Montgomery County Public Schools is shifting to structured literacy instruction in all elementary schools beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. This shift is in response to research that students in kindergarten through Grade 5 need explicit and systematic instruction in reading and writing in order to be proficient readers.

• Structured literacy is based on the science of how children learn to read. It centers on the systematic and cumulative teaching of the five components of reading—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, as well as writing.

• Teachers introduce new concepts and skills in a logical order and teach in an explicit way that fully explains those concepts and skills.

In what ways will instruction look different?

• In structured literacy, decoding and word recognition skills are taught in a systematic way with explicit lessons that start at the basic level and become more and more complex,.

• In the earlier grades, decoding skills receive considerable emphasis until students have built enough skills to read texts with more complex words. In the upper grades, students focus on word study and vocabulary development to continue building their decoding skills of more complex words.

• Historically, students were taught reading using leveled texts which focused on comprehension, with phonics instruction as needed for a particular book.

• Students have been using texts that have been leveled to practice reading. Those books often would include words that students had not yet been taught to decode, which led them to use guessing strategies in order to comprehend the text.

• In structured literacy, students will practice their decoding skills using decodable books that contain only the words that have been taught in order to facilitate the application of skills to new texts.

• In the earlier grades, while students are still learning to decode, Students will spend less time reading independently and more time reading with the teacher to ensure students are using taught skills and receive immediate corrective feedback. As students become more proficient at decoding, there will be an increase in independent reading

• Spelling will be taught using a systematic approach which starts with basic skills and becomes more complex.

• All students will receive reading comprehension lessons that are explicitly taught. Those skills include vocabulary, sentence structure, and knowledge building on a topic

• Complex texts will continue to be used to develop background knowledge, vocabulary, and critical thinking.

Unit 1: Government in Action...How can government influence the way we live?

Unit 2: Characters' Actions and Reactions...How do we reveal ourselves to others?

Unit 3: Observing Nature...How do we respond to nature?

Unit 4: Understanding Different Points of View...What do we learn when we look at the world through the eyes of others?

Unit 5: Technology for a Green Future...How do we make decisions about developing new technology?

Unit 6: Confronting Challenges...How do we overcome obstacles?

Unit 7: Developing a Nation...How do communities evolve?

Unit 8: Earth Changes...How do Earth's natural processes impact our lives?