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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 grades five continue to build a repertoire of reading skills and strategies during the daily 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 level 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. Fifth grade 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. Students achieve grade level reading standards when they are able to read typical grade level texts with appropriate interpretation and analysis. They show their understanding through oral responses during discussions and by adequately answering a range of comprehension questions about texts both orally and in writing. Each year students are expected to read approximately 30-40 books representing a variety of fiction and nonfiction choices through their independent reading choices. In addition, students are encouraged to set their goals for improving reading and to develop strong independent reading habits.
Writing
Writing
Students in grades five 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 exemplar 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 in grades five 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 understandings.
Units of Study
Reading
Reading
Engaging Plots,
Tackling Complexity: Moving Up the Levels of Nonfiction,
Interpretation Book Clubs: Analyzing Themes,
Argument and Advocacy: Researching Debatable Issues,
Fantasy Book Clubs: The Magic of Themes and Symbols
Writing
Writing
Narrative Craft: Personal Narrative
Informational Writing
Writing about Reading
The Research-Based Argument Essay
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.
Prioritize time for reading: Make reading a daily habit. Set aside 30 minutes every day for reading. Have your child see you reading and talk about what you both have read.
Provide variety and access: Make sure you have different types of reading material available- books, magazines, newspapers. Keep reading material in your car and home so that reading material is readily available.
Use the Public Libraries: The Farmington Public Library is a great resource in our community. Librarians can provide book recommendations, help find a new author or series, or help find books at their grade or interest level. The library is also a quiet space to do homework.
Read aloud to your children: Your child still can benefit from you reading to them. Choosing a slightly higher level book exposes them to more vocabulary which you can stop and discuss.
Explore different types of reading: Share poetry, song lyrics, recipes or a non-fiction text on a topic of interest. Finding information online with them can also provide something different to read.
Allow Choice: Independent reading books should be chosen by the child. High interest, engaging books will provide motivation to read. Save books that you select for shared reading time that you can read together.
Talk about books: Find time to discuss what your child is reading and ask questions on a deeper level. These are great conversations to have over a meal or while driving around town. 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.
Try audio books: Children benefit from listening to books because the readers model good fluency and expression. Audio books are available through the public library and are great to listen to on the go. You can also have your child follow along in a printed book.
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.
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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