May 18, 2012
Catholic University education students in the Reading Methods course went off campus earlier this month for their final exam of the spring semester. The culminating event of their final projects was a celebration of literacy at St. Anthony Catholic School in the Brookland neighborhood of northeast Washington, D.C. For their final projects, each of the students had to create a six- to eight-week unit on a theme that aligns with the D.C. core standards for a chosen grade level. The students had to write lesson plans, develop activities, and choose 10 to 15 books that would be engaging for an early childhood- to elementary-level audience. On Friday, May 4, each student set up a center at St. Anthony based on the curriculum they had developed. Third graders were the first to enter Antonette Margot Hall, a large assembly room named for the founder of the 90-year-old school. The children scattered to the various centers according to their interests. They chose from such themes as community, the solar system, World War II, immigration, music appreciation, nutrition, the ocean, and animals. A group of girls in their plaid uniforms ran straight to a center called Fairy Tales: Our Dreams in Print. Amanda Surless, a rising senior early education major from Ramsey, N.J., was ready to read the story of Cinderella with them. After reading the story, the girls filled in an image of Cinderella's slipper with words from the text that describe her, and then they decorated their slippers. Eight-year-old Leah said she likes to read every night. She used the word "nice" to describe Cinderella. "How is she nice?" asked Surless. "Can you give some examples from the story?""She is nice because her stepsisters were so mean to her and she wasn't mean back," said Leah.Laci, another 8-year-old third grader, was also at Surless' center. After she finished her slipper, she got in line to make a smoothie at Katy Monaghan's center Carrots 'N Cake: Living a Balanced Life. "I like the activities," Leah said. "So far I've decorated a slipper, wrote a letter, and pretended I was under water."Monaghan, of Hingham, Mass., who received her elementary education degree on May 12, created her center around the belief that "it is essential to teach children skills to lead a balanced life as they begin their journey through elementary school."Her blended smoothie activity was a hit. Students were given a choice of three stacks of index cards. They were asked to pronounce the words on the index cards by segmenting and then blending phonemes. "For each correct pronunciation, they add an ingredient to their smoothies. But they had to be sure their smoothies were balanced. For example, if one is using ice cream as a base, add a fruit. Or if one is using yogurt as a base, add a cookie," explained Monaghan.
"CUA and St. Anthony have a rich history," said Michael Thomasian, principal of St. Anthony. "University students and alumni consistently volunteer at our school as tutors, student teachers, career day presenters, and Read Across America readers," he said. Thomasian added that he was thrilled with the level of excitement in the room. "Our students love to read. And we foster that love at St. Anthony every day. Sometimes we can't get them to put their books down."Nine-year-old Anijah agreed. "Reading gives me more imagination and it's a good way to rest."As CUA students were presenting their literacy centers to the elementary school students, judges quietly roamed the room evaluating their work. "Once they become teachers, they will be asked on a daily basis to defend their instructional decisions to administrators, fellow teachers, parents, and children," said Kathy Perencevich, assistant professor of education and instructor of the Reading Methods course. "So, to create the authenticity of communicating with various stakeholders, I asked these stakeholders to judge each center on professionalism, developmentally appropriate literacy lessons, engagement, knowledge of content, cultural responsiveness, and ability to differentiate lessons to accommodate the needs of all learners," she explained. Judges included teachers, parents, professors from CUA and other local universities, and administrators and - perhaps most important - the St. Anthony schoolchildren. "The Catholic University students put in a tremendous amount of work to develop age-appropriate lessons that actively engaged the school children. I loved that the lessons were cross curricular," said K. Marguerite Conley, executive director of the Consortium of Catholic Academies. Conley is an alumna of the CUA Department of Education and served as one of the literacy center judges. The day of celebrating children's literacy was a win-win experience for St. Anthony and for Catholic University, said Perencevich."The benefit to St. Anthony in partnering with us is that the schoolchildren were exposed to highly motivating themes that incite curiosity about reading. Many of the older children were writing down titles of books to get in the library. And their teachers got to see innovative ideas along with materials to implement them," said Perencevich.The benefit to the CUA education students, she said, "is an opportunity to put their education to work in an authentic learning situation. It is also an opportunity for them to network with principals and show off their skills. Some of the principals who were there serving as judges asked me for the resumes of some of our students."The centers developed by the CUA students will be shared with local libraries and area D.C. Catholic schools.
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