ACE Literacy Newsletter
Elementary Literacy | FEB 2018 YEAR 3: VOL. 3
In this Edition:
Balanced Literacy Focus: Writing
STAAR Prep: Differentiating instruction
Instructional Resources: 5th Six Weeks Instructional Calendars
Engaging Review Strategies: Escape the room example
Countdown to Writing STAAR
This month’s instructional focus in balanced literacy is Writing. Even if you are not a 4th grade teacher, many of these tools can help to inform your instruction.
Daily Writing Routines
Mentor Sentences
Grammar Review Routine
Composition
Use these resources to help guide your writing instruction:
Be sure to include your feedback on their drafts so that students can see their growth through the writing process.
Rubric Work
Spelling Routines
Monday- Introduce the spelling rule and have students take notes
Tuesday- Share examples of the word and ask students to practice using the words
Wednesday- Give a quick 2 minute spelling quiz and check
Thursday- Give students an aligned multiple choice question with the spelling pattern
Differentiating Instruction
Using Exemplars
Planning groups
Resource Spotlight
Hot off the press: 5th Six Weeks curriculum calendars
When reviewing these calendars, pay close attention to the genre for the week. Select a great mentor text in line with the genre for the week and practice the SE’s listed for each day with that model text. Also- use the STAAR aligned question stems in the document to write your DOLs and plan your questions during your lesson!
Engaging Review Strategies
- Insert STAAR stems into a Jeopardy template. Have students work with a partner to show evidence of their thinking.
- Set up an escape room experience. As students complete the questions correctly, new clues are unlocked. Check out this blog for an example or review this folder to see sample writing escape clues.
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