Background
Literacy includes reading, writing, and the creative and analytical acts involved in producing and comprehending texts. Reading and writing are important to ensure success in school, on the job, and in society. Today’s expectations, however, encompass more than the ability to read, write, speak, and listen. These expectations include use of oral and written language to make sense of the world and to communicate, problem solve, and participate in decision-making. Literacy is a component of the curriculum that is present across all academic subject areas (AERO English Language Arts Curriculum Framework, 2014).
ADOption
In 2008, under the guidance of a Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach, Our School began using Drs. Irene C. Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell’s work from their Continuum of Literacy Learning to help guide teaching and learning in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Since 2012, all teachers have been implementing reading and writing workshop modeled on Lucy Calkins’ The Reading and Writing Project to form the structure of their literacy instruction. In 2013, OS was pleased to officially adopt the AERO Standards and Benchmarks for Literacy.
AERO Standards and Benchmarks
While Fountas & Pinnell’s work from their Continuum of Literacy Learning and Lucy Calkins’ Reading and Writing Project form the structure of literacy instruction, The AERO Standards and Benchmarks are critical in guiding the taught curriculum at Our School. Teachers continually build upon their understanding and application of the strategies, skills, and developmental understandings embedded in each standard and benchmark.
The following is an example of an overarching Standard, and the Benchmarks addressed in each grade level:
READING LITERATURE- RL
Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
The following is an example of an overarching Standard, and the Benchmarks addressed in each grade level:
READING LITERATURE- RL
Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
In this example, we are looking at the standard for Reading Literature: Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
As you can see, this standard is broken down into benchmarks across several grades, starting in Kindergarten and continuing until grade five. Thus, as a second grade team of teachers sat down to plan their interactive read alouds and reading workshop, they would review the benchmark:
As you can see, this standard is broken down into benchmarks across several grades, starting in Kindergarten and continuing until grade five. Thus, as a second grade team of teachers sat down to plan their interactive read alouds and reading workshop, they would review the benchmark:
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
And determine the important skills, concepts, and understandings their second grade learners must have to demonstrate mastery of this benchmark. This involves generating essential questions that students may need to grapple with as they develop this understanding; such as: How do authors use repetition of words or sounds to create a rhythm in their work. Why do you think poets choose to write a rhyming poem versus one that does not? Are songs like poems? Explain your thinking.
Teachers prepare projects, lessons, engagements and discussions that facilitate the opportunity for students to utilize a variety of tools, resources, models, and strategies to build their knowledge of a given standard & benchmark. Let’s take a closer look at how this might transfer into an elementary classroom.
And determine the important skills, concepts, and understandings their second grade learners must have to demonstrate mastery of this benchmark. This involves generating essential questions that students may need to grapple with as they develop this understanding; such as: How do authors use repetition of words or sounds to create a rhythm in their work. Why do you think poets choose to write a rhyming poem versus one that does not? Are songs like poems? Explain your thinking.
Teachers prepare projects, lessons, engagements and discussions that facilitate the opportunity for students to utilize a variety of tools, resources, models, and strategies to build their knowledge of a given standard & benchmark. Let’s take a closer look at how this might transfer into an elementary classroom.
A DAY In the life
Interactive Read Aloud: The teacher reads a book to students, while engaging the class through meaningful questions and discussions.
We begin our tour in second grade - it is early in the day, Ms. Clarke’s class has just finished morning meeting and remaining on the carpet, are now engaged in a dramatic reading (by Mr. Clarke) of the book Some Smug Slug. At predetermined points in the story, Ms. Clarke stops to engage students in conversations around the book. Children are picking up on the author’s use of alliteration in the story, discussing how the word choice makes them think about the story. They are making connections to other books they have read this week where authors are using alliteration.
Word Study: As opposed to more traditional spelling programs, Word Study focuses on applying patterns and making connections within groups of words.
Making our way to the third grade classes, we find the three grade level sections have come together in four mixed groups, each group guided by a teacher or TA and working on a different aspect of word study with different sets of words as appropriate to the students in them. One group is doing a speed sort - grouping words by their spelling pattern similarities in a race against themselves and their last “best time”, another group is having word hunt - looking in their independent reading books for compound words that are in this week’s sort or that fit the pattern of the words for the week, the next group is focusing on consonant-vowel-consonant patterns in the week’s sort and recording them in their word work journals, the last group is looking at prefixes and their Latin meanings which alter words when added to the beginning of words in their sort. Students are engaged and enjoy these flexible groupings that has them working with friends not in their class section.
Guided Reading: Small group reading instruction based on student readiness level, led by the teacher
Later in the day we can stroll through both Kindergarten and fourth grade to observe some guided reading groups.
In fourth grade six students are flopped over cushions and bean bags piled in a close circle having a heated debate about the author’s use of foreshadowing in The Sign of The Beaver. Having just come from a whole class mini lesson led by their teacher about author’s craft and the use of foreshadowing, this reading group is making connections between what they have read and the concept of foreshadowing. They listen to what each other has to say and speak about their reading in a thoughtful manner - sometimes arguing, challenging members to defend their ideas supported by points in the book. Mr. Thomas, their teacher, checks in briefly, listening to the conversation and asking a few questions to guide the discussion or provide something to consider for the next meeting before moving on to the next group.
Meanwhile in Kindergarten Mrs. Kumar sits with a small group of three students gathered around a semicircle table. She hands each of them a copy of the new book they will be reading. The book has several site words the students have been practicing but also incorporates new words that have the same patterns they have been looking at during word study. Mrs. Kumar gets the students to “whisper read” the book as she leans in and listens to each student making physical and mental notes of teaching points. If a student becomes stuck on an unfamiliar word Mrs. Kumar encourages them to use the strategies they have been working on to determine what it could be - look at the pictures, what about the words around it that they do know, try it out - does it make sense? After about 15 minutes with the group, they are sent off with their book bags that include the new book from today’s lesson and students settle back into their desks to read any of the books in their bags.
Writing Workshop: An approach to writing in which a teacher provides instruction and confers with students, while allowing young writers flexibility and individual choice in crafting their writing.
As we wrap up our day we travel to first and fifth grades where they are having writing workshop.
In Mr. Buck’s first grade class students are filling their writer’s notebooks. They have been studying poetry in all forms and having just spent some significant time with Penny Kittle’s Where I’m From poem, they are now attempting to write their own by completing the phrase “I’m from _______” being purposeful about connecting where they are from to one of the five senses. NaJung has a line about how “I’m from hot, yummy Thai noodles.” while Gaby is “from the silly loon call” at her summer home in Canada. They are encouraged to put down all the things that come into their mind - nothing is too crazy or too much, they’ll select the lines they like best later as they edit. Mr. Buck joins in the writing, using the visualizer to project his work. His kids love to see him write along with them and Mr. Buck knows modeling is a powerful tool. His TA, Ms. Pari kneels next to two students who need assistance and they work together to think of what to write.
Meanwhile in Ms. Jordan’s fifth grade class a group of students are collaborating on making a comic about a fifth grade super hero Inquiry Girl and her Sidekick Curiosity Boy. They have been studying the “greats” Marvel Comic classic - Superman, Spiderman, The Hulk, and all the X-Men, noting how they are written with a lot of figurative language. Superman is “faster than a speeding bullet!” and Peter Parker’s “Spidey sense tingles” when there is danger. They think about what sort of metaphors or similes would make their comics more interesting. As they storyboard out their ideas, group members add in figurative languages where appropriate to make their words more like the comics they have studied. As Ms. Jordan calls for cleanup time the comic group agrees to each bring back two phrases that could be used in their comic for tomorrow.
As we have seen in our brief glimpses into these classes, students are honing literacy skills in rich, diverse, and meaningful instruction and experience that is appropriate to each student in line with expected standards and benchmarks.
We begin our tour in second grade - it is early in the day, Ms. Clarke’s class has just finished morning meeting and remaining on the carpet, are now engaged in a dramatic reading (by Mr. Clarke) of the book Some Smug Slug. At predetermined points in the story, Ms. Clarke stops to engage students in conversations around the book. Children are picking up on the author’s use of alliteration in the story, discussing how the word choice makes them think about the story. They are making connections to other books they have read this week where authors are using alliteration.
Word Study: As opposed to more traditional spelling programs, Word Study focuses on applying patterns and making connections within groups of words.
Making our way to the third grade classes, we find the three grade level sections have come together in four mixed groups, each group guided by a teacher or TA and working on a different aspect of word study with different sets of words as appropriate to the students in them. One group is doing a speed sort - grouping words by their spelling pattern similarities in a race against themselves and their last “best time”, another group is having word hunt - looking in their independent reading books for compound words that are in this week’s sort or that fit the pattern of the words for the week, the next group is focusing on consonant-vowel-consonant patterns in the week’s sort and recording them in their word work journals, the last group is looking at prefixes and their Latin meanings which alter words when added to the beginning of words in their sort. Students are engaged and enjoy these flexible groupings that has them working with friends not in their class section.
Guided Reading: Small group reading instruction based on student readiness level, led by the teacher
Later in the day we can stroll through both Kindergarten and fourth grade to observe some guided reading groups.
In fourth grade six students are flopped over cushions and bean bags piled in a close circle having a heated debate about the author’s use of foreshadowing in The Sign of The Beaver. Having just come from a whole class mini lesson led by their teacher about author’s craft and the use of foreshadowing, this reading group is making connections between what they have read and the concept of foreshadowing. They listen to what each other has to say and speak about their reading in a thoughtful manner - sometimes arguing, challenging members to defend their ideas supported by points in the book. Mr. Thomas, their teacher, checks in briefly, listening to the conversation and asking a few questions to guide the discussion or provide something to consider for the next meeting before moving on to the next group.
Meanwhile in Kindergarten Mrs. Kumar sits with a small group of three students gathered around a semicircle table. She hands each of them a copy of the new book they will be reading. The book has several site words the students have been practicing but also incorporates new words that have the same patterns they have been looking at during word study. Mrs. Kumar gets the students to “whisper read” the book as she leans in and listens to each student making physical and mental notes of teaching points. If a student becomes stuck on an unfamiliar word Mrs. Kumar encourages them to use the strategies they have been working on to determine what it could be - look at the pictures, what about the words around it that they do know, try it out - does it make sense? After about 15 minutes with the group, they are sent off with their book bags that include the new book from today’s lesson and students settle back into their desks to read any of the books in their bags.
Writing Workshop: An approach to writing in which a teacher provides instruction and confers with students, while allowing young writers flexibility and individual choice in crafting their writing.
As we wrap up our day we travel to first and fifth grades where they are having writing workshop.
In Mr. Buck’s first grade class students are filling their writer’s notebooks. They have been studying poetry in all forms and having just spent some significant time with Penny Kittle’s Where I’m From poem, they are now attempting to write their own by completing the phrase “I’m from _______” being purposeful about connecting where they are from to one of the five senses. NaJung has a line about how “I’m from hot, yummy Thai noodles.” while Gaby is “from the silly loon call” at her summer home in Canada. They are encouraged to put down all the things that come into their mind - nothing is too crazy or too much, they’ll select the lines they like best later as they edit. Mr. Buck joins in the writing, using the visualizer to project his work. His kids love to see him write along with them and Mr. Buck knows modeling is a powerful tool. His TA, Ms. Pari kneels next to two students who need assistance and they work together to think of what to write.
Meanwhile in Ms. Jordan’s fifth grade class a group of students are collaborating on making a comic about a fifth grade super hero Inquiry Girl and her Sidekick Curiosity Boy. They have been studying the “greats” Marvel Comic classic - Superman, Spiderman, The Hulk, and all the X-Men, noting how they are written with a lot of figurative language. Superman is “faster than a speeding bullet!” and Peter Parker’s “Spidey sense tingles” when there is danger. They think about what sort of metaphors or similes would make their comics more interesting. As they storyboard out their ideas, group members add in figurative languages where appropriate to make their words more like the comics they have studied. As Ms. Jordan calls for cleanup time the comic group agrees to each bring back two phrases that could be used in their comic for tomorrow.
As we have seen in our brief glimpses into these classes, students are honing literacy skills in rich, diverse, and meaningful instruction and experience that is appropriate to each student in line with expected standards and benchmarks.
References
American Education Reaches Out English Language Arts Curriculum Framework K-12 Standards and Performance Indicators. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.projectaero.org/aero_standards/ELA/AERO-ELA-Framework.pdf