WASD

Elementary Classroom

Core Literacy Program

 

The core of the Williamsport Area School District’s Elementary Literacy Program is the Ohio State University Literacy Framework*. The Framework, designed for primary and intermediate grades, is implemented in all of the elementary regular and special education classrooms. The primary model is composed of the following elements:

 

                                    Primary Model (K—2)

Reading Instruction Interactive Read Aloud Shared Reading Guided Reading Independent Reading	Writing Instruction Interactive Writing Shared Writing Writing Workshop Independent Writing
Skills and Strategies Taught During Reading and Writing Phonemic Awareness/Phonics Word Analysis/Spelling Handwriting Comprehension Fluency Vocabulary

 

Definitions of Key Elements

Interactive Read Aloud: The teacher reads aloud to the whole class or small groups. At certain key points, as the teacher reads the book, the children are drawn into a conversation about the book. A carefully selected body of children’s literature is used; the collection contains a variety of genre and represents our diverse society. Favorite texts, selected for special features, are reread many times.

Shared Reading: Using an enlarged text that all children can see, the teacher involves children in reading together following a pointer. The process includes: re-reading big books, retellings, alternative texts, and products of the interactive writing.

Guided Reading: The teacher works with small, temporary groups of students who are at about the same reading ability. The teacher selects and introduces new books and supports children reading the whole text to themselves making teaching points during and after the reading.

Independent Reading: Children read on their own or with partners from a special colldention at their reading level.

Shared Writing: Teacher and children work together to compose messages and stories; the teacher supports the writing by being the scribe.

Interactive Writing: As in shared writing, teacher and children compose messages and stories which are written using a “shared pen” technique that involves christen in the writing of the message or story.

Guided Writing/Writing Workshop: The children engage in the writing a variety of texts. The teacher guides the process and provides instruction through mini-lessons.

Independent Writing: Children write on their own, including stories, informational pieces, retellings, labeling, speech balloons, lists, etc. The teacher monitors the work and provides individual assistance.

Word Work: Woven through the activities in the framework teachers have opportunities to help children notice and use letters and words; knowledge is further fostered through the use of alphabet centers and word walls. The work includes: phonemic awareness, phonics/decoding, fast words, etc.

 

*Fountas, Irene C. and Gay Su Pinnell, 1996. “The Ohio State University Literacy Collaborative Framework,” 22—24, in Guided Reading Good First Teaching for All Children, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Heinemann.

 

 

 

The Intermediate Model can best be conceptualized as a three block program:

                                    Intermediate Model (3—6)*

Reading Workshop Independent Reading Guided Reading Literature Study	Writing Workshop Independent Writing Guided Writing Investigations
Language/Word Study Interactive Read Aloud Word Study Modeled or Shared Reading/Writing Readers’ Theatre/Process Drama Choral Reading Poetry Sharing/Response Interactive Edit/Vocabulary Test Reading and Writing
Skills and Strategies Taught During Reading and Writing Phonemic Awareness/Phonics Word Analysis/Spelling Comprehension Fluency Vocabulary

 

Definitions of Key Elements

Independent Reading: Students engage in independent reading of a variety of texts and engage in periodic written response. The teacher provides daily mini-lessons and confers with individuals to support and assess reading as well as teach to the individual’s needs. The reading is usually followed by a form of sharing and evaluation. Accelerated Reader** is a component of the independent reading program.

Guided Reading: The teacher works with small, temporary groups of students with similar reading ability. The teacher provides explicit teaching of effective reading strategies for processing a variety of fiction and information texts. The teacher introduces the text and the students process (read) it independently. The teacher selects teaching points based on readers’ needs and assigns oral and/or written response tasks.

Literature Study: The teacher and students set up assigned reading/writing tasks and agreed upon meeting times. Students engage in in-depth discussion about a text they have read or heard. The teacher is generally with the group for discussion, though the students take turns facilitating the discussion. The teacher, in consultation with the group, structures written responses.

Independent Writing: The teacher begins with a “writer talk,” and then provides a daily mini-lesson based on the needs of writers. Students engage in the writing process, sometimes using a writer’s notebook and other times drafting, revising, editing, or publishing a piece of work. Topics are self-selected or at times assigned by the teacher. The teacher confers with individuals to support and address needs. Students may have conferences with peers. The session is usually followed by group sharing and evaluation.

Guided Writing: The teacher pulls together small, temporary groups of writers to provide explicit teaching based on the writers’ needs at a particular point in time. The teacher explicitly and efficiently works with students to teach writer’s craft, strategies and skills.

Investigations: Using reading, writing, and various media resources (including technology), students explore topics in-depth. They use research skills to examine works of literature, study authors, or work in a content area. The result can be a presentation, performance, display or written report related to the research. The teacher provides guidelines, a structure and a timeline for the projects as well as explicit instruction as appropriate.

*Literacy Collaborative at the Ohio State University

**Accelerated Reader: This component of the independent reading program encourages students to read books. Students take a computer-based test and earn points.