Toward the goal of achieving master Readers and Writers...

ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS: It includes the acquisition of knowledge and skills such as….

• comprehension: Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words but do not understand what they are reading, they are not really reading. As they read, good readers are both purposeful and active.

• fluency: Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with expression. Fluency provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding the words, they can focus their attention on what the text means. In other words, fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same time.

• phonics: Phonics instruction teaches children the relationships between the letters (graphemes) of written language and the individual sounds (phonemes) of spoken language. It teaches children to use these relationships to read and write words. The goal of phonics instruction is to help children learn and use the alphabetic principle—the understanding that there are systematic and predictable relationships between written letters and spoken sounds. Knowing these relationships will help children recognize familiar words accurately and automatically, and “decode“ new words.

• phonological awareness: The continuum of skills that focus on developing the ability to identify and manipulate units of sound in oral language. This continuum moves from the simple to complex, and involves larger parts of spoken language such as words, syllables, onsets and rimes, as well as individual sounds such as phonemes.

• questioning: Learning to ask good questions as a critical thinking technique for investigating, making hypotheses, predicting outcomes and monitoring understanding

• research skills: Skills to locate, evaluate and use information effectively; ability for summarization and categorization, critical and analytical thinking, and explanation skills

• vocabulary: Researchers often refer to four types of vocabulary: listening vocabulary-the words needed to understand what we hear, speaking vocabulary-the words we use when we speak, reading vocabulary-the words needed to understand what we read, and writing vocabulary-the words we use when we write. Students learn many new words indirectly through everyday experiences with oral and written language. Some words must be taught through direct vocabulary instruction of specific words and word-learning strategies.

• writing process: The steps that a writer navigates to produce a coherent, interesting written product such as a narrative story, informational article, or opinion piece. While the process is not always linear, the steps often include pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing and publishing.

• writing skills: Effective writing requires the coordinated application of a range of writing skills, including communication of an idea or message, word choice, organization, voice, and conventions. These skills are identified in the writing and language standards.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES & CONTEXTS: Which occurs in whole group instruction, small group instruction and/or working with individual students using strategies like...

• 12 ELA Instructional Practices: Important to the ELA classroom and provide a framework for strongly aligned teaching and learning

1. 1. 1. Teachers use high-quality, appropriately complex text as the center of instruction. There is a balance of informational and literary texts.

      2. Teachers integrate the reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language standards effectively.

      3. Activities and instruction support building academic vocabulary systematically.

      4. Texts are organized around conceptually-related topics (at a range of complexities) to build students’ knowledge and vocabulary.

      5. Teachers integrate technology and research throughout instruction.

      6. There are opportunities for students to engage in effective communication as a part of daily practice.

      7. Students think critically while reading, writing, speaking and listening to texts.

      8. Teachers apply formative assessment practices to gauge student mastery and inform instruction.

      9. Scaffolds are provided as needed so that all students have access to complex texts.

      10. Examples, lessons, and tasks are authentic and relevant.

      11. Students return to the text for evidence to support their ideas, inferences, and conclusions.

      12. Language skills are developed through student writing and supported through mentor texts.

• close reading: An instructional strategy through which students critically examine a text, including through repeated readings. Students analyze the organization of the text, the vocabulary used in the text, and the key ideas, details and inferential meanings in the text. Close reading builds the habits needed by students to effectively engage with complex texts.

• digital texts and technology: an electronic version of a written text. Digital Text can be found on the internet or on your computer or on a variety of hand-held electronic devices. With digital text, changing or customizing the information to meet the needs of students is easy. By nature, digital text is more flexible.

• gradual release of responsibility: An approach to instruction that moves from teacher modeling to shared responsibility between teacher and students to independent student practice. A structure of “I do”, “We do”, “Few do” and “You do” is commonly used.

• guided reading: Small-group reading instruction for groups of students with similar reading behaviors and who are independently reading texts at about the same level on the text gradient. Instruction supports reading in a way that expands students’ reading behaviors and processes so that students can read more challenging text effectively. Alternately, fluent readers may engage in a book club/literature circle approach to small group reading.

• independent reading: A time for students to independently practice applying the reading skills and behaviors learned in other instructional settings. Through structured independent reading opportunities, students practice reading a text of their choice with little assistance from an adult.

• independent writing: The student is responsible for the ideas, for putting words to paper, and for making any necessary revisions or edits following a discussion of their written product with an adult and/or peers.

• literature study/book clubs/seminars: A reading group, usually consisting of a number of people who read and talk about books based on a topic or an agreed-upon reading list. It's common for book clubs to choose a specific book to read and discuss at the same time.

• modeled writing: Teacher demonstration of a new skill or part of the writing process in order to provide students with an example of the application of a skill, concept or behavior prior to students trying it with a peer or on their own. The teacher writes a text and reads it aloud to students. The teacher may think aloud as he/she models the skill, showing students the thought processes of a writer.

• purposeful talk or discourse: Behaviors that engage students in meaningful conversations about text, including: hearing all voices, saying something meaningful, listening with intent, keeping the lines of thinking alive, and negotiating meaning.

• questioning: Strategically using questioning techniques to ensure all learners have the opportunity to participate in meaningful thinking and discussion. The teacher asks varying types of questions to facilitate conversations that support higher-order thinking. Questions are strategically planned prior to the lesson and developed throughout the teaching process.

• read aloud/interactive read aloud: Engaging students in comprehending complex text through modeling and scaffolded practice. Through strategies like think alouds, questioning, embedded teaching and text talk, the teacher supports students’ thinking within, about and beyond the text. The teacher and students share their thinking about a text resulting in each participant in the conversation achieving a deeper understanding while benefiting from the interpretations of others. The teacher manages the oral reading of the text, freeing students to focus on the meaning of the text while letting the students see inside the teacher’s mind.

• shared/interactive writing: The teacher and student compose a text together with the teacher serving as scribe. The teacher and students both contribute to the ideas of the text that then serves as model for students to reference. Similar to shared writing, interactive writing occurs when teacher and students both contribute to the ideas of the text and share the responsibility for developing the written product (e.g., forming letters, writing words, etc.) Interactive is more commonly used in PK-1st grade classrooms.

• shared/performance reading: Students extend beyond active listening and discussion to participate in the reading of the text aloud. Shared reading provides young readers with high levels of support from the teacher and other students to read and process texts that are more complex than their current abilities. Shared reading supports proficient and advanced readers in further developing their skills in word analysis, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Students may read orally to perform for others; they may read in unison or take parts such as in readers’ theater.

• text complexity: A measure of the quantitative dimensions, qualitative dimensions, and reader and task considerations when choosing a text.

• writing about reading: “Through writing – and drawing as well – readers can express and expand their thinking and improve their ability to reflect on and think analytically about a text.” Writing about reading is evidence of students’ thinking about and understanding of a text.