English Language Arts Instruction

Vision

    • TWC will be a balanced literacy enriched culture. All learners will develop lifelong critical thinking and effective communication skills in order to become productive members of our global society.

Literacy Mission Statement

  • The mission of TWC is to ensure the educational success of all students by having high expectations, a commitment to excellence, and a comprehensive balanced literacy program. We ensure literacy in all content areas, providing students with daily learning experiences in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking critically.

What is Balanced Literacy?

Balanced literacy is an approach for literacy instruction that involves several methods of teaching reading and writing. By integrating a variety of approaches, a balance is achieved in which students learn to understand text, as well as how to read and write text. Balanced literacy is teaching essential literacy skills in the context of authentic reading and writing experiences.

(Revised from MCPASD Literacy Handbook)

Common Core State Standards

What is Literacy Workshop?

Writer’sWorkshop

Through Writer’s Workshop students will practice writing daily. Students will develop short stories, narratives, reports, and poetry. Through Writer’s Workshop the writing process will be emphasized including prewriting, drafting, editing, revision, and publishing.

Learning proper grammar is part of learning to write well.

WordStudy/Spelling and Vocabulary

Students will learn phonics, vocabulary and spelling with activities using Words Their Way. Word study involves examining, manipulating, comparing and categorizing words. Focus is on critical features of words - sound, pattern, and meaning.

Reader's Workshop

Mini Lesson

Each Reading Workshop session will begin with instruction on a reading strategy and will often be based on text.

Independent Reading Time with Instruction

Children are engaged in private reading time. During this time the teacher is doing the following:

  • Reading conferences: listening to your child read from any one of their books. Children will hear a compliment of something great the teacher noticed, and then provide instruction that can help them become a better reader.
  • Guided Reading Group: Your child will be given texts to read that are at his "instructional reading level", the level they are ready to learn about.
  • Strategy Groups: These groups can be composed of children at a variety of reading levels, but who all need extra instruction on a given strategy/skill.

Sharing Time

During this time the class might:

  • Meet as a whole group to refer back to the lesson and think further about how it applies to their reading.