Literacy+Initiative

** Heritage Heights Mission of Literacy **
The Heritage Heights school community will create a culture of literacy that nurtures students in becoming readers, writers, listeners and speakers, who love literature and appreciate how it connects them to the world.

** Vision **
High levels of literacy learning for all students; Expert and effective teaching creating attentive, self-directed, fluent readers and writers; Motivated students that see themselves as readers, writers, and thinkers.

General Goals
Students will: 1. become skillful in the mechanics of reading and strategic in their ability to independently explore text, read closely and interpret meaning. 2. read text daily at their independent level with increased fluency and stamina 3. write text daily and at least 1000 words monthly (2-5) for a variety of purposes across content areas.
 * Students in grades 3-5 should read at least 30 minutes daily at school and at home (average or 20-25 pages in each setting).

** Building SMART Goal **
By improving the capacity of teachers to design and implement highly effective reading, writing and language lessons aligned with the NYS CCLS, by June 2016, **33%** of our students tested in grades 3-5 will meet the state reading benchmark (with no more then **37%** scoring at Level 1) as measured by the NYS ELA.

** Guiding Principles **
Influencing students toward high levels of literacy, as skills/ strategies are being taught and applied teachers will:
 * Have high expectations for each child’s success.
 * Strive to understand the reading and writing process, the common core learning standards and the content and skill that drives effective literacy instruction.
 * Have a deep understanding of the literacy skill/strategy being taught and be aware of when and how it helps us as readers and writers.
 * Provide positive examples of the qualities and characteristics of readers and writers.
 * Use strategic teaching to assist students in developing a system of strategic actions to sustain processing and expand thinking while reading.
 * Think aloud and model reading and writing using high-quality literature and well-written non-fiction.
 * Use appropriate assessment tools and strategies to monitor each child’s achievement in reading and writing, inform instruction, provide feedback and communicate progress.
 * Confer with children regularly and offer honest feedback that moves each child forward based on our knowledge of how readers and writers use the skill/strategy being taught.
 * Use language that is scholarly, precise, and skillful in promoting both identity and agency in the readers and writers in our classrooms.
 * Create and use a common language as well as utilize strategies of accountable talk when discussing text and ideas to promote deeper understanding.
 * Encourage student discourse- thinking, talking, and writing about reading and their learning each day.
 * Teach each strategy separately and in depth, but show how one strategy can build on another; model and apply the use of each strategy to meaningful text.
 * Teach the reader, not the reading. Teach the writer, not the writing.
 * Make thinking public by creating anchor charts that children can refer to, add to, or change over the course of the year.
 * Demonstrate how strategies can be applied to other curricular areas.
 * Create an environment where reading and writing is valued and seen as a tool for gaining and expressing new knowledge and rethinking current knowledge.
 * Gradually release responsibility for using each skill/ strategy to encourage independent use and application.
 * Provide opportunities and expect all children to read and write independently each day across content areas.
 * Create self-directed readers and writers by managing the environment, using skillful language, and teaching a wide variety of strategies to help students solve their own problem thus encouraging students to take ownership of their learning

Daily Commitment
Teachers are committed each and everyday to:


 * read with passion to their children, from a variety of texts
 * encourage children to choose texts they would like to read
 * ensure all children to read "just right books"
 * provide time and support for children to talk to each other about their reading; and
 * have children write every day about something that matters (i.e. science experiments, reading response, math questions, and what they are learning about the world and people around them).

** Literacy Focus For Teachers and Students 2015-2016 **
impact student learning and lift the level of discourse. ||<  ||< Students are doing the work of the discipline- math and literacy- at least 50% of the time (as oppose to the teacher talking or engaging in recitation style questioning. || in service of gradual release of responsibility, closely considering the Common Core, Sweet Home Curricular Calendar and students’ current work. ||<   ||< Students create the work and evidence aligned to grade level Common Core Learning Standards. || in service of gradual release of responsibility, closely considering the Common Core, Sweet Home Curricular Calendar and students’ current work. ||<   ||< Students are creating more writing and writing in more sophisticated ways across the day in a variety or ways, genre, types, etc. ||
 * < === Teacher Focus Goals: === ||<  ||< === Evidence in Students === ||
 * < Teachers support students to be self-directed, independent learners across instructional contexts. ||<  ||< Students are more self-directed and independent in all instructional areas. ||
 * < Teachers model and support the use of talk moves that positively
 * < Teachers gather evidence and/or collect student work in order to regularly assess individual student progress toward grade-level Common Core Learning Standards. ||<  ||< Students are talking more in class and with more depth, thought and understanding. ||
 * < Teachers strategically design lessons across a balanced framework
 * < Teachers strategically design lessons across a balanced framework

**Literacy Study Questions**:
 * 1) What do self-directed, independent students look like, sound like and behave like? Which approaches might we use to encourage self-direction? How can we design classroom environments in support of self-direction?
 * 2) How can we use talk moves to positively impact student reasoning and understanding? How can we increase the amount and level of student talk while decreasing the amount of our talk?
 * 3) In what ways can we we systematically gather evidence of student thinking/work to determine individual progress and provide feedback toward predetermined goals?
 * 4) What are the components of balanced literacy? How does each component support the gradual release of responsibility? How can student work be considered alongside the Common Core and Sweet Home Indicators to plan for instruction?
 * 5) Which moves can we make during conferences to ensure we teach transferable skills while promoting self-regulation?


 * General **
 * Teach reading utilizing the components of a balanced framework for instruction. A strong understanding of the purpose and connectedness of the components should be evident. Understand the writing process and its relationship to reading.
 * Organize and manage classroom environments to promote independent and self-directed readers and writers able to engage in deeper levels of discourse.
 * Follow the district-wide, grade-level specific units of study and curricular calendars in reading and writing based on the Common Core State Standards for ELA.
 * Demonstrate responsiveness to student data when planning lessons.


 * Reading **
 * Model quality reading while developing discourse and meaning making of text during interactive read aloud.
 * Engage students in daily independent reading workshop (mini-lesson, independent reading, conferring, small group instruction, and sharing).
 * Ensure that all children are reading what they can and should be reading independently.
 * Utilize small group instruction (guided reading, strategy groups, mini-inquiries) addressing the unique reading needs of students.
 * Utilize word study using Words Their Way-administer spelling inventories, analyze results, establish groups and and routines to provide daily word study practice.
 * Understand the purpose, structure and planning process of shared reading- develop shared reading lesson responsive to the needs of readers. Use share reading to model and practice close reading across a variety of text genres with increasing levels of text complexity (relevant to grade level).


 * Writing **
 * 1) Teacher empowers students to be self-directed, independent writers within a daily workshop structure.
 * 2) Student work is regularly used to assess individual progress toward grade-level Common Core Learning Standards.
 * 3) Mini or focus lessons are planned to guide students through each stage of the writing process.
 * 4) Teaching points are closely connected to the Common Core Learning Standards and Sweet Home indicators, as well as in response to students' current work.
 * 5) Teacher purposefully selects and utilizes mentor texts, including their own pieces and students samples, through each stage of the writing process.
 * 6) Teacher confers with individuals/ small groups to lift the level of student writing.

Readers:

 * 1) Enjoy reading, read often, and read a wide variety of genres to meet multiple purposes.
 * 2) Are confident about their abilities to read, are aware of their strengths, as a reader, and are self-directed.
 * 3) Successfully select text that match their reading level, interests, and purpose.
 * 4) Read appropriately leveled text with a high level of accuracy, monitoring meaning, and use strategies to quickly self-correct miscues that interfere with meaning.
 * 5) Read quickly in longer, meaningful phrases.
 * 6) Active prior knowledge before, during, and after reading.
 * 7) Preview text, make predictions about what is likely to happen or identifies topics and information that may be included.
 * 8) Ask themselves questions prior to and during the reading of text.
 * 9) Comprehend what they read (silently or orally) and are able to use their own language and key vocabulary from the text to identify and organize important information into a written summary.
 * 10) Understand what is explicitly stated in the text.
 * 11) Interpret what they read by making inferences, making connections and drawing conclusions.
 * 12) Support their responses (inferences and connections) with information from the text.
 * 13) Synthesize information.
 * 14) Reflect and determine significance, and/or evaluate what they read.
 * 15) Support their judgments with reasons and/or personal or text samples.
 * 16) Are aware of the strategies they use to construct and monitor meaning while reading.
 * 17) Want to share what they’ve read with others.
 * 18) Are able to use non-fiction text to find information.

Writers:

 * 1) Internalize the writing process.
 * 2) Clearly convey ideas by writing to a specific topic and using supporting details.
 * 3) Write often, for a variety of purposes (fiction and non-fiction) and audiences.
 * 4) Write legibly and use conventions accurately.
 * 5) Use good word choice.
 * 6) Use voice in their writing.
 * 7) Write for enjoyment.
 * 8) Write about things they know and care about.
 * 9) Use literature to support their writing.
 * 10) Revise and edit for both ideas and product.
 * 11) Use a strong beginning that “hooks” the reader and an end that doesn’t leave reader hanging.
 * 12) Organize ideas and thoughts before writing.
 * 13) Take risks.

Literacy Coaching :
Click on the link to the right to download the roles of principals, coaches and teachers- Pre and Post Coaching Reflection Form- Shared Reading