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Overview
The goal of the West Woods Literacy Program is to help students become skillful, confident, lifelong readers and writers, who use language effectively for communication, enjoyment, and pleasure. The program at West Woods addresses all components of literacy— reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing— and builds on and solidifies the skills learned in the early elementary grades.
Reading
Reading
Students in grade six continue to build a repertoire of reading skills and strategies during the reading workshop. Students are expected to read increasingly complex texts and communicate comprehension orally and in writing with growing sophistication. Upper elementary readers refine their ability to use comprehension strategies, read with fluency, understand vocabulary, and apply word-solving strategies.
Upper elementary students continue to develop comprehension skills through genre study. They learn to express initial understandings, as well as deep interpretations; they begin to identify and infer relationships among characters, setting, and events; and they make personal and critical connections between texts and themselves. Students are expected to read more non-fiction text than in earlier grades. This emphasis on informational text provides an opportunity for readers to refine comprehension skills such as identifying central and main ideas and relationships, locating and summarizing information, and drawing conclusions supported with text evidence.
Student progress toward meeting grade level standards in reading is determined by performance on common assessment tasks, review of a collection of writing in response to their reading, and teacher observations of classroom reading discussions. They achieve grade level reading standards when they are able to read typical grade level texts with appropriate interpretation and analysis. Students show their understanding through oral responses during discussions and by adequately answering a range of comprehension questions about texts both orally and in writing. In 6th grade, students are expected to read approximately 30-40 books representing a variety of fiction and nonfiction choices through their independent reading choices. In addition, they are encouraged to set their goals for improving reading and to develop strong independent reading habits.
Writing
Writing
Students in grade six continue to develop fluency with the writing process while also learning to express increasingly sophisticated thinking. They brainstorm to discover meaningful topics, select appropriate organizational plans, and produce and revise multiple drafts. They learn to incorporate the traits of good writing — focus, organization, elaboration, fluency, and conventions— into their pieces by studying the work of published writers and by giving and receiving feedback as they confer with peers and teachers.
Students have daily opportunities to write for different audiences, for specific purposes, and in a variety of genres. The emphasis is on developing each student’s ability to independently engage in the writing process. Students learn to compose in a variety of forms including narratives, informational pieces, and opinion/argument essays.
Student progress toward meeting grade level standards in writing is measured by examining a collection of work to determine whether traits have been applied using a writing process that results in a clearly conveyed message or claim. Further, students are encouraged to set their own goals for improving writing and to use written expression as a tool to clarify and share thinking about new ideas and understanding.
Units of Study
Reading
Reading
A Deep Study of Character
Tapping into the Power of Nonfiction
Social Issues Book Clubs: Reading for Empathy & Advocacy
Historical Fiction Book Clubs
Writing
Writing
The Argument Essay
Research-Based Informational Articles
Personal Narrative: Crafting Powerful Stories
Ways to Support Your Child In Literacy
There are many things that families can do to encourage children to read and develop strong reading and writing skills.
Make time for reading: Set at least 30 minutes of time aside each day for your child to spend quiet time reading.
Provide a variety of reading material: Have reading materials available including newspapers, magazines, travel brochures, and books. Increasing your child’s access to printed materials will provide more opportunities to practice reading.
Use the Public Libraries: Take the time to visit the Farmington Public Libraries! The librarians are a great resource and can help your child pick out reading material. Be sure to select a variety of genres while you are there. You can look for nonfiction information books, craft or other “How-To” books, cookbooks, etc. Taking the time to check out books from the library sends a message to children that reading is important - especially if you check out books for the entire family!
Read aloud to your children: Find time to read aloud to your child. There are many reading benefits to this activity and it creates family bonding opportunities. Choosing a slightly higher level book exposes them to more vocabulary which you can stop and discuss.
Keep it fun: Allow your child to choose their reading material which helps with motivation.
Let them choose: Allow your child to read any book they want, even if it is too easy or slightly hard. During the school day teachers will provide them with books at their level. There needs to be an opportunity to choose what interests them.
Talk about what they are reading: Having conversations about what your child is reading is a great way for them to think about the book at deeper levels. You can ask them questions about the type of characters that are included in the book, the motivations and struggles that the characters face, the message that the author seems to be sending to the reader, and the type of author’s craft that is used.
Include audio books: Many books are read by famous actors/actresses or authors who can make the stories come alive. Listen as a family, then have rich discussions about the book together.
Connect Reading to Real Life: Help your child see the relevance of what they are reading by connecting it to real-life events or experiences. Discuss historical events or current social issues that relate to their reading material.
Be a Reader: It is important for your child to see you engage in reading newspapers, magazines, or books. Share interesting information from an article you recently read or tell them about the book you are reading. Let them know that adults read for work and pleasure and read a variety of material in different formats.
Reading is fun: The most important part is that your children see that reading is valuable and enjoyable activity. Sending the message to them that reading can open our eyes to new worlds, or the discovery of new ideas is an important one. Reading is also how we learn information and expand our knowledge.
By integrating these practices into daily life, parents can play a crucial role in nurturing their child's love for reading and supporting their development as confident readers.
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