WELCOME Hubbard/Tisdale “Getting It Write” A Pre-K-3 Overview

 Our goal is to provide our students with the skills to become independent thinkers, learners, readers,and writers. These are lifelong skills they will need through school, in the workplace, and beyond.

The process by which children acquire and use written language begins early in life and increases in purpose, complexity, and difficulty throughout the formal years of schooling.

Demonstrate book awareness by tracking print left to right, reading front to back, and understanding author/illustrator. Participate in daily guided and shared reading. Develop phonemic awareness through a study of the letters and their sounds. Express themselves through illustration and written text using both transitional and conventional spelling. Use journal writing in response to literature, personal feelings, and/or experiences. Recognize high frequency words. Develop an appreciation for poetry. Contribute to group conversations and discussions. Emergent Literacy Kindergarten children will:

Integrated Language Arts First grade students will: Read a variety of literature types using an interdisciplinary, thematic approach. Use a variety of strategies to read, including phonics, context clues and structural analysis. Comprehend literal and inferential meaning from text. Use journals for reading response and exploring personal feelings and events. Use correct spelling for all published works. Begin formal manuscript handwriting. Readily recognize high-frequency words. Read and understand leveled guided reading books.

Integrated Language Arts Second grade students will: Increase phonetic skills - long and short vowels, vowel variants, digraphs and blends. Identify synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, and compound words. Identify the main idea, details, cause and effect, problem and solution. Identify literary elements - plot, character and setting. Read with fluency and expression. Read and comprehend grade-appropriate literature books. Apply correct punctuation, capitalization and spelling in writing. Identify parts of speech - nouns, verbs, pronouns and adjectives.

Integrated Language Arts Third Grade students will: Distinguish fact from opinion. Use similes, metaphors and analogies to expand meaning. Read various genres of literature using an interdisciplinary thematic approach. Use a variety of strategies to read text including phonics, context clues and structural analysis. Demonstrate comprehension of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Identify story elements: character development, setting, problem and solution. Practice the writing process by webbing, brainstorming, drafting, revising, conferencing and editing. Understanding grammar usage, mechanics and spelling through the writing process. Develop editing skills for published work. Use journals for reading response and to explore personal feelings and events. Use correct spelling for all published work. Understand the use of reference materials, including dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia. Know the correct formation of upper and lower case letters in cursive. Read and understand at least grade-appropriate literature books. Read literally, inferentially and critically.

Writing Instruction Writing is taught using a workshop model everyday in all K-3 classrooms. This time allows for teachers to emphasize the important strategies and aspects that all writers need. Units of Study for Primary Writing: A Yearlong Curriculum (K-2) Units of Study for Teaching Writing Grades 3-5 by Lucy Calkins *Use of program for 4 to 5 years. *Common vocabulary established throughout each building. *Teachers have specific time devoted specifically to writing. *Students write stories using their background knowledge and personal lives. *Allows for Differentiated Instruction through individual student/ teacher conferences. Tisdale and Hubbard teachers worked with Sandi Stern, Literacy Consultant, from New Directions for Excellence. Teachers focused on: effective instructional techniques creation of new writing units developing year long curriculum maps at each grade level conferencing techniques creation and use of grade level rubrics for writing.

Key Components of Reading & Writing Instruction Reading and Writing instruction each day – Grade 1-Reading minutes, Writing 45 minutes – Grade 2-Reading 90 minutes, Writing 60 minutes – Grade 3-Reading 90 minutes, Writing 60 minutes Interesting materials –lots of non-fiction Scaffolding of skills K-3 Consistent vocabulary K-3 Strong resources for teachers

Helpful Tips To Encourage Writing Making available materials so that your child can practice writing and drawing. Don’t forget that children’s “writing” progresses from scribbles or strings of letter-like forms to words, sentences, and then paragraphs. Talk with your child and discuss everyday activities, in the car, at the grocery store or while taking a walk. Remember, your child is absorbing and trying out new vocabulary words and ideas every day. Listen carefully to what your child says and encourage use of “new” and exciting descriptive words. Don’t forget that children at this age make many grammatical errors. Don’t always correct, just gently model the correct grammar usage in your own everyday conversations. Model writing with notes, letters, journals, and possibly even “mini biography like” overviews of your child’s experiences. Children love reading anecdotes, celebrations, and family stories about when they were young. Reinforce that editing and re-writing are lifelong skills that provide us with opportunities to enhance and expand ideas and meaning.

Dr. Morton and Mr. Hughes enjoy visiting classrooms to encourage our determined young writers.

Hubbard Principal Molly Dinning and the Hubbard School staff use a variety of classroom and all-school activities to celebrate writing.

We know it’s so important to encourage good habits at an early age. “Getting It Write Is A Life-Long Experience.”