Jen Joines ARI

I had such a great day collaborating & learning with our friends at Freedom Prep Academy - Birmingham today! During our Learning Walk, we saw teachers consistently embedding  learning targets, the 3 part drill, & academic language. We also saw appropriate pacing and consistent use of core programming to support the teaching of standards. We ended our day at FPA engaging in professional learning to deepen understandings of the and the . Brandis Cook - Alabama Reading Initiative Brandis M. Cook ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative

While visiting Adamsville Elementary School, I got to see how they are gamifying reading challenges to encourage students to read more through incentives like public recognition, badges and prizes. This is promoting an increased interest in books & as enthusiasm builds, so does participation, creating a positive ripple effect that fosters a vibrant, school-wide culture where reading is celebrated, shared, and valued by all. Jefferson County Schools ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative

Strong schools don’t just rely on one leader. They intentionally cultivate many. Investing in the growth of assistant principals is essential for building sustainable leadership capacity within a school. Thank you, Principal Stewart for prioritizing time for your AP’s to participate in a meaningful Learning Walk with ARI today. We loved getting to celebrate with your team the growth taking place with teaching & learning of literacy at Chalkville Cougars ES! Great job! 😁📓✏️❤️📚 ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative Jefferson County Schools

Great comprehension instruction is intentional, strategic, and rooted in critical thinking. 📚Today’s professional learning session at Empower Community School centered on practical, high-impact strategies to strengthen understanding. Teachers discussed how students with broader vocabularies and richer knowledge bases comprehend more deeply, make stronger inferences, and retain information more effectively. We’re so excited to see these strategies come to life as we continue empowering students to think deeply, read critically, and engage fully with text. 😁 ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative Janessa Williams Meredith Davis

It was an absolute joy to get to see West Jefferson Elementary School teacher, Mrs. Hanner- along with LRS Mrs. Minor, using the writing approach to teach these first graders self regulation techniques for planning, writing, & revising. It is amazing how much their writing has improved in just a few short months. GREAT JOB!!! 📓📝✍️😁❤️😍 ✏️ ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative Jefferson County Schools Tasha Woodfin Piper

I enjoyed visiting Ms. Luster’s kindergarten class at Pleasant Grove Elementary School so much today!  Phonemic awareness and phonics activities that enable orthographic mapping, sound-symbol matching with multisensory techniques, structured, repetitive decoding practice, music integration, a tricky word routine, and purposeful writing connections…..SO MUCH fun & taking place! To strengthen oral language skills, we also practiced implementing the strategy together. Great job purposefully pursuing proficiency!!! ❤️💕❤️✏️📚✂️Jefferson County Schools Staci M. Lewis ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative

It’s always inspiring to engage with future educators who are eager to grow, reflect, & make a meaningful impact. Today, I truly enjoyed partnering with my teammates, ARI Takesha Morgan & Derya Twyman ARI RLS, to provide professional learning for pre-service teachers at Samford University. These students were so engaged & their passion for teaching & commitment to student success was evident throughout our time together. I’m excited to see the impact they will have! Special thanks to the amazing Dr. Tarsha Shepard who is truly empowering these future teachers to become real difference-makers! ❤️😁❤️ ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative

At today’s Strong Leaders, Strong Readers Lab at Fultondale Elementary School, principals participated in professional learning centered on using data with purpose to strengthen universal core instruction. They also practiced constructing quality feedback. A special to Principal Nicole Suzanne Donnell & LRS Marshaye Lynn for opening up their practices to support our learning! ARI / The Alabama Reading InitiativeJefferson County Schools ARI Takesha Morgan

While at Brookville Elementary, I had the opportunity to join Principal Harris, along with ARI Takesha Morgan & LRS Lindsey Sellers in visiting K & 1st grade classrooms, where a strong foundation for early literacy was clearly in place. Students were actively engaged in building letter naming fluency, strengthening phonological awareness, and developing essential phonics skills. Keep up the great work! ✏️💕😁 ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative Jefferson County Schools

During a Learning Walk at Gardendale Elementary School, we saw small group instruction used effectively to meet students’ individual needs, while students in stations built skill through purposeful reading & writing tasks. We saw anchor charts that made learning visible & provided meaningful support for students. Classroom libraries were thoughtfully curated, giving students access to a variety of texts that encouraged both choice & engagement. 👍🏽👍🏽⭐️✏️📚 Jefferson County Schools ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative ARI Takesha Morgan Tinker Littles Rogers

I really enjoyed getting to pop into a few classrooms at Legacy Prep this week. In first grade, it was great to see the focus on language taking place in Ms. Fikes’ class. In 3rd grade, it was so meaningful to witness the side-by-side coaching taking place between Ms. Mallory & LRS Griffin. is strengthening instruction & positive learning outcomes for students. 😀 ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative ARI Takesha Morgan

Today, I truly enjoyed visiting kindergarten classrooms at Hueytown Primary School and seeing students actively engaged in developing foundational phonics skills while also applying those skills through early writing. The intentional opportunities for students to practice both reading and writing are essential for building confident, capable learners. It was a great reminder of how important these early experiences are in shaping students’ literacy journeys. 📚✏️ Jefferson County Schools ARI / The Alabama Reading Initiative ARI Region 5