One of the best projects I have ever participated in was my collaboration with PBS for the Michigan Learning Channel’s Read, Write, ROAR! Upper Elementary show. A direct connection to the reading methods course I teach at the University of Michigan – Dearborn for grades 3–9, this collaboration with PBS in March – September 2024 was an exceptional experience to provide a dynamic, fun, and educationally robust program for educators and families across the state. I wrote and hosted 12 segments, all aligned to the Common Core State Standards and Michigan’s Literacy Essentials for grades 3–5, albeit, many of these lessons can be used with younger and older students.
You can view the broadcast, which began September 16, 2024, on your local Michigan Learning Channel station. To check the local listings, please visit this page. Prefer to watch online? You can catch the episode live at this link: Watch it Live! And for those who want to revisit the episode or share it with others later, the digital version will be available here: Episode Online. The Michigan Learning Channel has new episodes premiering most Mondays throughout the school year at noon, with replays on Wednesdays and Fridays. Segments from the program will be posted throughout the year on the YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@MichLearning.
| Full Show | DeFauw’s Segment | Summary |
| Michigan Commerce, Lesson 1001 | Rosie the Riveter Segment | Join Mrs. DeFauw, dressed as Rosie the Riveter, to explore how this iconic figure motivated women during WWII. In this interactive lesson, we’ll dive into multiple sources to learn about Rosie’s impact on Michigan’s manufacturing. Watch as Mrs. DeFauw models how to take notes and write summaries to help remember key ideas from different texts. Ready to say, “We can do it!”? Let’s get started! |
| What’s up with the weather? Michigan’s Climate Lesson 1003 | Writing with Dialogue | Mrs. DeFauw shares a snowy memory and teaches students how to use dialogue to enhance storytelling and bring their writing to life. |
| Getting From Here to There: Michigan’s Bridges, Roads, Waterways, & More Lesson 1005 | Decoding Multisyllabic Words | Strengthen your reading skills while learning about the history of the Mackinac Bridge in this fun and educational episode. (This was my favorite segment. The tools in front of me are my husband’s tools he uses as a commercial builder.) |
| Bountiful Beaches and Devastating Dunes Lesson 1007 | Using Figurative Language in Writing | Enhance your writing with figurative language while exploring Michigan’s unique beaches and dunes. |
| Towering Timbers Lesson 1009 | Storytelling with 1st and 3rd person points of view | Exploring Michigan’s Lumbering History using 1st and 3rd person points of view in storytelling. |
| Let’s Talk Together: Michigan’s Languages Lesson 1006 | Telling Intergenerational Stories | Discover the power of intergenerational storytelling and learn how to preserve and share family stories for generations to come. |
| Michigan’s Pretty Parks Lesson 120 | Creating Maps to Generate Story Ideas (00:47–6:46) | Create a map of your favorite place and generate story ideas while learning about the history and beauty of Belle Isle. |
| Our Wild Wetlands Lesson 116 | Use the WRITE mnemonic device to craft a paragraph. | Discover the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge while learning how to write an informational paragraph. |
| Growing Our Food, Then and Now! Lesson 118 | Paraphrasing an informational topic: Sweet Sugarbeets | Write a summary through paraphrasing and quoting. |
| Take a Deep Breath Lesson 113 | Writing to advocate for clean air. | Write a formal letter to an important agency. |
| Michigan’s Rolling Rivers Lesson 1024 | Crafting complex sentences. (00:35–7:45) | Rewrite fragments into complex sentences. Complex sentences include an independent clause, a subordinating conjunction, and a dependent clause. |
| Soon to come! |