|
District |
HOME
2007 - 2008
(approved 8/23/07)
 |
Language Arts Literacy |
|
ReadingThe elementary reading program is designed to foster a love of reading and to develop the skills essential to students becoming effective, lifelong readers. The program provides opportunities for learning experiences in listening, phonics, word identification, word analysis, vocabulary development, and comprehension strategies. As students read a variety of selections, they learn appropriate strategies to optimize their comprehension. These strategies include previewing and predicting, confirming predictions, using prior knowledge, self questioning, adjusting reading rate, using picture clues, using typographic clues, visualizing, using graphic clues and rereading. As a result of students' focus on comprehension, students develop into readers who learn how to relate the text to themselves, the world, and other texts. They learn to be critical readers who know that reading equates with getting meaning from text. The importance of students developing stamina as silent readers is recognized since this provides the opportunity for all students to practice their strategies. Teachers are aware of the importance of structured silent reading that focuses on specific skills and/or strategies. This silent reading may follow a mini-lesson modeled by the teacher to focus students' attention to a specific text aspect or strategy. Oral reading may be done in small groups as a second reading or for selected parts of a text that support a student's response. The use of Roger Farr's Think-Aloud continues to be modeled and practiced in order for students to recognize the necessity of thinking as they are reading. Graphic organizers, retellings, and group discussion are used to explore students' understanding of textual content and ideas. Reflective written responses are scored with the appropriate state and local rubrics. Harcourt Brace's (1999) Signatures and selected trade books provide the basic materials to support the reading program K-4. The anthology along with the trade books, fiction and non-fiction, connect to specific themes of the program. Teachers also work with the media specialist in the selection and use of additional appropriate print materials and technology to support the program. Kindergarten phonics instruction is based on Phonics Lessons: Letters, Words, and How They Work by Fountas and Pinnell. Language ArtsThe program in written expression focuses on writing as a process that includes prewriting, drafting, revision, editing, and publishing. Students learn their responsibilities in each of those areas. For example, when prewriting, students learn various strategies, which include graphic organizers, outlining, clustering ideas, and note taking. Students learn that drafts need revision. As students revise, they focus on specific areas that include descriptive words, figurative language, effective beginnings and endings, and appropriate use of language. When editing, students focus on usage, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Through the use of models provided by teachers' writings, the student anthology, trade books, and samples from the Write's Express texts, students develop awareness of the characteristics of good writing. Rubrics are used to assess students' areas of strength and need. Specific types of writing in the elementary program are varied and many of them spiral through the grades, thereby fostering skill reinforcement for each type. Students at each grade level are responsible for writings in four general areas that include: narrative writing, informational writing, functional writing, and writing in response to literature. Students develop writer's notebooks, and compose letters, descriptive paragraphs, persuasive paragraphs, news stories, journal entries, as well as research reports. The integrating of writing across the curriculum areas enables students to write for varied audiences, "publishing" works proudly on the bulletin boards and in class books to share with others. The oral expression component develops students' abilities to express information, thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Activities range from conversation and dramatizations to formal oral reports using multimedia. The listening component refines students' awareness as they attend to spoken language for various purposes such as gaining information, understanding directions, increasing word meaning and knowledge, determining shades of meaning and feelings, enjoyment, and evaluating the ideas of the text. The focus of the viewing component is to make students critical viewers, interpreters, and assessors of visual media. Other PreK - Grade 4 Programs
|
