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Primary Literacy Instruction
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" . . . learning to read depends on two critical factors:
the teacher's thorough understandings of the reading process itself,
and his or her determination to understand and respond to each child's
needs as a reader." Madison Metropolitan School District |
| A balanced reading program includes a range of literacy activities, carefully selected materials for each activity, and a responsive teacher who knows how to structure literacy interactions that move children to higher levels of understanding. Apprenticeship in Literacy |
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This Instructional Practices document serves as a companion to the Primary Literacy Instruction-Focus on Reading-Key Elements publication. It offers K-3 classroom teachers some instructional beginning points in the nine key elements of primary reading instruction. The intent of both documents is to build within MMSD consistent understanding of an effective early literacy program for all students. Prior to targeting instruction to meet the developing literacy needs of early readers and writers, assessment practices must be in place. First, the classroom teacher must assess where each child is developmentally along a continuum within each of the elements. Assessment information gained from the Literacy Profile of the Primary Language Arts Assessment (PLAA) and daily informal observational data become starting points for teacher reflection. After the teacher reflects upon and evaluates assessment information, targeted instruction can match with the needs of the learner. The teaching examples suggested within this document will need to be adapted and built upon as teachers make the match between learners in their own classrooms and their literacy needs. The teacher moves in and out of teaching and assessing as knowledge of a child's learning one day contributes to the learning focus for the next day. The aim of literacy learning is to create readers and writers who are highly engaged in the independent application of both reading and writing. Our learners begin that journey as teachers model behaviors, share the tasks with the learners, and then arrange for independent practice. Teachers also are on a journey to deepening their own understandings of literacy learning. MMSD classroom teachers can contact Language Arts Resource teachers, Title I, Reading Recovery, and Gateways teachers to both problem solve and seek answers to questions. Teacher development in literacy learning will remain a focus of staff in service courses and study groups. Back to Language Arts Home Page VOCABULARY/CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Language Arts | Teaching and Learning | MMSD
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