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.