|
 |
Middle Link
Language Arts
About Amy |
|
Amy Goodman
Physical Address:
Hanshew Middle School
Room 114
10121 Lake Otis Parkway
Anchorage, AK 99507
|
|
|
|
My name is Amy Goodman, and I am the literacy support teacher for the middle schools. I have an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois (Champaign/Urbana) in elementary education and a Masters Degree in Reading from UAA. I began my teaching career in Evanston, Illinois, teaching 4th - 5th grades for four years before being lured to Alaska in 1981. Below is a list of all the schools I have taught at in Anchorage:
-
*Susitna Elementary, 5th - 6th grades (7 years)
-
Bear Valley Elementary, 4th grade (3 years)
-
Bowman Elementary, 4th - 5th grades (4 years)
-
Hanshew Middle School , 7th - 8th grades (2 years)
-
Goldenview Middle School , 8th grade (5 years)
*In 1987, I accepted an International Teaching Exchange to Melbourne, Australia. I taught 5th grade in a suburban school while my exchangee took over my responsibilities at Susitna Elementary. It was a milestone in my career, an unforgettable experience.
|
Literacy Support Teacher
In the fall of 2002, Gail Opalinski (former Executive Director of Middle Schools) requested Title 2 funding for a brand new position called Middle School Literacy Teacher Expert. It immediately caught my interest, and I left Goldenview Middle School . Leaving my instructional team after five years and students after 26 years was no easy feat, but I had a passion for curriculum and wanted to pursue a new direction. The job quickly changed from literacy teacher expert to support teacher because in no way could I consider myself an expert in such a daunting field. After three years of being funded by the Title program, the position became part of the operating budget in fall, 2005.
The vision for this position was to support the reading/writing programs in all of the middle schools. Although my primary audience is the language arts/reading staff, literacy is a thread weaving together all of the content areas. I try to offer staff development opportunities for all teachers across the curriculum so our students can be exposed to a solid literacy program providing a strong foundation for high school.
Staff Development
I can…
- attend department meetings to be a sounding board, to present information, or to lead a discussion
- meet with content area teachers and/or departments to help with reading/writing issues across the curriculum
- meet with individual teachers during conference hours for planning and mentoring (short term or on-going)
- help new teachers get familiar with the language arts curriculum
- develop and offer training to sites on in-service days, during team meetings, at staff meetings, etc.
Materials
I can…
- offer help to improve the organization of bookrooms
- arrange book loans from other sites
- help with the budget process
- contact sales reps. from any publisher to help with ordering needs
- suggest materials to use for unique tutoring situations when something other than core curriculum is needed
- arrange to have bulk materials printed for sites at the King Career Center such as posters, bookmarks, six trait rubrics, etc.
Miscellaneous
I can…
- help any teacher input their Gates-MacGinitie raw scores from pre or post testing
- consult with teachers on interpreting test results from SBA data
- be a judge for Project Citizen, History Day, Battle of the Books, class debates, etc.
- help arrange support from community organizations for special school projects
- create forms or templates on Word and Excel to improve lessons teachers are developing
- do Internet searches to find supporting materials on special topics
- help with team and/or schoolwide six trait scoring
- assist with mini-grant writing
Literacy Network
As the literacy support teacher, I report directly to Leslie Vandergaw, the Executive Director for Middle Schools. I serve as a resource to each middle school principal and to all staff. I also work closely with Mardell Kiesel, the K-12 Language Arts Coordinator and the language arts department chairs. There are six elementary reading teacher experts, and I collaborate with them in order to make a smoother transition for our incoming seventh graders. There is no parallel position in the high school division. I also stay in close contact with ESL, Title 1, Gifted Education, Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC), and Special Education.
Beyond ASD
When I am not at work, you can find me hiking and biking the trails of Anchorage. My husband, Jeff Dillon, is the Director of Parks and Recreation, so we both see it as our duty to get out there and play on the trails! I also workout at the Dimond Athletic Club where I have taken a serious interest in weight-lifting. I have played flute in the Anchorage Civic Orchestra since its inception over ten years ago. We give three concerts a year at the PAC.
|
