Teachers use an explicit, purposeful, integrated approach to literacy (including evidence-based, high-quality instructional practices) that engages students in all major components of the complex literacy process. The process includes reading (and reading foundational skills), writing, speaking, listening, and language across all disciplines to comprehend and create text for effective communication with others in a variety of contexts.
Kennedy Elementary School teachers provide students with high-quality literacy instruction, which allows struggling students multiple opportunities to listen, read, write, and discuss literature on a daily basis. Teachers may begin a lesson by conducting a read-aloud. During the read-aloud, teachers may model a strategy students can use to better understand text. After teachers model the strategy, students are given an opportunity to practice the strategy either independently or in small groups. Next, students may demonstrate their understanding of the strategy and text through a formative written assessment.