Literacy Unlocked
FWISD K-12 Literacy - September 2021
Welcome Back!
During the 2021-2002 school year we will continue to…
- Lean into the "3 Big Shifts" in literacy instruction and explore the how to effectively plan Tier 1 Core instruction utilizing district resources.
- Examine the alignment of literacy best practices (content and pedagogy) to accelerate student learning.
- Use MAP data to guide instructional decision-making and ensure equitable access for high levels of student achievement for ALL students.
The Current State of Reading
Independent Reading Practice
Does “sustained silent reading" (SSR) improve achievement? How can we make the practice purposeful and systematic with the specific goal of improving performance? Is it better to use school time to raise reading achievement and find ways to encourage kids to choose to read on their own?
Text Complexity Debate
This blog addresses the long-held belief that students learn more when they are matched to texts in particular ways. Studies actually show that from the second-grade reading level on, kids learn best when taught with more challenging texts. Click here for full article.
Ensuring Literacy Success for All
Dr. Tracy Weeden, CEO and President of the Neuhaus Education Center, joins host Susan Lambert to discuss how to ensure literacy success for all. Topics such as literacy ally, ‘COVID Chrysalis’, and bridging the gap between the students' home and school language are discussed.
Curriculum Corner
FWISD Literacy Essentials Handbook
This reference guide was created to articulate and support district literacy expectations in grades K-12 by defining core instructional practices and identifying system supports designed to contribute to the success of every student.
This handbook has been made accessible to district employees via the FWISD curriculum app in ClassLink on the Literacy landing page.
Elementary (K-5)
Selecting Mentor Texts With Academic, Linguistic, Cultural, and Social-Emotional Responsiveness Using mentor texts is an important component of writing instruction. Mentor texts invite writers into the process, immersing them in words, inspiring them to try, and demonstrating the power that is possible through words and shared ideas. Knowing and honoring the skills, languages, cultures, perspectives, and interests that students contribute to a classroom community opens up possibilities for planning and teaching with abundance.
Middle School (6-8)
Disciplinary Literacy and the Value of Making Connections Content area literacy focuses on techniques that readers use to comprehend content area texts; disciplinary literacy shifts the focus to the way that readers need to critically think, understand, or engage in the reading of a specific text to construct and convey meaning in an academic subject. Research has documented reading strategies that good readers use; however, they tend to neglect specific information necessary for discipline-specific comprehension.
High School (9-12)
Word Study For Struggling Adolescent Readers Many adolescents who read at a low level struggle not with basic phonics but with the slightly more difficult work of decoding multisyllabic and/or unusual words, recognizing common words by sight, reading and writing words that have irregular spellings, and identifying families of words that share common roots. Targeted “word study” instruction has been shown to move struggling adolescent readers to higher level of proficiency.
Why is Professional Learning Important?
Professional Learning
Effective professional development builds the knowledge, skills and qualities of teachers to improve the outcomes of their students. When teachers practice and apply new learning, their enhanced knowledge and skills improves their teaching which then enhances their students' outcomes. Participants should select courses that increase teacher efficacy and are directly-aligned to student achievement (and not solely on "flex credit" compliance).