share with other educators on how to enhance literacy in the classroom? Do you know of a conference or event that CCIRA members might be interested in attending? If so, please contact Anne Cook to submit information for publication.
CCIRA.inc. | [email protected] | ccira.org