District 52 follows a Balanced Literacy Framework for Grades K-8. Reading and Writing Workshop include Whole Group & Small Group instruction in Reading and Writing. The IL English Language Arts Standards are used for instruction.
| 6-8 ELA Block |
| Teacher will alternate reading and writing instruction throughout each trimester |
| Teacher varies whole group novel instruction and small group differentiated book club instruction |
| Teacher models the use of reading strategies (make their thinking visible) before, during, and after reading. |
| Teacher conducts guided reading lessons or book clubs with small groups of students with similar needs. |
| Teacher confers 1:1 with students during independent reading time. |
| Students respond to texts in a variety of ways that require higher-order thinking skills (conversations, drama, writing, visual representations, graphic organizers) |
| Teacher provides explicit writing instruction through mini-lessons focused on content and conventions. |
| Teacher confers with individuals or small groups of students during independent writing time to re-teach and provide feedback as new learning is applied. |
| Teacher facilitates a share time in which students share their writing with the whole class, small group, or partner. |
| Teacher holds students accountable for applying previous learning (e.g. sentence structure, effective closings, etc) during independent writing. |
| Teacher periodically takes students through the process of prewriting, drafting, revising/editing, and publishing. |
| Teacher will provide explicit instruction and allow for sufficient practice to learn grammatical conventions. |
