Collaborative Literacy meets criteria for Michigan's Tier 1 Early Literacy evaluation and is eligible for Section 35m funding
"We're thrilled that Michigan has recognized Collaborative Literacy as a high-quality, evidence-based solution for Tier 1 literacy instruction," said Kelly Stuart, Collaborative Classroom President and CEO. "It's an honor to support Michigan educators with proven, comprehensive, and instructionally aligned solutions grounded in the research base."
Jeremy Hyler, Michigan Senior Manager of Educational Partnerships at Collaborative Classroom, said, "This recognition by the state underscores the effectiveness and rigor of Collaborative Literacy in fostering literacy development for all students. This program is built on the science of reading and is already transforming literacy outcomes for students across Michigan."
Learn how Michigan students are succeeding with Collaborative Literacy: https://www.collaborativeclassroom.org/michigan/.
Collaborative Literacy Builds Proficient Readers and Writers
Critically evaluated and ranked by the Michigan Department of Education's Committee for Literacy Achievement for Tier 1 Early Literacy, Collaborative Literacy is a comprehensive K–5 curriculum that builds strong and knowledgeable readers and writers, creates vibrant and caring classroom communities, and empowers teachers to deepen their knowledge and expertise.
Being a Reader™ and Being a Writer™, the two dynamic programs that comprise Collaborative Literacy, weave together the latest research in literacy and learning, integrated social skills development, and embedded professional learning.
A complete solution for core reading and writing instruction, Collaborative Literacy provides:
Comprehensive, research-based reading instruction that systematically develops both foundational skills and comprehension.
Whole-class, student-centered writing instruction that focuses on process and conventions across genres.
High-quality, high-interest fiction and nonfiction texts selected to support the instructional focus of each lesson and engage all students.
Knowledge building through the integration of reading and writing experiences. Students actively foster their curiosity, build their knowledge, and become experts on topics that truly matter to them.
English learner pre-teaching, extension, and point-of-need supports that help teachers provide scaffolding and prepare English learners to participate confidently in lessons.
Integrated social-skills development that creates a supportive classroom community and nurtures students' sense of responsibility for their own learning and behavior.
Embedded, continuous professional learning that empowers teachers to expand their content knowledge and deepen their pedagogical expertise.
Formative and summative assessments that support instructional decision-making for the class, groups of students with similar points of need, and individual students.
About Collaborative Classroom
Collaborative Classroom is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all students become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another. Through evidence-based programs and embedded professional learning, the organization transforms teaching and learning and builds thriving school communities.
Since the organization's founding, our work has reached more than 10 million students and 440,000 educators across the country.
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All told, I'm happier using tiny, targeted amounts of the Roundup Weed & Grass Killer and durable applicators of my own choosing. And I don't plan to keep using Sunday or Spruce after the batches we ordered run out. But I absolutely acknowledge their virtues, too. Connie Park/NYT Wirecutter If you've watched more than a couple of YouTube videos about gardening, I suspect you've gotten ads for Grampa's Weeder. It's pitched as an Olde Tyme secret weapon against unwanted grasses and broad-leaved lawn invaders like dandelions. Given my target-rich environment, I had to try it out. I also tried a similar tool made by Fiskars. This simple tool is an ace at pulling up deep-rooted lawn weeds like dandelions, but it's ineffective on other intruders and in rocky soil. On my dandelions and plantains, Grampa's Weeder and the Fiskars tool both performed as advertised, usually managing to pull out most of the taproots along with the foliage and thus killing the individual plant. 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And, above all, it's nearly silent. Using it became meditative after a while. The Fiskars weed puller, whose plastic parts never ceased clicking and clacking while I worked, became increasingly irritating to use. I think I'd find excuses to not use it, and that's how weeds take over. Connie Park/NYT Wirecutter Let's get one thing out of the way first: Flame weeding is not flamethrowing. Banish visions of Rambo torching the jungle from your mind. Using targeted heat to kill weeds, though, is an established practice. Steam and hot-foam equipment is used by some professionals, but for homeowners, propane torches are the way to go. For obvious reasons, they can't be used everywhere. They're intended for flame-resistant surfaces like concrete, asphalt, rock, and gravel — places where weeding by hand is difficult or impossible. The University of California's Agricultural and Natural Resources department has some additional guidelines on flame weeding safety, including advice on keeping extinguishing materials nearby and avoiding use in windy, dry, high fire-risk conditions. I tested a popular torch made by Bernzomatic. It hooks up to a standard 16-ounce propane cylinder (available for about $10 at any hardware or outdoors store), so it's light enough to carry in one hand. It has a built-in manual igniter, and its long flame tube lets you stand upright while working. This torch is lightweight, self-igniting, and long enough to use standing upright. It's a good (and satisfying) tool for controlling weeds on nonflammable surfaces. The test area consisted of gravel-choked sidewalk cracks, which the dandelions and plantains consider an excellent place to raise children. The Bernzomatic torch was easy to set up and made quick work of the weeding. After sweeping away any dead leaves and dry grass clippings with a push broom (to avoid unwanted flareups), I simply held the flame over each plant for a second or two — just long enough to make the foliage change to a slightly darker green. This indicates that the plant tissue has been heated enough to kill it; there's no need to burn the weeds to ashes. Seared to perfection. This picture was taken about 18 hours after I torched a strip of the driveway, but the plants actually withered within a few hours of being treated. Tim Heffernan/NYT Wirecutter One thing to note: Torches destroy only above-ground foliage. That's usually enough to kill young weeds outright, per the North Carolina State Extension's guide to glyphosate alternatives, but you usually have to go back and hit mature plants again. Drawing on energy stored in their roots, they can come back several times before their reserves are used up. Like weed pullers, weed torches are essentially one-trick ponies. You should not use them on lawns or in brush (a fire danger), and the flame isn't precise enough to target individual weeds within a crowded garden bed. With care, they can be used in open beds, but if the beds are mulched, make sure that the mulch is properly soaked before you light up. However, people do use weed torches for a few non-gardening purposes, like igniting brush piles and melting ice on sidewalks. There are more efficient ways to do both, but there's something to be said for the fun of wielding the awesome power of fire in your very own hands. None of the above options are ideal for use in vegetable gardens and flowerbeds. And Roundup should never be used anywhere you'll be planting food crops — not even to kill weeds beforehand. Try a stirrup hoe instead. Wirecutter's Sebastian Compagnucci got his stirrup hoe during the pandemic, when his garden became a refuge, and due to this tool's precise, efficient action, his weeding time was cut in half. For uprooting unwanted shrubs and small trees, I've never found a better tool than a transplanting spade. As the name suggests, this tool is also ideal for transplanting (or simply planting) things. And due to its short handles, a transplanting spade is much more maneuverable in the confines of a yard than a standard shovel. A hori-hori is one of our favorite gardening tools. Shaped like a short sword but dished like a trowel, it's great for digging out deep-rooted weeds that are growing close to plants you want to keep. In my raised beds, I found my hori-hori more effective than the weed pullers, which tended to sink into the soft soil and didn't get enough leverage to work properly. A string trimmer can keep weeds knocked down, and it can give desirable plants time to grow and eventually crowd out the weeds for good. I also use mine as a makeshift edger. All this said, now that I've gotten our weed situation under a modicum of control, I find myself frequently turning to the simplest tool of all: my own hands. It really doesn't take long to yank the weeds out of a patch of lawn or the corner of a raised bed. And this approach somehow seems more fair. The plants we call weeds are some of the great survivors and settlers of the living world. The least I can do is give them an honest fight. This article was edited by Jen Gushue and Harry Sawyers.
