Curriculum: Literacy at the School for Children

Literacy in the Middle School

During the Middle School years, children become independent readers and writers. When teachers include reading and writing as integral components of all the subject areas, children are eager to develop literacy skills that can further their inquiry, problem solving abilities, and knowledge. Children see that there is a real need for reading and writing and that the adults around them are readers and writers who use language in authentic ways throughout the school day. A major goal in the literacy program is to create a community of readers and writers who experience the power of language in communicating with others, in self-expression, and in collaborative thinking and problem solving. For purposes of clarity, reading is separated from writing in some of the descriptions that follow. Bear in mind, however, that reading and writing, along with speaking and listening, are interrelated throughout the school's curriculum.

Children's reading experiences range from whole and small group to individual instruction; from the development of phonetic and comprehension skills and understanding to a focus on the more advanced skills of prediction, characterization, and author's language; and from discussions about specific books aimed at developing an appreciation and love of literature to the individual exercises aimed at supporting reading and writing skills. Throughout all these experiences children listen to stories, read their own books, read recipes and math sheets, write observations and answer questions on trip sheets, work from workbooks, and write their own pieces.

During weekly trips to the library, the librarian reads and discusses stories from different literary genres. Children borrow books and learn about the organization and uses of the library.

Our writing program offers children a variety of genres. Teachers expect children to respond to assigned writing and to originate their own topics. Students use writing to explore and express their beliefs; to synthesize information and to incorporate the conventions of writing spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, and organization in to their written work. Learning how to revise and edit is a major emphasis in our work with students. Students recognize teachers and other adults as learners and writers, meet with peers for help and advice, and share work in both small and large groups. They feel the importance of having the authority to make some choices about how and what they write, and they realize that rethinking and revising are natural and essential parts of the writing process.

Because literacy encompasses such a varied set of skills, skills that are acquired more readily by some children than others, teachers provide resources and use a variety of approaches to support each child!=s literacy development. A student may be offered extra adult support from the learning specialists and graduate students in the Reading/Literacy Graduate School Program. Teachers provide extra time during the day to reinforce skills. They utilize computers and other technology to facilitate writing and practice for concepts and skills. They implement various approaches for each student because development of literacy abilities is an individual pursuit and demands different approaches to ensure success.

6/7s

The 6/7s reading program is designed to provide time for whole, small group, and individual reading experiences. Children are actively engaged in choosing books they want to read from the wide range of genres available in the classroom and school library. Over the course of the year, teachers have individual reading conferences in order to assess and provide for each child's progress. Emphasis is placed on helping children to develop and gain facility with a variety of reading strategies that will enable them to become independent readers of many different kinds of printed material. Children participate in reading response groups where they discuss a single book with a group of peers. These groups support children!=s growing awareness of the different as well as similar interpretations or meanings a particular book might have for various individuals.

The 6/7s use writing for a variety of purposes. Children record personal or class-related ideas about curriculum and class trips in notebooks. They write signs for block buildings, reminders, and other kinds of everyday occurrences. During writer's workshop they write about topics of their own choosing, using a variety of genres such as personal narrative, non-fiction, or fiction. While sharing their written work with each other, teachers, and the whole group, children begin to learn about writing their personal thoughts in ways that make sense to others. Their writing may be published after being revised and edited. Children are expected to write drafts using invented spelling, and as they gain experience, they move toward standard spelling. Handwriting is taught and children are given time to practice the writing of numbers, letters, words, and sentences. As the year progresses, children are expected to begin standard usage of upper and lower case letters.

7/8s

Children in the 7/8s have a varied and extensive daily reading program. They meet with teachers individually to discuss strategies for understanding and interpreting texts, choosing books, and conveying their reactions to material. They share books with each other in reading response groups, informal exchanges, and class discussions. Often, children depict an aspect of the book they have read through a dramatization or a form of artwork.

In the 7/8s, children continue to write daily for a variety of purposes. A major one is to further their understanding of the core curriculum; some practical ones are to be able to write notes and make posters and signs. In writer's workshop, there is more of an emphasis on the revision process, where students learn how to make suggestions to help peers with their writing through one-on-one conferences and small group and whole class shares. Writers are expected to revise pieces they wish to publish and to learn skills such as cutting and pasting in order to further clarify and organize their writing. Children learn to use periods and upper and lower case letters. They also learn letter formation and spelling strategies.

8/9s

In the 8/9s, there is an increased emphasis on developing the child's ability to choose from a wide variety of appropriate books and read independently. Children continue to have regular individual reading conferences with their teachers, in which the teachers assess their oral reading skills and silent reading comprehension. They discuss strategies for choosing books and reading them with understanding. Children share their thoughts with their peers through reading response groups (that may include the teacher), discussions, dramatizations, and artwork.

Children read nonfiction and fiction books related to the core curriculum and use them as resources for their written research and artwork, such as murals and drawings. The 8/9s often have content-related reading for homework and are expected to read for half an hour each night when they do not have a written assignment.

Written research formally begins in the 8/9s when each child writes a curriculum based research paper. The genres of research, narratives, fiction, and poetry reinforce basic writing skills. Spelling, punctuation, sequencing, and sentence structure are integral components of the writing curriculum. At this age level, cursive writing and Microsoft Word are introduced. Children continue to share their writing with peers and in teacher conferences; they incorporate their feedback through revision and editing.

9/10s

Being able to read, record, and synthesize information are skills that are emphasized in the 9/10s. Much of their reading is assigned as homework. In class, children meet regularly to discuss what they read. Their reading sources for the core curriculum are varied and include books, magazines, newspapers, and the internet. The teacher frequently asks students to prepare written responses to the reading.

The 9/10s explore fiction, folktale, poetry, personal narrative, persuasive essay, journalistic writing, and the research report in more sophisticated ways. Techniques for writing in these different modes are discussed in meeting and children are expected to publish work in each genre. Students keep notebooks for recording ideas and trying out possible writing topics. In addition, much of their writing is curriculum-related. At least one research project is undertaken in which each child chooses a topic, poses relevant questions about it, and gathers information. With each writing project, students engage in the writing process, which includes brainstorming ideas, writing a draft, revising, editing, participating in peer and teacher conferences, and, finally, publishing. Emphasis is placed on revision and editing skills relevant to the particular writing. Children study sentence and paragraph structure throughout the year. At this stage, children are expected to use standard spelling. Whole group meetings are held in which spelling strategies and writing skills are taught. Children get follow-up instruction in small groups and individual conferences.