During the 2023/24 school year, teachers in grades K-8 will be piloting materials in order to select updated materials for adoption beginning the 2024/25 school year. Click here to be redirected to a page on the district website with more information.
Language Arts
The Winnetka language arts program consists of reading, writing, and word science. The students use their language arts skills throughout the day in all subject areas. Second graders are expected to master the basics of the early stages of reading fiction and non-fiction books, learn writing and language basics and grow in their ability to listen and speak in a group setting.
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Best Practices In A Balanced Literacy Program:
Reading
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Read Aloud
The teacher (or a student) reads aloud engaging fiction and information texts. Texts are selected to model a love of reading and/or reading strategies, fluency or genre features. Additionally, books are read aloud to build students’ knowledge for content area themes of study. Teachers balance the flow of the read aloud with embedding reading strategies, skills and vocabulary as well as student discussion.
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Shared Reading
Using an enlarged text or individual student copies (literary or informational text), the teacher involves children in reading together. The teacher models and explains reading strategies and encourages the students to participate.
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Research
Using comprehension strategies and existing knowledge, students read informational texts at an accessible level to further understanding, answer questions and stimulate curiosity. They learn to take notes in developmentally appropriate ways.
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Guided Reading / Focused Instruction
The teacher pulls together flexible groups or partnerships to teach effective reading strategies and skills for processing a variety of literary and informational texts.
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Book Clubs / Literature Circles / Reader's Theater
Flexible groups are either adult or student directed. Students engage in discussions as critical readers/thinkers about a text they have read or heard. A developmentally appropriate focus is placed on inquiry and questioning.
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Independent Reading
Students choose a variety of independent reading books based on interest. They learn how to select texts at their independent reading level and engage in reading daily. Students and teachers assess and track independent reading growth through individualized goal setting conversations and/or conferences.
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Writing
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Writing Workshop / Process Writing
Children engage in a balance of narrative, informational and argument/opinion/persuasive types of writing for various purposes and audiences. The teacher guides the process and provides instruction through modeling, mentor texts, shared writing, guided practice, and conferencing. Students independently utilize the skills and strategies that have been modeled. Students generate ideas, plan, draft, revise, edit, publish their work and reflect upon it.
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Research
Using organizational structures that fit the writer and the topic, students synthesize their findings in writing. Students present their research in an engaging and organized manner. Students write to communicate in an authentic manner that suits the writer, topic and audience.
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Daily Writing Opportunities
Daily writing opportunities encourage and build confident writers. Students write every day across the curriculum. These pieces may include, but are not limited to, drawings, sentences, stories, information pieces, retellings, labels, responses to literature, research, lists and journal entries. The aim is to build writing fluency, volume and stamina.
Foundational Skills and Language Knowledge
Students learn foundational reading skills, grammar and conventions and word knowledge through both direct and embedded instruction in ELA and across the curriculum. Depending on the grade level, the teacher provides direct instruction in: phonological awareness, phonics, word attack skills and spelling.
Additional instruction in language craft and vocabulary development focuses on the use of these skills in reading, writing and speaking and is embedded through literacy and content learning across the curriculum.
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Oral Language: Listening And Speaking
Students develop speaking and listening skills to help them participate in conversations with others. They evaluate a speaker’s perspective and reasoning.
Students use a variety of media to develop effective oral presentation skills that suit the purpose, context and audience. In addition, students evaluate and integrate information presented in diverse media.