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. |