Language Arts
Benchmark is our district adopted language arts curriculum. It is broken into three parts: Learning To Read, Word Work and Writing.
Daily 5 (Literacy Centers)
The Daily 5 is a way of structuring reading instruction so that every student is engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. Students receive explicit reading instruction and then are given independent practice time to read and write independently. During choice time, the teacher provides focused instruction to individuals and small groups.
Benefits of Daily 5 and Literacy Workstations
1. Teacher Directed Instruction (whole class): 7-10 mins
2. Daily 5 and Literacy Workstations 40 mins
Teacher Directed Instruction focuses on the following areas:
Students work in all areas throughout the week.
•Read to Self – Reading fluency practice at child’s interest and individual reading level
•Word Work 1 – Individualized High Frequency Word Practice
•Word Work 2– CVC Word Practice
•Work on Writing – Journaling, sentence writing, story writing, continued work on Writers Workshop pieces
•Reading – Reading skills (ex. Lexia, the district adopted program).
•Personal Learning (ipads) - Lexia (Web based individualized phonics and high frequency word work)
More information at Back to School Night.
Computers & chrome books - Kindergarten has one-to-one chrome books in each classroom.
Students use chrome books to access district adopted programs such as, Lexia (reading) and iready (math). In addition students use chrome books for a variety of IB project activities.
Your child needs their individual username (school ID number) and password (abc) to log on to MyOn. Incoming Kinders will be able to access their
accounts once the new school year begins.
National Geographic Young Explorer
http://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexplorer/moreissues.html
Clifford Stories
http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/flash/story_3.htm
TumbleBooks for Kids
http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/home_tumblebooks.asp
*****Coming soon: every child will be able to access Myon Reading at home.
Word Work Links
More Starfall (students use this program in the classroom)
http://more.starfall.com/
Writer's Workshop
Students will be introduced to writing this year using The Lucy Calkins Writer's Workshop model. Students will learn to write personal narratives, informational texts, and opinion pieces. This program teaches students how to be a writer, vs how to write. We will research and study how authors write, what strategies they purposefully use, how they draw the reader into their text and keep them reading, how to edit and revise their writing to include more meaning and clarify the text for their readers. The teachers will conference with individuals and groups of students to differentiate instruction (guide and provide instruction at each child's level). We call the students 'Writers' from day one, as they embark on this powerful writing journey.
****Special Note: we do not tell children how to spell words, as this causes children to not take risks in their writing and actually slows their progress learning to write and read. For example: a child may choose to write about cooking spaghetti for dinner, and won't know how to spell the word spaghetti. If the child thinks that every word they write must be spelled correctly when it lands on the paper, they will avoid language rich writing. Instead of writing about cooking spaghetti they will instead write simple words that they know how to spell like 'I like cats.'
So instead we say things to the children to encourage them to take risks in their writing such as:
"Write it the way you think it should look."
"Go try and write the words that say that."
(When using this strategy, first have your child tell you out loud what they want to write).
"Listen to the sounds you hear when you say it out loud."
"Do the best you can."
"Let's s-t-r-e-t-c-h it out together."
(Important note, make sure your child is saying the word WITH YOU.
They need to learn to use this strategy themselves and to not rely on you to say the word for them.
It also helps for you and your child to pretend you are s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out a rubberband as you both sound out the word).
What to say AFTER your child has written:
"Read your writing to me. Use your reading finger."
(Child uses pointer finger to point to words, encourage your child to point to 'the words' even if you don't see actual words on
the page, or spaces between the words. Inventive spelling (phonetic) and transitional spelling will come as the year progress we assure you).
"Touch the words when you read them."
"Tell me about your writing."
"Show me where you wrote the words that say that."
Below you will see a visual explanation of the Developmental Progression of a Child's Writing. This is a natural progression. It is exciting to observe your child as they progress in their writing. Take note of where your child is at the start of the year and watch as they progress. The writing progression also drives the reading progression and the reading progression drives the writing progression. The relationship between Reading and Writing is similar to a dance. One will move forward and guide the other along, and vice versa.
Daily 5 (Literacy Centers)
The Daily 5 is a way of structuring reading instruction so that every student is engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. Students receive explicit reading instruction and then are given independent practice time to read and write independently. During choice time, the teacher provides focused instruction to individuals and small groups.
Benefits of Daily 5 and Literacy Workstations
- Children become better readers and develop a love for reading when they have time to actually read and write.
- Providing choice is highly motivating and puts kids in charge of their learning.
- Students have lots of individual time with the teacher and help develop their own goals to work on independently.
- Provides structure, short intervals of repeated practice, and time to explore - exactly what children this age need!
1. Teacher Directed Instruction (whole class): 7-10 mins
2. Daily 5 and Literacy Workstations 40 mins
Teacher Directed Instruction focuses on the following areas:
- phonemic awareness
- phonics
- high frequency words
- comprehension
- concepts of print
Students work in all areas throughout the week.
•Read to Self – Reading fluency practice at child’s interest and individual reading level
•Word Work 1 – Individualized High Frequency Word Practice
•Word Work 2– CVC Word Practice
•Work on Writing – Journaling, sentence writing, story writing, continued work on Writers Workshop pieces
•Reading – Reading skills (ex. Lexia, the district adopted program).
•Personal Learning (ipads) - Lexia (Web based individualized phonics and high frequency word work)
More information at Back to School Night.
Computers & chrome books - Kindergarten has one-to-one chrome books in each classroom.
Students use chrome books to access district adopted programs such as, Lexia (reading) and iready (math). In addition students use chrome books for a variety of IB project activities.
Your child needs their individual username (school ID number) and password (abc) to log on to MyOn. Incoming Kinders will be able to access their
accounts once the new school year begins.
National Geographic Young Explorer
http://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexplorer/moreissues.html
Clifford Stories
http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/flash/story_3.htm
TumbleBooks for Kids
http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/home_tumblebooks.asp
*****Coming soon: every child will be able to access Myon Reading at home.
Word Work Links
More Starfall (students use this program in the classroom)
http://more.starfall.com/
Writer's Workshop
Students will be introduced to writing this year using The Lucy Calkins Writer's Workshop model. Students will learn to write personal narratives, informational texts, and opinion pieces. This program teaches students how to be a writer, vs how to write. We will research and study how authors write, what strategies they purposefully use, how they draw the reader into their text and keep them reading, how to edit and revise their writing to include more meaning and clarify the text for their readers. The teachers will conference with individuals and groups of students to differentiate instruction (guide and provide instruction at each child's level). We call the students 'Writers' from day one, as they embark on this powerful writing journey.
****Special Note: we do not tell children how to spell words, as this causes children to not take risks in their writing and actually slows their progress learning to write and read. For example: a child may choose to write about cooking spaghetti for dinner, and won't know how to spell the word spaghetti. If the child thinks that every word they write must be spelled correctly when it lands on the paper, they will avoid language rich writing. Instead of writing about cooking spaghetti they will instead write simple words that they know how to spell like 'I like cats.'
So instead we say things to the children to encourage them to take risks in their writing such as:
"Write it the way you think it should look."
"Go try and write the words that say that."
(When using this strategy, first have your child tell you out loud what they want to write).
"Listen to the sounds you hear when you say it out loud."
"Do the best you can."
"Let's s-t-r-e-t-c-h it out together."
(Important note, make sure your child is saying the word WITH YOU.
They need to learn to use this strategy themselves and to not rely on you to say the word for them.
It also helps for you and your child to pretend you are s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g out a rubberband as you both sound out the word).
What to say AFTER your child has written:
"Read your writing to me. Use your reading finger."
(Child uses pointer finger to point to words, encourage your child to point to 'the words' even if you don't see actual words on
the page, or spaces between the words. Inventive spelling (phonetic) and transitional spelling will come as the year progress we assure you).
"Touch the words when you read them."
"Tell me about your writing."
"Show me where you wrote the words that say that."
Below you will see a visual explanation of the Developmental Progression of a Child's Writing. This is a natural progression. It is exciting to observe your child as they progress in their writing. Take note of where your child is at the start of the year and watch as they progress. The writing progression also drives the reading progression and the reading progression drives the writing progression. The relationship between Reading and Writing is similar to a dance. One will move forward and guide the other along, and vice versa.