Our new curriculum is rigorous. It is thorough when teaching our students foundational reading and writing skills through explicit instruction. Because of the high expectations of what students are learning and doing, students may find it difficult until they get used to it. All that we teach in literacy is from the VA Standards of Learning, These new standards (SOL), which are also rigorous, are taught through our curriculum, MyView. 

Another part of the increased rigor includes the fact that our students are writing all the time! Students write in reading and in writing. They are writing vocabulary and spelling words. While it is wonderful for students to write a lot, writing is one of the most complicated and taxing things for a student to do. The act of writing by hand is a complex skill that goes beyond the simple act of putting pen to paper. It involves a symphony of cognitive, perceptual, and motor skills that intricately work together.

Finally, another reason MyView is so rigorous is the fact that we are asking students to do a lot of thinking! We are teaching children the process of thinking about what they are reading and writing and then being able to communicate that to us through speech and writing. 

Trace, copy, cover, closed (TCCC) is a multisensory practice activity that helps students learn to spell words through visual and muscle memory. It's a popular technique in the Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach:

• Trace: Students trace the word three times.

• Copy: Students copy the word three times while looking at the traced word.

• Cover: Students cover the word and spell it from memory three times.

• Closed: Students flip the paper over and write the word three times with their eyes closed.

• More information can be found here. https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/early-literacy-development/articles/five-guidelines-learning-spelling-and-six-ways

Progress Check-Ups: These occur at the end of each week on Lesson 5. They include questions on vocabulary, word study or phonics, and comprehension. 

Unit Tests: These occur at the end of the unit, so week 5, and include all the things taught during that unit. This includes reading comprehension, word study or phonics, and grammar. 

Writing: In each unit, the students work on writing with guidance from the teacher. During week 5, the students write that genre by themselves. This is graded with a rubric and teachers share feedback with the student.