• English Language Arts

     
    At Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School No. 9, we use a variety of programs,(Comprehension Toolkit, Units of Study: Reading, and Units of Study: Writing)to teach English Language Arts (ELA). To support the implementation of our instructional program, the following overview provides a guide to daily classroom work.  It is a configuration of our vision, mission, values, and goals.  Our expectations for classrooms are as follow:  
    ERICA    
     
    Classroom
    •    Flexible seating – desks in small groups
    •    Organized Classroom Libraries (genre/level) & writing supplies
    •    Common meeting area
    •    Readers’ Notebooks/Folders/Bins
    •    Anchor Charts (mini-lessons, student thinking, reading/writing strategies, writing 
          topics, rituals & routines, )
    •    Reading Logs
    •    Word Walls / Content Word Walls
    •    Assessment Notebooks

    Students
    •    Work and follow-on tasks independently
    •    Work in groups and independently
    •    Engage in guided and independent reading/writing at correct levels
    •    Confer with teacher on reading/writing progress
    •    Use the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, & publishing)
    •    Use rubrics to track and keep records of their writing progress
    •    Track and keep records of their thinking
    •    Write responses to their reading
    •    Discuss  and support their viewpoints
    •    Use graphic organizers                                             
    •    Develop their letter and word knowledge
    •    Use technology to support reading/writing

    Teachers
    •    Construct anchor charts
    •    Model/demonstrate reading strategies and skills
    •    Utilize flexible groups to differentiate instruction
    •    Use thinking aloud
    •    Ask open-ended questions
    •    Maintain assessment notebook
    •    Confer with students
    •    Collaborate with colleagues to plan units of study
    •    Integrate of content areas & technology

    Standard-Based Student Work
    •    Reading Logs/Writer's Notebooks
    •    Journal Responses/Reflections
    •    Anchor Charts
    •    Graphic Organizers
    •    Readers’ Notebooks/Writing Notebooks/Writing Portfolios
    •    Written Responses to Literature & Prompts
    •    Charts & Story Maps
    •    Illustrations of Thinking
    •    Post-It Notes – Thinking Squares