K-5 Literacy

LITERACY INSTRUCTION

Essential Components of Literacy Instruction: PLC Focus: What do all students need to know and to be able to do?

Phonemic Awareness
The ability to hear, make, remember, and manipulate the individual sounds in spoken words.
Phonics
Connecting sounds and the letters that represent them, expanding to larger groups of letters and syllables that represent meaningful parts of words.
Fluency
The ability to read text with sufficient speed and accuracy to support comprehension.
Vocabulary
Understanding individual word meanings in a text, as well as the concepts that those words build.
Comprehension
The skills and strategies, background knowledge, and verbal reasoning used to understand, remember, and communicate what has been read.
Oral Language
Listening comprehension and speaking skills.
Written Expression
Spelling, handwriting, punctuation, capitalization, and written compositions of both stories and informational text.

KEY INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
Key instructional strategies are visible through whole group, small group and one-to-one instruction, designed to meet individual student needs.

Explicit
A method of instructional design and delivery that makes concepts crystal clear to students.  Concepts and skills are explained and modeled using clear language.  Students are provided many opportunities for practice and feedback. 

Systematic
Systematic reading, spelling, and language instruction follows a step-by-step routine. 
  ■ “I Do” Teacher explains and models the skills.
  ■ “We Do” Teacher and students work through an example together.
  ■ “You Do” Students engage in guided practice with immediate feedback and supervision.
  ■ Students have additional opportunities for practice and feedback.
  ■ Teacher evaluates learning.
Systematic literacy instruction also means building understanding of speech-print (sound-letter) correspondence through an intentional process.

Sequential
Instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, high-frequency word acquisition, and comprehension skills is sequential. Sequential instruction is the teaching of skills and concepts in a pre-planned order that moves from simple to complex.
 

Benchmark Education is the curricular resource used to teach reading and writing. Benchmark Education has a solid research-base and is made up of whole group, small group, phonics/wordstudy and writer’s workshop components. Effective readers use comprehension strategies in conjunction with metacognitive strategies to develop a deeper understanding of text. These strategies include:

Comprehension Strategies

• Analyze Character
• Analyze Story Elements
• Compare and Contrast
• Distinguish and Evaluate Fact and Opinion
• Draw Conclusions
• Evaluate Author’s Purpose
• Identify Cause and Effect
• Identify Main idea and Supporting Details
• Identify Sequence of Events
• Make Inferences
• Make Judgments
• Make Predictions
• Summarize Information
   

Benchmark Education is the curricular resource used to teach reading and writing. Benchmark Education has a solid research-base and is made up of whole group, small group, phonics/wordstudy and writer’s workshop components. Effective readers use comprehension strategies in conjunction with metacognitive strategies to develop a deeper understanding of text. These strategies include:

Metacognitive Strategies

• Ask Questions
• Determine Text Importance
• Fix-up Monitoring
• Make Connections
• Make Inferences
• Summarize and Synthesize
• Visualize

MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPPORT
MTSS is the skilled adjustment of content and instruction to meet individual student needs. 
          PLC Focus: How do we respond 
          when students aren’t proficient?
Intervention Students not yet reading at grade level receive additional time and skill-specific, targeted instruction. Intervention may be  provided through Title 1, ADSIS, or Reading Corp services.
Dyslexia MAPS has adopted a process for screening, identifying, and providing intervention for students with characteristics of dyslexia.  
Multilingual Learners Instructional practices develop students’ English language competency.
Special Education Services In conjunction with general education, specialized instruction is provided for students with a disability impacting their progress in reading. 
          PLC Focus: How do we respond 
          when students are proficient?

Click HERE to view Intervention Descriptions

Talent Development  Students needing academic challenge receive differentiated instruction that increases depth and complexity in literacy. Formal identification begins in 3rd grade.
 

ASSESSMENT
          PLC Focus: How do we know
          if students are learning?

Student progress on learning outcomes is gathered through a variety of assessment tools. 

Summative assessments measure student learning of the Minnesota State English Language Arts Standards. Unit assessments are used throughout the school year following skill specific instruction.  The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) - Reading is given at the end of each school year in Grades 3-5.  NWEA MAP Test (Measures of Academic Progress) is an adaptive achievement and growth test given in grades K-5.

Screening assessments are used to determine a student’s risk for reading difficulties and allows for early intervention. MAPS screens students with  DIBELS 8 three times a year.

Diagnostic assessments are used to gather more detailed information about a specific skill area so teachers can match instruction to student needs.

Progress Monitoring assessments are used to determine if specialized instruction is working to bring a student closer to a learning target. MAPS primarily uses DIBELS 8, PRESS, and teacher developed tools for progress monitoring.

Assessment data is used to adjust instruction to meet individualized student needs.
 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Staff engage in ongoing professional learning, through specific training opportunities and job-embedded support.  These learning opportunities meet the expectations of professional development as outlined in Read Well by Third Grade state statute and support school specific professional development needs.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES
High functioning Professional Learning Communities (PLC) are essential to providing quality literacy instruction that is responsive to student needs. Teacher teams collaborate to identify learning targets, develop common assessments, review student learning data and adjust instruction to meet individual student needs.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
Literacy instruction, assessment, and resources are anchored in the Mission, Vision, and Core Values of MAPS Equity Framework.  In addition to creating equitable, learner centered educational environments, MAPS prioritizes selection of resources which honor and reflect the diversity of our students, staff, families, and greater community.