English/Language Arts

The district has adopted, and so our classroom is following, the framework designed by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell, in their work published by Heinemann. The framework allows time for independent reading, listening to reading, word study, writing, working independently on introduced concepts, and small group meetings for specific, targeted instruction as needed.

My goal for your child is two-fold. Developing a love of reading and writing is ideal. While this is innate or more quickly realized by some, that is certainly not the case for many young humans. So many things have to align in order for the love to take hold; the right book, the right skill level, the right mindset and the right environment all play a part, and there is no exact formula to determine what will lead to an engaged, voracious reader and writer. As is the case in the elementary years, so much of what we do as teachers is exposure, modeling, practice, and more exposure...all with (hopefully) entertaining/engaging them enough to come along for the ride until they are motivated to take the reins in their own learning. It's not all giggles though. This is a critical year in which to further develop the skill of using our writing to respond to reading. We spend time modeling, and then practicing, the crafting of paragraphs and essays which prepare students for the type of academic writing and reading they will encounter in the future...because like it or not, a well crafted written response to reading is critical not only for our academic success, but for many careers our students may wish to pursue. The more we discuss and engage in all sorts of reading and writing, the better prepared our students are for what lies ahead.