Lamar Primary is a Literacy Collaborative (LC) school. This means that we have a partnership with The Ohio State University consisting of two major parts. The first is to train teachers in a balanced literacy framework. The second is to collect data on students as part of an ongoing research study at OSU. Successful implementation of this balanced literacy framework depends upon an involved and committed staff. The members of our staff clearly understand and are willing to participate in our on-going staff development. Our school has a trained Literacy Coordinator who teaches children daily and has received special training to provide staff development. This staff development includes providing in-class demonstration, coaching, and reflection on the teaching, providing a course for 6 to 8 teachers every other week for two hours after school, and planning and working collaboragively with all teachers in the school. Schools involved in the Literacy Collaborative have made a serious commitment to raising the achievement of students in reading, writing, and related areas. During the language arts block, in LC classrooms, teachers are teaching the state curriculum (T.E.K.S.) using a balanced literacy approach. The Ohio State Reading, Guided Reading, Independent Reading, Sharred Writing, Interactive Writing, Writing Workshop, and Independent Writing. As the teachers are trained in the LC approach, they begin to systematically gather observational data over time to document the process of individual children. They use this data to guide daily teaching with an emphasis on individualized instruction based on need. This also provides a way to track individual children, showing evidence of their growth. Each child in an LC classroom participates in meaningful literacy activities on a daily basis. But beyond that, one of the biggest roles of LC teachers is to foster a lifelong love of reading and writing in students. This is a challenge that they welcome and work on constantly.

Parents play a key role in an LC classroom. They participate in the school curriculum through receiving information, being welcomed in the school, participating in book making workshops, and receiving Keep Books for children to read at home.

As you can see, we are very busy here at Lamar Primary. We welcome you to come and visit to see some of the changes taking place on our campus!