1. Literacy in Charlottesville
Jenifer Davis
Elementary Lead Literacy Teacher

2. Objectives:
Look in-depth at what the literacy time will look like at Walker
Learn the Fountas and Pinnell system to assess students’ guided reading levels
Analyze SPBQ data for Walker

3. What should your 5-6 LA block consist of?
Your language block should be 2 hours long (6th is 1.5 hours)
Each day, all teachers should allot the following amount of time for each component:
- Whole group instruction :(30 min.)
- Guided Reading: Benchmark focus (1 hour)
- Spelling/ Word Study (20-30
min.)
- Writing instruction: Being A Writer (30-45 min.)
- Handwriting (5-10 min.)
- Grammar (15 minutes)

4. What resources will I use?
Our pacing comes from the following:
Reading (Benchmark, Leveled Readers)
Writing (Being A Writer)
Word Study/Phonics (Benchmark or Word Study Moodle Site)
Grammar (Being A Writer has some but this will mainly come from own resources)

5. Walker Literacy Block- Whole group- First Hour
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Equity Shot-Whole group leson from Benchmark
Writing from BAW
Grammar

6. Walker Literacy Block-Skills Groups
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Small Group Reading using Benchmark skills with leveled texts
Word Study using Benchmark focus (Vada and Jen will create schedule)

7. Whole Group Instruction- a.k.a “Equity Shot” (30 minutes):
Read Aloud—taken from Benchmark skills:
- models the comprehension skill metacognitive strategy for the week
- one-two skill(s) per week that is (are) later tested on triweeklies

8. Instructional Reading (1 hour or more):
Based on your MAP and F and P results, children receive differentiated reading instruction at their instructional reading levels.
Children are expected to be working on the same comprehension skill from whole group with leveled text. (i.e. If your students learned about character in whole group, you will teach character in small group). See the sample guided reading lesson plans.

9. Instructional Reading (1 hour or more):
You can use either the leveled texts within the Benchmark program or from the leveled bookroom. Use the book correlation chart to assist in finding the correct leveling system at your school.
With your guided reading groups, fluidity and flexibility are a must based on the data.
Make sure that you use the same text you are teaching if you choose texts from the bookroom (i.e. If you are teaching about fiction in whole group, use fiction in small group)

10. What are other students doing while I am instructing guided reading?
There are many options you can use. Some include:
Literacy workstations
Independent Reading of the child’s choosing
Assignments to be completed (Word Study/Spelling)
Authentic,Independent Projects

11. Word Study/Spelling (20-30 min.):
Jen and Vada will be creating materials to assist you with this portion of the day.
We will be adding the word study focus to the pacing guide.
Word Study information will be shared via Moodle.

12. Writing (30-45 min.):
Students should have the opportunity to write each day in class.
The mini-lessons come directly from the Being A Writer program.
Students work through a series of lessons focused on a specific genre of writing: reading text examples or models, brainstorming, writing rough drafts, editing, and writing final copies.
The genres will match the reading genres for the most part.

13. What are the expectations?
All teachers using the Benchmark and Being A Writer programs are expected to follow the pacing guide, which outlines what is to be taught and when. All teachers administer the assessments listed on the ULA and analyze the results in order to enrich and remediate the language arts skills taught.

14. Pacing Guide Specifics:
If you find errors/revisions that need to be made within documents, please place a note on your pacing guide or me, and we will forward them onto the appropriate personnel for LA curriculum work next summer. Your notes will help to make our pacing guide better!

15. What core assessments am I expected to give?
Use the ULA (Unified Language Arts) document as the guide which and assessment to give.
Please note the forms that need to be used for each of the testing periods.
If unsure how to give an assessment, please ask your friendly reading specialists for assistance or me 

16. How will I record the results of these assessments?
You can use the information collected from each of the assessment forms onto the collection sheets on the Moodle site for your grade level.
These items are to be entered into Powerschool at the times specified on the ULA.

17. How do I get the Guided Reading Levels?
Administer the Fountas and Pinnell WRI for each student
Each student begins at the prior grade level to begin.
Go up a grade level if they read more than 15 words.
Stop when they don’t and use the chart to figure out what level they are at.

18. Remediation Collaboration:
In order to make a consistent Tier Two intervention, it is imperative that you connect weekly with your Reading Specialists and other personnel providing intervention.
Target Skills for the Week
The expectation is whatever skills are being taught in the classroom will be reinforced in remediation. No layering of programs!

19. A Note:
Be sure to enroll in your GPS, the K-12 Literacy, and Word Study on Moodle. We will upload today’s documents there and on the individual grade level pages.

20. Pacing Guide Notes Script: Paraphrase
Triweeklies included for divisionwide consistency
Author’s Purpose should be taught alongside Reader’s Purpose
Reference materials add in as much as you can

21. Pacing Guide Notes Correlation chart to Hampton 11 strategies on GPS
Writing genres match with reading in grades 3-6
New writing rubrics (developmental)
Vocabulary (suggested)
Benchmark resources

22. How can I support you this year in literacy?
I am here to help and positively support you in literacy instruction 
Jenifer Davis