Guiding Principles
Executive Functioning Support
Executive functioning skills create a foundation for student success. We are committed to helping students develop strategies for staying organized, efficiently managing their time, and monitoring their own progress throughout the year. This starts with clearly articulating skills objectives and providing explicit instruction and scaffolded supports to students as they tackle complex reading and writing tasks.
Social Emotional Learning /trauma-informed responses
We are committed to learning that supports student’s social and emotional well being, centering our instruction in compassionate relationships with and among students.
Independent Reading and Book Clubs
In addition to the core text selections that create common experiences in each unit, we are committed to building opportunities for students to select books they enjoy. With the understanding that time for independent reading leads to an increased volume of reading, we will provide opportunities within our classrooms that allow students to develop reading skills (including fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, stamina, etc.) and, more importantly, a passion for reading through reading self-selected texts.
The Feedback/Feedforward Loop
We are committed to the success and growth of every student. We believe a student’s grade should measure skill acquisition and reflect their best work. We will offer opportunities for revision and repair in response to teacher feedback.
Writing Process
Each quarter builds toward a summative writing assessment. We believe that writing is a process. We are committed to providing explicit, step-by step instruction; mentor texts; feedback; revision; reflection; opportunities for choice; and development of individual voice.