Language Arts – Four Block Literacy Model

1. Guided Reading

     Reading instruction will be taught in whole class, small group, partner, and independent settings.  The children will be placed in flexible groups and pairings based on varying criteria throughout the year.  Some groups will be based on reading interest, some on focused instruction, and some will be random groupings.  This flexible grouping technique allows children to work with different students throughout the year.  It also offers me an opportunity to target specific skills, strengths and areas of concern.  The children will both read and respond to literature in different genres.  Responses will be both oral and written.

      Several themes will be explored throughout the year.  These themes include but are not limited to:  Self-awareness, Respect, Conflict Resolution, Apples, Communities... History of Bolton, Native Americans, Air & Weather, Matter, Butterflies, Plant Life and Author Studies.  Several of these themes are integrated with science and social studies curriculum, allowing continuity across the curriculum.  In these themes, some books will be read by the whole class and others will be read in small groups and often shared with the class through discussions, skits, projects, and reports.

 

2. Self-Selected Reading

              

      The children also have time everyday to enjoy a book of their own choosing.  Self-Selected Reading is a time when children select their own books from our classroom collection and read silently on their own.  At times, I may ask them to make a more challenging selection, but in general, it is a book of their choice.

      Several times per week, we take time for a “Read Aloud” book.  I choose a chapter book to read to the class.  These books cover a wide range of authors and styles.  Hearing a book read with expression gets kids excited about stories and encourages children to read themselves.

 

3. Writing

      The writing approach used in second grade is aimed at the students taking the basic skills they have learned so far and applying them in a structured, formal writing process.  This process has several defined steps including:  brainstorming, organizing ideas, rough drafts, revising, editing, and publishing.  Conferencing with either peers or teachers is an important part of the process.  This allows the writer to receive feedback on both the creative and mechanical parts of writing.  It also gives the editors an opportunity to correct errors that they may recognize in their own writing.  The children will also practice editing skills through daily, whole-class mini-lessons, and small groups in which specific skills are targeted.

      The children will be using a text from the Write Source writing program as a resource.  The text provides general information, specific guidelines for forms of writing, and guides for good writing habits.  Grammar and mechanics practice sheets and activities are used to improve those basic writing skills.

      The children will be using personal journals.  Part of their weekly morning work is to write in their journal.  I start the year expecting three to five sentences written, and then gradually increase this minimum.  This journal is neither graded nor corrected.  It is a wonderful window into their lives, and often times a child may share something with me about his/her life in this forum instead of in conversation.

      Students write across all areas of curriculum.  They will respond to their reading selections, math problems, science and social studies questions, write original poetry, research reports, and much more.

 

4. Working with Words

 

      Spelling is taught in several ways.  The fascinating world of words gives young learners the power to decode and comprehend as they read and the ability to spell and express their thoughts as they write.  Children experience many different word activities.  In an activity called “Making Words”, children touch and manipulate letters as words “magically” appear.  Patterns and relationships are revealed.  Excitement builds as children apply crosschecking strategies in “Guess the Covered Word”.  Activities like “Using Words You Know” and “Rounding Up the Rhymes” make spelling fun for the children.

      We have a Word Wall that displays “High Frequency Words” and words with various spelling patterns.  New words are added to the Word Wall each week.  We practice words on the Word Wall daily where decoding and spelling abilities are enhanced as children chant, write and check words.  Invented spelling remains developmentally appropriate for new words.  Word Wall words provide the correct spelling for the high-frequency words students use often in their writing.

      Through the activities in “Working with Words”, I can assess the needs of individual students, as well as, the entire group.  This ensures students learn the high-frequency words and engage in activities to learn how words work.

      Students should review these words nightly.  They should also extend the words by adding prefixes, suffixes, and plurals.  They should come up with their own words that rhyme and follow the same spelling pattern.  It is from the words on the Word Wall that children will be quizzed each week.

 

Math

 

      This year, second graders will all be using the Everyday Mathematics curriculum developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project.  Everyday Mathematics is organized into six mathematical content strands (“Operations & Computation:, “Numeration”, “Patterns, Functions & Algebra”, “Data & Chance”, “Measurement & Reference Frames”, and “Geometry”) that cover a number of skills and concepts.  This provides a rich yet balanced curriculum – attention to numeration and computation without neglecting geometry, data, and algebraic thinking.

      Every strand is addressed throughout all grade levels of the program.  Each grade level builds on and extends concept understanding so that children approach each new challenge from a firmly established foundation.

      Within the content of Everyday Mathematics, emphasis is placed on:

·        Establishing links from past experience

·        Discussing and sharing ideas

·        Using and comparing equivalent expressions

·        Expressing numbers in context by including units

·        Learning about the reversibility of most things

 

       By becoming a part of everyday work and play, these ideas gradually shape children’s ways of thinking about mathematics and foster the development of mathematical intuition and understanding.

 

Science and Social Studies

 

      Science and social studies units are experience and literature based.  These units are taught through reading, hands on experiments, movies, models, magazines, journals, and field trips.  These themes include but are not limited to:  Self-awareness, Respect, Conflict Resolution, Apples, Communities... History of Bolton, Native Americans, Air & Weather, Matter, Butterflies, and Plant Life.  There will be many opportunities for family involvement during these units.  While there are scheduled times for covering these units, they are largely integrated into the language arts curriculum and are not limited to “science” and “social studies” times.

 

Computer

 

      Every student attends one computer class per week in the lab.  Lab time is used to teach basic skills by exploring new familiar software and working on projects related to the classroom curriculum.  Scheduled lab time is augmented by classroom lessons, follow-up visits, and regular use in the classroom for practice and projects.  Computer instruction may include word processing with graphics, time and money software, graphing, math practice, problem solving, and saving to the network. 

 

Second Grade Report Card