Galloway Township Public Schools Curriculum Document Subject: English Language Arts Grade(s): K-8 Publication Date: August 27, 2012 Board of Education Approval Date:
Table of Contents: Acknowledgements Statement of Philosophy Grade K Curriculum Map Grade 1 Curriculum Map Grade 2 Curriculum Map Grade 3 Curriculum Map Grade 4 Curriculum Map Grade 5 Curriculum Map Grade 6 Curriculum Map Grade 7 Curriculum Map Grade 7 Advanced ELA Map Grade 8 Curriculum Map Grade 8 Advanced ELA Map
Acknowledgements: The English Language Arts curriculum is the product of the efforts of numerous educators. Administrators, teachers, professional development providers, and even students were involved over the past 2 years in the varied tasks of K-8 scope and sequence development, material selection, and curricular writing.
Statement of Philosophy In this content area, the Common Core State Standards highlight literacy across content areas by focusing on English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects. These standards offer a focus for instruction each year and help ensure that students gain adequate exposure to a range of texts and tasks. Rigor is also infused through the requirement that students read increasingly complex texts through the grades. College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading The Common Core standards define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of each grade. They correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards below by number. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate. Key Ideas and Details 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. 2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. 3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. Craft and Structure 4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. 5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. 6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.* 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. 9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
Reading Street Program Description Program Philosophy Three-Tier Model Tier I Reading Street serves as our core k-5 reading program and is designed to help teachers build readers by using engaging literature, research-based instruction, and a wealth of teaching tools. Reading Street provides unique support for the teacher through 1. direct and explicit instruction for each grade level; 2. a step-by-step instructional plan; 3. an assessment plan to ensure adequate yearly progress; 4. customized instruction by strand; and 5. differentiated instructional plans for struggling readers, advanced readers, and English Language Learners. Reading Street follows the Response to Intervention model (RTI). The goal of this three-tier model of reading instruction is to meet the instructional needs of all students. Reading Street meets this goal by providing a process that monitors student progress throughout the year. Through continuous progress monitoring, struggling readers are identified early and interventions are put in place to prevent them from falling behind. Tier I is the core classroom instruction for all students. In Reading Street, the On-Level or Advanced instruction addresses the five core areas of reading instruction: 1. Phonemic awareness 2. Phonics 3. Fluency 4. Vocabulary 5. Comprehension Tier II Tier III Tier II is supplemental small-group instruction for Strategic Intervention students. It is designed to prevent struggling readers from falling behind. Daily instruction supports and enhances core classroom instruction by reteaching core concepts and providing additional teacher modeling, more scaffolding, and multiple opportunities for practice. More time is spent on task with these students because children in this tier benefit from an additional thirty minutes per day of small-group instruction. Tier III instruction consists of an intensive intervention program called My Sidewalks that parallels Reading Street in concepts and vocabulary. The instruction in My Sidewalks moves at a slower pace. To find out more about My Sidewalks, just look for the tutorials on this Web site.
Holt McDougal Literature: 6-8 This comprehensive program provides the best in print and digital resources to prepare students for today's academic challenges. Featuring well-loved literature and the most robust selection of informational text, Holt McDougal Literature scaffolds instruction in analysis and critical thinking so that every student can succeed. Adapted readers and unique audio tools make text accessible to struggling readers and enhance comprehension and language acquisition for English Language Learners. Technology assets create interest and accelerate learning in reading, writing and media. Unique digital tools make planning and assessment more efficient and effective. In addition to this series alignment to the k-8 Common Core Standards, this series is the program of choice in Greater Egg Harbor Regional School District, the district in which our students attend high school.