Accelerating Literacy Skills Curriculum Guide 2011-12 PDF

Accelerating Literacy Skills
Accelerating
Literacy Skills
Grade 7 Elective
2011-2012
Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore
Supervisor, English/Language Arts
David Arbogast
Specialist, English/Language Arts
Sharon Ackerman
Assistant Superintendent, Instruction
Peter Hughes
Director, Curriculum & Instruction
Dr. Edgar B. Hatrick

Superintendent
Curriculum Development Committee
Nicole Harrison
Tammie Matos
Jane Peterson
Meredith Schimmel
Table of Contents:
Course Syllabus ..................................................................................................
Objectives............................................................................................................
Reading and Writing Workshop

Workshop .............................................................................................................
Managing the Workshop ......................................................................................
11
Reading Workshop ...............................................................................................
12
Writing Workshop ................................................................................................
14
Assessment ...........................................................................................................
16
Instructional Activities
Reading ................................................................................................................
18
Writing .................................................................................................................
20
Speaking & Listening ...........................................................................................
22
Viewing ................................................................................................................
23
Beginning of the Year...........................................................................................
24
Units Throughout the Year...................................................................................
25
Instructional Resources .....................................................................................
27
Appendix A: Additional Reading Instructional Activities .............................
29
Appendix B: Additional Writing Instructional Activities ..............................
33
Appendix C: Scary Story Unit ..........................................................................
36
Appendix D: Book Festival ...............................................................................
41
Appendix E: Fractured Fairy Tales .................................................................
45
Appendix F: Poetry Month ...............................................................................
47
Appendix G: Owl Moon ....................................................................................
48
SY 2011-2012
COURSE TITLE: Accelerating Literacy SkillsGrade 7

PREREQUISITE: N/A
DESCRIPTION:
This class is an interactive workshop with a focus on reading and writing
across the content areas. Students will improve their communication and
comprehension skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing
media. Instruction is differentiated for each students needs. Students who
have gaps in knowledge or skills receive guided instruction with increased
rigor and intensity to move them toward grade level performance.
The classroom atmosphere is an informal, comfortable setting where
students feel safe to explore and improve their literacy skills. The
emphasis is on generating excitement to read and write by using high
interest, student choice materials. Grading is based individual student
growth. This class is not intended as a resource class or curriculum
support for language arts but as an interactive workshop designed to
increase reading and writing competence.
.
STRAND
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Listening
Viewing
EMPHASES
Use authentic text and independent novels to improve comprehension skills across
the curriculum; identify sequence of events, main idea, draw conclusions, make
inferences, recognize cause and effect, characterization; become versatile in using
reading strategies to aid in understanding across all disciplines; explore vocabulary
through individualized text.
Writing to communicate ideas with an emphasis on writing with a purpose, real
world writing, and creative writing; edit for organization, elaboration, sentence
variety, descriptive word choice; and usage/mechanics.
Develop oral communication strategies; speaking to learn is emphasized as a
method of improving comprehension and exhibiting content/skill mastery.
Practice active listening skills in a workshop setting; value and respect opinions
and ideas presented in group discussions.
Use active viewing strategies and group discussion to increase understanding of
film and other forms of media.
Page 1
OBJECTIVES
ALS is not a VA SOL test-driven class; however, the VA Standards of Learning for English
Grade 7 provide a focus for study. Students master skills through differentiated and accelerated
instruction, based on an initial inventory that identifies areas for improvement.
Oral Language (Speaking, Listening, Viewing): The student will
7.1 give and seek information in
a) Use oral vocabulary and style appropriate for listeners.
conversations, in group
b) Communicate ideas and information in an organized and succinct manner.
discussions, and in oral
c) Ask probing questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas.
presentations.
d) Make supportive statements when communicating with others.
e) Use language and vocabulary appropriate to context.
7.2 identify the relationship
a) Use verbal skills, such as word choice, pitch, feeling, tone, and voice.
between a speakers verbal
b) Use nonverbal communication skills.
and nonverbal messages.
c) Compare/contrast a speakers verbal and nonverbal messages.
7.3 describe persuasive messages a) Identify persuasive technique used.
in non-print media, including
b) Distinguish between fact and opinion.
television, radio, and video.
c) Describe how word choice conveys viewpoint.
Reading: The student will
7.4 read to determine the
a) Use roots and affixes to expand vocabulary.
meanings of unfamiliar words
b) Recognize analogies and figurative language.
and phrases.
c) Identify connotations.
7.5 read and demonstrate
a) Describe setting, character development, plot structure, theme, conflict.
comprehension of a variety of
b) Compare and contrast text forms.
fiction, narrative nonfiction, and c) Describe the impact of word choice, imagery, and poetic devices.
poetry.
d) Explain how form conveys the mood and meaning of a poem.
e) Draw conclusions based on explicit and implied information.
f) Make inferences based on explicit and implied information.
g) Summarize text.
7.6 read and demonstrate
a) Use knowledge of text structures to aid comprehension
comprehension of a variety of
b) Use knowledge of words and phrases that signal an authors
informational texts.
organizational pattern to aid comprehension.
c) Distinguish fact from opinion in print media.
d) Identify the source, viewpoint, and purpose of texts.
e) Describe how word choice, language structure convey authors viewpoint.
f) Summarize what is read.
g) Organize and synthesize information for use in written/oral presentations.
7.7 apply knowledge of appropriate a) Use print and electronic sources to locate information.
reference materials.
b) Use graphic organizers to organize information.
c) Synthesize information from multiple sources.
d) Credit primary and secondary sources.
Writing: The student will
7.8 develop narrative, expository,
a) Apply knowledge of prewriting strategies.
and persuasive writing.
b) Elaborate the central idea in an organized manner.
c) Choose vocabulary and information that will create voice and tone.
d) Use clauses and phrases to vary sentences.
e) Revise writing for clarity and effect.
f) Use a word processor to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings.
7.9 edit writing for grammar,
a) Use graphic organizers to improve sentence and paragraph structure.
capitalization, punctuation,
b) Demonstrate understanding of sentence formation.
spelling, sentence structure,
c) Choose pronouns to agree with antecedents.
and paragraphing.
d) Use subject-verb agreement with intervening phrases and clauses.
e) Edit for verb tense consistency.
Page 2
Accelerating
Literacy Skills
Reading/Writing
Workshop
WORKSHOP
This course is designed to help students attain individual literacy goals. Some may hope to move
from below-level to at-level or even above-level status in literacy; others may come with
accelerated literacy skills that they want to improve even further.
The teacher is responsible for working with the student and, in some cases, with the students
family to determine what objectives the student should have for the school year. In many
situations, the teacher may be able to rely on existing data (standardized test scores, classroom
grades, etc.) to help determine areas of weakness to be improved. However, the teacher will
need to conduct some type of initial assessment to set a plan for each student.
Once objectives have been set, the teacher should then contract with each student to plan his or
her activities for the quarter. The rest of the activity in the class should proceed in a workshop
format. Teachers unfamiliar with a workshop approach to instruction should consult In the
Middle (Atwell) and Around the Reading Workshop in 180 Days (Serafini with SerafiniYoungs), two of the professional texts provided to all teachers of this course.
As stated in the course description, This class is not intended to be a resource class or
curriculum support for Language Arts. Research by Mary Ellen Vogt, conducted in 1989
and 2000, examined the differences between classes designed for students perceived as high
performers and those perceived as struggling. High performing students experienced more
interactions with other students, more creative lessons, more opportunities for independence, and
more personal relationships with the instructor; struggling students experienced more structured
and less creative lessons, less content, and less congenial relationships with the instructor. The
aim of this course is to provide the best instructional practices so that all students make
desired gains in their target skills; therefore, the teacher should make every effort to
provide interactive, creative lessons and opportunities for independence.
A workshop is a setting that allows students to learn and practice literacy skills with more
independence than is typically seen in a traditional classroom setting. Students practice their
literacy skills for many purposes, making many of their own choices regarding genre, topic,
process, form, style, etc. The teacher provides formal instruction through mini-lessons targeted
to identified needs.
In the workshop, the teachers role is to
use literature to stimulate student work;
circulate and assist students in their learning efforts;
model reading, writing, and oral communication skills;
use observations of common needs to focus mini-lessons on particular skills;
hold conferences with students about their progress; and
provide students with various means of sharing their progress with each other.
In the workshop, the students role is to
learn from mini-lessons and from his or her own practice;
work individually, with peers, and in small groups;
participate in conferences with the teacher about his or her progress;
share feedback with peers, small groups, or the whole class;
Page 3
evaluate his or her own progress during the workshop; and

maintain a folder, portfolio, or log of his or her work.
Essential components of a workshop include the following:
a safe place for students to feel comfortable with their literacy strengths and weaknesses
so that they are able to share opinions with each other, can be wrong without being
teased, and can celebrate growth;
a literacy-rich environment, which includes materials and spaces for pursuing growth in
literacy skills and student choice in what they read, write, and view.
formative and summative literacy assessments, including teacher observations, studentmaintained portfolios, student self-assessments; and
time for reading aloud, including books for students to read and use as models for their
own writing;
time for invested discussions, which focus on discussing ideas, sharing interpretations,
and negotiating meaning from various texts, including books, film, and student writings;
explicit instruction based on identified needs, embedded in authentic literacy activities,
through mini-lessons or conferences.
These components are described in detail below.
A safe place
The nature of this course requires that the teacher establish and build a close rapport with
students as well as develop trust among the students in the class. The Instructional Activities
section offers suggestions for use at the beginning of the year to help the teacher create an
environment that promotes student growth in literacy. Teachers may have other similar activities
to use at the beginning of the year and throughout the year to maintain a supportive classroom
environment.
One of the ways to make ALS a safe place is for the teacher to model the expected behaviors and
allow time for students to practice them. Even behaviors such as getting seated before the bell
rings or gathering for the daily read-aloud should be modeled so that students know what is
expected of them in this particular classroom. As teachers model behaviors and actually provide
time for students to practice these behaviors, the students will learn what is expected for each
part of the workshop and will be able to play their roles appropriately. Eventually, students
know how to run the class even if the teacher is not present.
Page 4
A literacy-rich environment
ALS provides students with high-interest, high-quality, authentic literacy materials, including
(but not limited to):
Fiction
o young adult novels
o classic novels
o comic books/graphic novels
o contemporary fiction
Media
o
o
o
o
Nonfiction and Informational Texts

o magazines
o newspapers
o biographies
o content books
Other literature
o poetry
o drama
o screenplays
o environmental text
Internet access
visual arts
music (CDs, radio)
television/film
The classroom should be saturated with literacy, providing students with multiple opportunities
to read, write, speak, listen, and view.
Student choice is a critical factor of this component. The teacher should NOT make most or
even many of the reading selection and writing format decisions for the students; the workshop
provides an array of choices which the teacher structures to support the acceleration of students
literacy skills. Students may need to be guided to select appropriate reading materials or writing
topics and formats.
Authenticity is also a key. Anthologies, basals, and other traditional classroom materials are not
as effective as the kinds of texts students are likely to encounter outside of school.
Formative and summative literacy assessments

As this course is not standards-driven, the teacher is responsible for assessing each students
growth from his or her initial skill levels. Assessment in this course should be based on the dayto-day interactions and experiences with the student. Teachers are encouraged to keep logs,
portfolios, or other collections of student work and progress to help define grades for each
quarter.
Assessment should be clear to students; contracts are recommended as a way for both the student
and teacher to identify areas of weakness, set objectives, define tasks to pursue during each
semester, and evaluate the students progress toward the objectives.
Time for reading aloud

Reading aloud is not just for elementary students. Almost all people of all ages like having
books and other texts read to them. Even better, the research clearly indicates there are
significant benefits when the teacher devotes instructional time to reading aloud to the students.
Page 5
Reading aloud does the following:

Creates a community of learners
Helps students self-select reading materials
Models the joy of reading and learning from text
Builds fluency
Models complexity of thinking required for reading
When should text be read aloud?
To emphasize the language of a text
To introduce challenging texts and new concepts (particularly for other content area
readings)
To grab students attention at the beginning of a lesson
To hook students into a longer text
To tell an entire story
To focus on a difficult part of a longer text
To provide a common forum for discussing a text
To review material students are learning
To expose students to new material above their independent reading levels
The reader should practice the text prior to reading aloud. It is seldom recommended that
students be asked to read new text aloud without having time to practice it. This practice time
helps the reader build fluency so that listeners can better understand the text.
Time for invested discussions

One of the goals of ALS is to take students beyond I liked it in response to a text, film, or
another students writing.
Many students who come to this course dread discussions and have perfected the various, and
well known, nonverbal behaviors that prevent a teacher from calling on them for an answer.
They think, and their experience may confirm, that a discussion consists of a teacher asking
questions that have a specific or correct answer and then calling on students until someone
finally comes up with what the teacher wanted to hear.
In reality, however, most real readers do not participate in discussions about books that look
anything like that. Instead, the conversation allows the readers to explore their personal
reactions to the text and learn from others understandings.
Page 6
A true discussion of a book might run something like this example discussion of Madeleine
LEngles young adult classic A Wrinkle in Time:
Teacher:
So, what did you all think about the first five chapters?
Annie:
What I liked most was when they left the planet and started on the adventure.
Everything up to that part was kind of boring.
Juan:
Boring? You think meeting Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Whatsit was
boring? That was the cool part.
Renee:
Well, I really liked the description of Calvins family. That seemed very real to
me. The outer space stuff was too far out.
Teacher:
Well, lets try to figure out what the author was trying to do with all these parts.
Renee, why do you think Madeleine LEngle gave us information about Calvins
family?
Renee:
I dont know.
Teacher:
Well, lets go back and look. Read pages 20-21 aloud, if you will.
Renee reads.
Teacher:
How does Calvins family compare to Megs?
Juan:
Man, they suck.
Teacher:
Use something specific from the text to support that opinion, Juan.
Juan:
Well, like his mama yelling at everyone all the time. Thats just bad.
Teacher:
And why is that important to this story?
In this way, the teacher lets the students share their opinions about the book, guides them to
some learning about the book (authors purpose), and teaches them how to support their opinions
with examples from the text. This type of discussion does not come naturally; in fact, the teacher
may want to model it two or three times, or throughout the year, with a scripted discussion or
with other teachers who come to model a discussion about a book theyre reading. Once
students learn that they can have their own opinions about a text as long as they can support
them then this type of discussion can become a staple in the classroom.
Explicit instruction
The research is clear that the most effective way for students to improve their reading and
writing skills is to read and write, read and write, and read and write. However, sometimes
struggling students struggle simply because a critical piece of information that would help
transform their reading or writing has not been made explicitly clear to them. Therefore, the
astute teacher looks for signs of these missing pieces and attempts to intervene to help the
students make the connections.
Page 7
Heres an example:
Rosa, an ESL student, kept getting lost trying to find her way around. It was never a big problem for Rosa
until she started to drive, but then the problem became very obvious. She struggled with reading maps and
could not explain to others how to get from point A to point B.
One day Rosa was on her way to an event at another school and was running late because she was lost
again. She called the school and explained that she could not find the building. The secretary asked, What
street are you on now?
Im on Maple Avenue, Rosa answered.
Okay, just keep going on Maple. If youre headed in the right direction, you should see a Park Avenue. If
youre going the wrong way, you should cross Prosperity.
Well, now Im on Oak Street.
Did you turn?
No. Im just going straight, Rosa said.
This continued for quite some time until Rosa actually saw the building. When she walked in, the perceptive
secretary who had helped her asked, When you look at the street signs to find the road you are driving on,
where do you look?
Rosa thought about it and answered, Thats the sign that hangs over the road when I go under a red light.
No! the secretary said with a light laugh. Thats the crossroad. If you want to know the road youre driving
on, you have to look right or left at the crossroad and see the sign as you pass it.
How many people have actually had someone explicitly teach them how to read street signs?
Most of us just pick that up as we grow, learning from our parents as we watch them negotiate
directions and traffic. But sometimes a student misses a detail like that, and the student might
not ever catch on, unless someone explicitly teaches that information or skill.
That is what explicit instruction is all about. Reading, reading, reading, or writing, writing,
writing is the first key to improvement in these skills. But embedded in authentic reading and
writing experiences, tailored to the express needs of the individual explicit instruction can be
the most powerful tool a teacher has to accelerate a struggling students literacy levels. Indeed,
it may be the only way to correct an error, misunderstanding, or gap that is preventing a student
from moving forward in his or her skill levels.
There is no one best way to teach a student how to decode text, develop fluency, improve
comprehension, write with style, or analyze a movie. Often, instructional techniques have to be
matched to the text, the student, and the context. That is the beauty, as well as the frustration, of
teaching literacy skills.
The various professional texts provided to the teachers of this course also offer a variety of skills,
and teachers often bring some tried and true methods of their own.
Page 8
Mini-lessons are a powerful tool for explicit instruction. Mini-lessons usually last 15 to 30
minutes and can be extended over a series of days as students apply the practice to the literacy
projects in which they are currently involved. Teachers can present mini-lessons to small groups
or to the entire class, based on needs.
The steps for conducting a mini-lesson are:
1. Introduce the concept, strategy, or skill.
2. Share examples using books students are reading or students own writing.
3. Provide opportunities for practice in small groups and individually.
4. Have students take notes in notebooks, on butcher paper, etc.
5. Have students reflect on the lesson.
It should be apparent from the above description that mini-lessons are in some ways very much
like the traditional ways a teacher instructs a class. The difference is that mini-lessons are
focused, brief, grounded in the reading or writing students have already done or in the teachers
experience as a reader and writer, and applied to the reading or writing they are currently
working on.
Here is a SAMPLE MINI-LESSON:
The teacher has observed that her students are not varying the kinds of sentences they write, so
she wants to present a brief mini-lesson on sentence combining.
THE TEACHER TELLS HER STUDENTS THAT GOOD WRITERS VARY THE LENGTH AND
STRUCTUTRE OF THEIR SENTENCES, AND THAT SHE HAS NOTICED THEY ARE NOT DOING THAT.
SHE TELLS THEM THAT THEY ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT THE FOUR KINDS OF SENTENCES.
THEN SHE PUTS THIS PASSAGE ON THE INTERACTIVE WHITE BOARD. THE TEACHER ALSO
PROVIDES A COPY FOR THE STUDENTS NOTEBOOKS
Syntax refers to sentence structure, and syntactically there are four kinds of
sentences. Simple sentences state one simple observation or idea.
Compound
sentences state two or more coordinate ideas, creating the sense that the ideas are of
equal value. Complex sentences state two or more ideas, but they create the sense that
one idea is more important than the others. Compound-complex sentences are what
the name implies: two or more equal ideas, at least one of which contains subordinate
information.
NEXT, SHE TELLS THEM THAT THEY ARE NOW GOING TO LOOK AT EXAMPLES OF EACH KIND OF
SENTENCE. THE EXAMPLES ARE DRAWN FROM A RESEARCH PAPER THAT SHE WROTE IN
COLLEGE.
Simple sentence
Mississippi was one of the last states to do away with segregated schools.
Compound sentence
Mississippi was one of the last states to do away with segregated schools, and it did
so only under the threat of a federal takeover of the states school system.
Complex sentence
Mississippi, under the threat of a federal takeover of the states school system, was
one of the last states to do away with segregated schools.
Compound-complex sentence
Mississippi, long known for racial discrimination, was one of the last states to do
away with segregated schools, and it did so only under the threat of a federal
takeover of the states school system.
Page 9
AFTER REVIEWING THE DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES, AND MAKING SURE THAT EACH
STUDENT UNDERSTANDS, SHE ASKS STUDENTS TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY THINK IT IS IMPORTANT
THAT THEY USE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SENTENCES IN THEIR WRITING. SHE USES A THINK
PAIR SHARE SO THAT ALL STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS THEIR IDEAS. SHE
EXPLAINS
Too many simple sentences create the impression that the writer hasnt fully considered the
relationships among her ideas, and they create a choppy rhythm. Consider this paragraph:
(SHE USES THE INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD TO SHOW THIS PASSAGE.)
Around nine, my friend came back from work. I asked him how it was. He said he hates it. He
wants to move back to America. I asked, what for? He handed me a paycheck. I saw him getting
paid $15 an hour, but they take about half of it out for taxes. It was insane! Ive never seen a job take
so much money out of a paycheck. I asked him why he didnt just get another job. He said that this
was the job the government had set him to do until otherwise.
Its too broken-up, SHE EXPLAINS TO THEM, too choppy, too much like getting paid five
dollars in nickels, one at a time. Thats how it sounds, like the writer couldnt string two
thoughts together in one sentence.
THEN SHE TELLS HER STUDENTS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO PRACTICE AN ACTIVITY CALLED
SENTENCE COMBINING. SHE SAYS:
After you write a first draft, it is possible to go back over your paper and form more
sophisticated sentences by the process of sentence combining: joining two or more simple
sentences into complex, compound, or compound-complex sentences.
SHE CHOOSES SEVERAL PASSAGES OF SIMPLE SENTENCES FROM WRITING HER STUDENTS
HAVE ALREADY DONE, PUTS THEM ON THE INTERACTIVE WHITE BOARD, AND DEMONSTRATES
HOW TO USE COMMAS, SEMICOLONS, AND CONJUNCTIONS TO COMBINE THEM. THEN SHE
SAYS:
Select a page of your writing and find three places where you could apply sentence
combining to form a compound, a complex, and a compound-complex sentence.
SHE HAS HER STUDENTS PRACTICE THE ACTIVITY, THEN INVITES STUDENTS TO COME TO THE
INTERACTIVE WHITE BOARD TO WRITE THEIR ORIGINAL SENTENCES AND THE NEW SENTENCE
CREATED BY COMBINING THEM. THE CLASS CONSIDERS WHICH VERSION IS BETTER AND WHY.
SHE CONCLUDES THE MINI-LESSON BY REVIEWING WITH THE STUDENTS WHAT THEY HAVE
LEARNED AND BY TELLING THEM THAT THE NEXT PIECE OF WRITING THEY BRING TO FINAL
DRAFT MUST CONTAIN SOME COMPOUND, COMPLEX, OR COMPUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES.
THEN SHE DIRECTS THEM TO PRACTICE SENTENCE COMBINING IN THEIR CURRENT PIECE OF
WRITING. AS THEY WORK INDIVIDUALLY, SHE GOES AROUND THE ROOM, GUIDING AND
ANSWERING QUESTIONS.
Page 10
Conferences are another powerful tool for providing students with explicit instruction in
problem areas. Teachers can use conferences to keep track of students progress on their
contracted goals as well as to work on areas of weakness. Conferences may be as short as two
minutes or as long as twenty. They can be spontaneous or planned. In any case, the teacher
should keep clear notes of when the conference was held and what was accomplished, as
conference notes can be very useful in supporting a grade at the end of the quarter.
Although the teacher should check in with each student every class period, it is sometimes
helpful to establish a schedule of longer individual or small group conferences. For instance, in a
class of 20, five students may be assigned to conference with a teacher on a particular day of the
week. The first five may conference on Mondays, the next five on Tuesdays and so on. This
ensures that the teacher is able to check in with every student each class period and have a
prolonged conference with every student over a two week period on the block schedule.
MANAGING THE WORKSHOP

One key to making the ALS course function well is to provide routine. The alternating day block
schedule can be problematic for some students. Anything the teacher can do to provide structure
and routine is welcome.
One method for achieving structure is to post an agenda on the board each day. Another way to
provide students with structure is to organize the class into 2-week divisions, having some
standard activities on each Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Tuesday, and Thursday and then
starting the next series. For instance, every Monday could be conference day; every Thursday
could be portfolio review day. Thus, the teacher could build a five-day plan that looks
something like this:
MONDAY
Read-aloud
New vocabulary
units
WEDNESDAY
FRIDAY
TUESDAY
Bell-ringer
Status of the class
Mini-lesson
Read-aloud
Mini-lesson
Conferences/ Reading & Writing Workshop
Literacy Stations
Literacy Stations
Literacy Stations
THURSDAY
Read-aloud
Vocabulary
assessment
A student who understands that this is the regular schedule also knows that missing class on a
Wednesday means missing a mini-lesson. With some modeling at the beginning of the year, the
teacher can help students know exactly where to go to pick up the notes on the mini-lesson for
each week. Within the 90-minute block period, the teacher should be sure to schedule ample
variety to keep students engaged, but not so much variety that the students become confused or
disengaged. Here are a few models for scheduling a single 90-minute period.
Sample 1
1. Teacher read-aloud
2. Mini-Lesson
3. Status of the Class
4. Workshop
5. Closure
10 minutes
20 minutes
10 minutes
45 minutes
5 minutes
Page 11
Sample 2
1. Bell-ringer
2. Workshop
3. Literacy Stations
4. Teacher read-aloud
5. Closure
10 minutes
35 minutes
30 minutes
10 minutes
5 minutes
Sample 3
1. Dialogue Journals & Reading Minute
2. Read Aloud, Library Time or Literature Circles
3. Mini-Lesson & Status of the Class
4. Independent Reading and Conferences
5 minutes
20-25 minutes
20-25 minutes
30-40 minutes
Sample 4
1. Warm up
2. Writing or reading mini-lesson
3. Independent writing and conferences
4. Read Aloud and discussion
5. Independent reading and conferences
5 minutes
10-20 minutes
30 minutes
20 minutes
20 minutes
READING WORKSHOP
The purpose of reading workshop is for students to develop as life long readers. Students should
develop the habit of reading for pleasure and reading for information. Students should be
exposed to fiction and non-fiction and should be encouraged to experiment with multiple genres.
In reading workshop students are developing their abilities to read critically. The teacher fosters
these reading habits by providing mini lessons that model the habits of critical readers,
independent reading time, opportunities for small group discussions, and individual conferences.
A typical day in the reading workshop might begin with a Read Aloud and discussion of a book
that the class might be reading together. These discussions might be framed around
comprehension strategies, literary devices and terms, or habits of a critical reader. Students
might then be engaged in independent reading time. This is a time for students to read a book of
their choice.
During independent reading time, there is the expectation that students are reading, keeping
records of their reading progress, or completing dialogue journals about what they are reading. In
a dialogue journal students write a letter to the teacher or a friend about the book that they have
recently read. They can begin by briefly summarizing the plot of the book; however, the letter
should focus on how the authors craft influenced the text and how the student related to the text.
The student should choose specific examples from the book to illustrate his or her meaning.
During independent reading time, teachers can also briefly conference with students to gage the
appropriateness and level of texts chosen by students, and to assess students progress in reading
comprehension.
Page 12
To provide opportunity for small group discussions, teachers may also want to use literature
circles interspersed throughout the year. This allows students to take on leadership and
supporting roles in a literacy group.
Possible mini-lessons include:
Genres: historical / realistic / science fiction, fantasy, mystery, non-fiction,
biographies, poetry, fables, folktales, legends, etc.
Booktalks about popular YA authors
Elements of Fiction:
o plot / plot line exposition, rising action, climax, etc.
o setting
o characters major and minor
o point of view
o conflict
o themes
o tone
o mood
o flashback and foreshadowing
o irony
o figures of speech
Reading Skills:
o Identifying authors purpose
o Drawing conclusions
o Making inferences
o Identifying the main idea / topic sentence
o Context clues
o Roots, suffixes, prefixes
o Reading using graphic organizers
o Fact vs. Opinion
o Compare / Contrast
o Organizing and synthesizing information from text
o Locating information from sources
o Word choice
o Reading comprehension strategies
o Test-taking skills
Assessment in the reading workshop should be based on student progress toward individual
reading goals and their reading comprehension progression in a variety of fiction and nonfiction
texts.
Page 13
WRITING WORKSHOP
The purpose of writing workshop is to develop students writing skills and foster creativity.
Students should develop the habit of writing for personal and professional reasons. Students
should be exposed to a variety of genres, emphasizing fiction and nonfiction texts that are
common in professional publications. In writing workshop students are developing their abilities
to communicate in writing effectively taking into consideration audience, purpose, and form.
The teacher fosters these skills by providing mini lessons that model the habits of writers and
explore writers craft, independent writing time, and individual conferences.
A typical day in the writing workshop might begin with a mini lesson. For example, a teacher
might begin with a Think Aloud in which she models her revision process with a poem she is
writing. Teachers serve as role models for their students showing how writing is a part of their
daily lives. Mini lessons are framed around inquiry and genre studies, mechanic and usage
conventions, and common issues that students are struggling with in their writing. During
independent writing time, there is the expectation that students are writing, meeting with peers to
conference, and keeping records of their writing progress. During independent writing time,
teachers can also briefly conference with students to provide feedback to students.
Possible mini-lessons include:
Introduction to Writing Workshop
o Rules and routines
o Status of the Class
o Your writing folder
o Mini-lessons
o Conferencing
o Revising
o Editing
o Publishing
What are habits of writers?
What do authors do when they write short stories (commentary, newspaper articles etc.)?
What are important characteristics of a great character?
Creating characters
Creating setting
Creating plot
Writing non-fiction
How do authors use quotation marks in dialogue?
What is important about details?
How can I avoid overused words?
Creating titles
What is a good lead?
Page 14
Getting started with a new piece of writing

Reflecting on our own writing process
How do authors use tone to create mood?
What makes an effective essay?
Capitalization when to use it.
Writing numbers
Avoiding a run-on sentence
Assessment in the writing workshop should be based on student progress toward individual
writing goals, quarterly writing portfolios, and their ability to communicate effectively through a
variety of fiction and nonfiction genres.
Teacher Comments
Karen Skees, Belmont Ridge Middle School, about Reading Workshop
The thing is that the students and I enjoyed the most was just reading and sharing. I
stood in the doorway every day to greet each one and wrote down the book they brought to class
if it was a new one; otherwise, I just wrote down the date and the page number they were on.
There was a page for each student and a new one each quarter. I kept them all. I could watch
and discuss with them books that they liked or ones they abandoned and whyAt the beginning
of class we read for 15 minutes. Later in the year we increased to 20 minutes because they
wanted it. We wrote responses daily for the first three quarters and then went to once weekly.
We also shared orally on a volunteer basis. We reviewed making story maps, analyzing
character development, and writing summaries using the books we read. As time progressed,
students who claimed early in the year that they did not like reading began to enjoy this time, and
many of them told me so. They liked going to another world with their reading.
Tammie Matos, Harper Park Middle School, about Reading & Writing Workshop
We were fortunate to have a reading specialist assigned to our AC Lit. class, so we
decided to divide and conquer! We began each class with a read-aloud, and then we moved
into our Reading and Writing Workshops. Mrs. Shepard, our reading specialist, took half of the
class for the first half of the marking period for Reading Workshop, while I kept the other half of
the class for Writing Workshop. At the interims we had Share Day. We kept the class as a
whole and the students presented the projects that they had completed in their workshops. Then
we switched groups for the remaining four weeks of the marking period, and at the end of the
marking period, we met again for another Share Day.
This class structure worked very well. We were able to work with small groups, keep
some students separate from others, and control the focus for the workshops (four weeks of
reading, then four weeks of writing vs. finding time for both during each block). Our Share Day
helped us to fulfill the viewing , speaking , and listening components too.
Page 15
ASSESSMENT
Assessment in reading and writing workshops is ongoing. At the beginning of the quarter, each
student creates a learning contract. Some items on the contract are common for all students and
some are specific to individual students based on strengths and weaknesses. Through the
contract, the teacher is able to measure student progress toward class and individual goals.
Students are also aware from the beginning of the quarter what is expected of them. The contract
can also contain intermediary goals to be met before the end of the quarter. Student progress
toward fulfillment of the contract is monitored by observations, individual conferences, and
rubrics. Students should be taught to self assess using a rubric. Through these methods, the
teacher is able to monitor reading comprehension and written expression. Through quarterly
portfolios students are able to reflect on their learning. Formal assessments that include SOL
and benchmark type questions can be interspersed throughout the quarter as formative
assessments to help students gain familiarity with the format. A summative assessment can be
administered at the end of the quarter. These assessments would focus on inferring, drawing
conclusions, written expression, and mechanics and usage.
Contractmeasures progress toward individual reading/writing goals (summative assessment)
Possible measurable objectives
o Increase number of books read by ___
o Increase number of pieces written by ___
o Increase number of genres read by___
o Vary the modes of writing used.
o Reduce the number of a particular usage/mechanic errormonitored by student
and teacher
o Increase level of reading comprehension
choosing and succeeding with more challenging books over time
Observations/Conferences (formative assessment)
Monitoring students reading progress (number of books or pages read)
Monitoring nonfiction and fiction genres chosen (incorporate into future minilessons)
Monitoring use of reading comprehension strategies
Monitoring rate of book abandonment
Monitoring student issues with written expression (incorporate into future minilessons)
Monitoring number of pieces written
Rubrics (formative and summative assessment)
Provide concrete descriptions and expectations for students
Page 16
Portfoliodemonstrates learning over the course of the quarter (summative assessment)

contains some mandatory and some student chosen pieces
each piece has a student reflection about the process---generally written as part of the
original assignment
revised dialogue journal letter(s)
student reflection of learning over the quarter in the introductionStudents often
include references to mini lessons captured in their in reading/writing notebook.
Formal Assessmentbased on reading and writing skills in SOL format
used as warm ups throughout the quarter (formative assessment)
summative assessment at the end of each quarter
Below is a SAMPLE CONTRACT:
Accelerating Literacy Skills: CONTRACT

Name
Quarter
Reading SOL Score
Strand
Reading
6th Grade Assessments

Gates-McGinitie Test
Final Language Arts Average
Measurable Student Goal
Methods to Attain Goal
Writing
Speaking
/Listening/
Viewing
Student Signature:______________________________________________________
Informal Reading Inventory
End of Quarter Assessment

Other
Other
Teacher Observations/Comments:
Page 17
Accelerating
Literacy Skills
Instructional
Activities
INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
The instructional activities below are organized under the headings, reading, writing,
speaking/listening and viewing. They are followed by instructional projects that Accelerating
Literacy Skills teachers have used with their students.
Reading
Before, During, and After Reading
Students need to be actively involved in reading text to foster their comprehension of the written
word. Teachers need to help students learn how to
prepare for learning through pre-reading activities,
ensure comprehension through the use of metacognitive strategies during reading, and
extend and refine new knowledge they acquire after reading.
Strategic teaching involves careful planning for learning before, during and after text reading.
By sharing a variety of strategies with students, explaining their value, and by repeated modeling
and practice teachers will help students learn how to become self-directed independent
learners. Teaching Reading In the Content Areas If Not Me, Then Who? (Tovani, 2002)
Before Reading
Activate or build background knowledge
Arouse curiosity or build interest
Address individual needs
Preview the selection
Set purpose for reading
During Reading
Engage in text with or without teacher support
Monitor reading process and comprehension
Confirm or adjust predictions
Visualize
After Reading
Respond to the reading
Reflect on the reading
Summarize the reading
Why?
It prepares student for
reading, which results in
deeper understanding of
text.
Why?
Reading should be an
active process.
Why?
It extends comprehension.
It helps store information
in long term memory.
A number of instructional strategies can be used Before, During, and/or After reading to assist
students with the comprehension of text. The chart on page 20 lists several possible strategies.
A number of resources describe how to use these strategies for reading instruction.
Page 18
STRATEGY
Pre Reading Predictions
K-W-L Chart
Anticipation Guide
Venn Diagram
Semantic Feature Analysis
Reciprocal Teaching
Semantic Mapping
Structured Notetaking
Learning Logs
ReQuest
Think Alouds
Search Strategy
Character Map
Retelling
QAR: Question-Answer Relationships
Discussion Web
RAFT Role/Audience/Format/Topic
Discussion Web
Before
During
After
(LCPS Elementary Reading Framework, 2005)
Teachers may use the following activities as part of whole class instruction or as part of a
literacy station to help students improve their reading skills.
Readers Minute
Five to ten minute teacher read-aloud of high interest material.
Book Hook
Mini book talk; teacher presents high interest texts to students.
Reader Recommendation Binder
Teachers provide a binder in the classroom library for students to recommend books to their
peers.
Book Pass
Teacher selects a wide variety of high interest books (must have at least one per student).
Students and teacher sit in a circle, and the teacher demonstrates how to assess a book for interest
and readability. Students pass books around to assess for personal interest. They should add
their books to a list of Must Read Books.
Therapy Dogs
Students build fluency and engagement through reading to therapy dogs.
Page 19
Mentor with Elementary Students

Secondary students visit local elementary schools to read aloud to younger children.
Audacity
Students read into a microphone and record voice for inflection, intonation, volume, and
expression. This is a computer based software program located in your building. Ask the TRT
for assistance.
Readers Theater
Students create (or use pre-made materials) a script based on a book or short story. They then
practice reading the script aloud for fluency, intonation, inflection, and expression.
Comic Books
Students create comic books based on texts that were read independently in class.
Amazon.com Book Review
Students read a book of their choice and submit a review of it on Amazon.com.
Writing
The following activities may help a student improve at a specific stage of the writing process.
(Activities with * are described below.)
PREWRITING
free writing*
stepping stones*
guided imagery*
art response*
memory bubble*
four square
DRAFTING
four approaches to the same shoe*
stepping stones elaboration*
guided imagery*
art response*
memory bubble*
focused free writing*
EDITING
read aloud (alone, with or
without whisper phones, or
in pairs or small groups)
self assessment with rubric
peer editing
spell check & grammar check
REVISING
chunking*
peer response
teacher response
read aloud
rhyme time*
imitating the masters*
sentence length chart
PUBLISHING
class anthology
school literary magazine
student publishing web sites (see below)
*Free Writing
The teacher sets a timer for 7-10 minutes and instructs the student to write freely the entire time.
He does not have to stay on any particular topic and may write whatever comes to mind. The
only requirement is that he not stop writing the entire time. When he is finished, the student
reads over what he wrote and underlines or highlights the most interesting idea or image. That
becomes the jumping-off point for a new free writing.
Page 20
*Focused Free Writing

This is the same as free writing, only the student stays focused on a specific topic.
*Stepping Stones
The student makes a list of the six most significant events in her life.
*Stepping Stones Elaboration
Each item can then be the topic of a personal narrative.
*Memory Bubble
The student looks around the classroom until he sees something that causes the memory of a past
event to come to mind. He then writes about that event, choosing a specific purpose (narration,
description, exposition, persuasion).
*Guided Imagery
The teacher describes an imaginary setting and asks the student to imagine herself there, then
invites the student to daydream about herself in that setting. After 10 minutes the student writes
down what happened in her day dream.
*Rhyme Time
The student logs onto a rhyming dictionary web site (e.g., www.rhymezone.com) to find rhyme
words for a poem he is writing.
*Imitating the Masters
The teacher has the student compose sentences that imitate the syntax of writers with various
styles.
*Four Approaches to the Same Shoe
The student selects an object and writes about it in each of the four modes: narration, persuasion,
description, and exposition
*Art Response
The student gazes at a painting or listens to a piece of music that has no lyrics, then writes in
response to that.
*Chunking
The student takes a piece of free writing and uses different colored highlighters to group similar
ideas, then revises by putting all parts of the same color together.
Page 21
Student Publishing Web Sites

Although these sites have been reviewed by the English/Language Arts office, teachers should
review each site again before referring a student to it, as the content of websites frequently
changes.
Write It http://teacher.scholastic.com/writeit/
Fractured Fairy Tales http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/fractured_fairy_publish.asp
and Fables
Kids on the Net www.kidsonthenet.com
Merlyns Pen http://www.merlynspen.org/
Web English Teacher http://www.webenglishteacher.com/publish.html
Teen Ink http://teenink.com/
The Poetry Zone http://www.poetryzone.ndirect.co.uk/index2.htm
The Write Kids http://writekids.tripod.com/
Speaking & Listening

It is tempting to assume that because students come to school knowing how to talk and hear that
they are competent speakers and listeners. However, oral communication skills should be taught,
modeled, and practiced so that students develop competency.
literacy station to help students improve their oral communication skills.
Book Talks
Students prepare, practice, and deliver a short speech advertising a book they read. The goal is
to persuade others to read the book.
Interviews
Students prepare for interviews by building lists of appropriate questions. They conduct
interviews to learn more about a certain topic. They take notes to create a presentation for others
in the class or to write an article based on what they learned in the interview.
Readers Theater Review
Students practice and perform a Readers Theater piece. Audience members can provide
feedback on the performers speaking skills. Performers can assess audience members listening
skills with post-performance questions.
Page 22
30-Second Speeches
At the end of class, when there are a few minutes before the bell rings, the teacher asks a
question (good sources of questions are The Book of Questions and Zobmondo). Students have
one minute to think of how they would respond. The teacher calls on one student at random to
answer the question (students can always take a pass). The student stands up and has 30 seconds
to share his or her answer with the class. Over time, the teacher works with students to improve
such speaking skills as rate, volume, intonation, and coherence.
Viewing
literacy station to help students improve their viewing skills.
Internet Search Comprehension
The teacher asks students to search for Internet sites on a specific topic. Students are assessed on
their computer literacy skills by how they determine sites worth pursuing. Students who open
the first sites that come up are not reading the site descriptions and URLs. Teachers instruct
students on what to look for to determine which hits are worth pursuing for further reading.
Reading a Film or Documentary
Teachers help students identify the same literary devices in film that they see in text: plot,
characters, setting, exposition, narration, figurative language, mood, etc. Students also practice
reading skills with film: identify authors purpose, make inferences, draw conclusions,
summarize, paraphrase, etc.
Analyzing Persuasive Techniques
Teachers help students identify propaganda strategies used in print advertising. Students explain
why the strategies are successful and what the advertiser is trying to achieve.
Page 23
Beginning of the Year:

These activities may be used at the beginning of the year, or throughout the year, to help students
get to know one another. Teachers may have other ice-breakers to use in their own classes.
Two Truths and a Lie

Students write a paragraph about themselves, which contains two truths and one lie. The
students then read these aloud to the class and the audience has to determine the truths
and lies.
The Question Ball
The teacher provides the students with a ball that has several questions written on it.
Students pass the ball around the classroom. They must answer the question that their
right index finger lands on.
Heart Maps
Students create a construction paper heart. They decorate it with things that are
important to them (pictures, drawings, words, etc.). Use this tool for writing prompts
throughout the year.
Where has your hand been?
Students outline their hands and on each finger write a place their hand has been (ex.
Mexico, in a ski glove, on a frying pan, petting a giant pig, etc.). Then students choose
one idea and write a paragraph telling the story. Students and teachers share their stories
with the class.
To Whom Does This Belong?
Students write down several important facts about themselves on strips of paper. They
then place these strips in a hat or bag. Students take turns drawing pieces of paper out of
the container and guessing who wrote it.
Comic Strip Chaos
Each participant takes a turn at picking a comic frame out of the large container. After
the entire group has each chosen one, the participants begin to search for others with the
same comic strip sequence. After the participants have found everyone in their group,
they must arrange themselves so that the sequence of frames are in chronological order to
form the comic strip correctly. Upon completion of sequence, the newly formed group
sits down together. Great game to break large group into smaller groups.
Personal-I-tie
Students get a tie/bowtie from home and place 8-10 items on the tie that represent their
personality, likes, dislikes, family, etc. The students will present their ties to the class
describing each object and how it relates to them.
Page 24
Units throughout the Year:

Scary Story UnitSubmitted by Eric Friz from Smarts Mill (Appendix C)
Read Aloud ideas: Scary Stories series by Richard Scary; Something Upstairs by Avi; Scary
Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. Possible activities: students use graphic
organizers to plan and draft their own scary stories. Students go through writing process and at
the end of unit students share stories with class (in tents with sleeping bags and making smores).
Look for local newspapers that often publish childrens scary stories around Halloween.
Book FestivalSubmitted by Colleen Milligan from Smarts Mill (Appendix D)
Students read a novel of their choice before completing these activities. Possible activities:
bookmark contest, author poster (research and display info about author), educational game
relating to book.
Writing Fractured Fairy TalesSubmitted by Meredith Schimmel from Smarts Mill
(Appendix E) Students take an already existing fairy tale and fracture it (ex. Change bad guys
to good guys, change ending, etc.). Students go through writing process for creating their
fractured fairy tale and at the end of unit students share stories with class. Read Aloud ideas:
Various fractured picture book fairy tales for example, The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka.
Possible activities: Use the film Hoodwink as an example of a fractured fairy tale. Helpful
websites for story mapping:
http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/0178/myweb5/fairy_tales_aplenty.htm;
http://www.familymanagement.com/literacy/grimms/grimms-toc.html;
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-writing-storymaker.htm;
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/storymap/index.html
Poetry Month--Submitted by Meredith Schimmel from Smarts Mill (Appendix F) Students
pick a poet from a list given and research that poet. Possible Activities: After researching their
poet, write a five sentence paragraph about their poet. Students also choose their favorite poem
by that author and analyze it. They can also create a poster with both their favorite poem and
their author.
Fairy Tale UnitSubmitted by Nicole Harrison from Stone Hill
Students read three forms of a fairy tale and then create their own fourth version. Students go
through writing process for creating their fairy tale and at the end of unit students share stories
with class. Read aloud ideas: Various forms of fairy tales (The Three Little Pigs by Patricia
Seibert, The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas, The True Story of the
Three Little by Jon Scieszka). The students books can be bound into picture books.
Wordless Picture BooksSubmitted by Nicole Harrison from Stone Hill
Students read wordless picture books and discuss sequencing and elements of literature. Then
they write the words they think should have been written for the book. Students go through the
writing process for their wordless picture book and at the end of unit students share stories with
class. Read aloud ideas: Tuesday by David Weisner; Sector 7 by David Weisner; Goodnight
Gorilla by Peggy Rathman; Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola. The students books can
bound into picture books for students.
Page 25
Friday Letter HomeSubmitted by Nicole Harrison from Stone Hill

Student brainstorm and then use a graphic organizer to plan two paragraphs about topics going
on at school. They use these two paragraphs to write a letter home to their parents describing
what is going on in school. Students use the writing process to work towards a final product:
planning, writing a rough draft, editing, and writing a final copy. Teachers can go over the parts
of a letter and can require that letters get signed and returned by a parent.
Owl MoonSubmitted by Erin Gingrich from Seneca Ridge (Appendix G)
This unit is used in January right after the break because its very interactive and engaging. This
helps students to use and identify figurative language.
Page 26
Accelerating
Literacy Skills
Resources
RESOURCES
For the classroom
Exploring Nonfiction. Teacher Created Materials. (one per teacher)
Exploring Writing. Teacher Created Materials. (one per teacher)
Readers Theater Classics (various titles). Benchmark Education. (one per teacher)
Robb, Laura, Ron Klenn, and Wendell Schwartz. Readers Handbook. Great Source.
(class set)
Helpful Specifically for ALS
After THE END, Teaching and Learning Creative Revision. Lane
Around the Reading Workshop in 180 Days, Serafini
Daily Word Ladders, Scholastic
Discovering the Writer Within, Lane and Ballenger
In the Middle, Atwell
Lessons that Change Writers, Atwell
Lightning in a Bottle, Visual Prompts for Insights (CD), Bernabei
Mosaic of Thought, Keene and Zimmermann
Motivating Writing in Middle School, NCTE
The Portfolio Source Book, Lane and Green
Reading Reasons, Gallagher
Reading Reminders, Burke
Reading Workshop Survival Kit, Gary Robert Muschla
The Revisers Toolbox. Lane
Real Life Literacy. Patterson
Use it! Dont Lose it!, Incentive Publications
Instructional Assistance for SOL Preparation
Study Island (internet resource)
Ladders to Success on the Virginia SOL Assessment (Seventh Grade=Level G)
Standard Test Lessons in Reading, McCALL-CRABBS
Perfection Learning, Virginia Reading Standards of Learning (Grade 7)
Shared with English Department

Engaging Grammar, Benjamin and Oliva
Literature Circles, Daniels
Literature Circles: The Way to Go and How to Get There, Klistoff
Naming the World, Atwell
Successful Strategies for Reading in the Content Areas, Shell
(e-book on computers at school)
Word Playgrounds, OConnor
Go Public! Encouraging Student Writers to Publish, Rubenstein
Page 27
Supplementary Materials
Teachers may choose to order some of these resources as support for instruction. Work with the
building English SALT to place orders for instructional materials.
Subscriptions to Time for Kids, Scope, Sports Illustrated for Kids
Comprehension as the Concrete, RED Level GAME, FN-997-017
Page 28
Accelerating
Literacy Skills
Appendices
Additional Reading Instruction Activities
Appendix A
Additional Writing Instruction Activities
Appendix B
Scary Story Unit
Appendix C
Book Festival
Appendix D
Fractured Fairy Tales
Appendix E
Poetry Month
Appendix F
Owl Moon
Appendix G
Appendix A: Additional Reading Instructional Activities

The following activities have been submitted by Accelerating Literacy Skills teachers to help
enhance students enjoyment and comprehension of their reading.
BOOK PASS
YOUR NAME: ______________________ DATE: ________________
BOOK TITLE: ____________________________________________
1. After looking at the cover and reading the first paragraph, what do you think this book will
be about? What clues did you use to help you decide?
2. Where else did you look to help you make a decision about how to rate this book? How did
this help you decide?
RATING:
BOOK TITLE: ____________________________________________

1. After looking at the cover and reading the back cover, what do you think this book will be
about? What clues did you use to help you decide?
2. Where did you look to help you make a decision about how to rate this book? How did this
help you decide?
RATING:
BOOK TITLE: ____________________________________________

1. After looking at the cover and reading the first paragraph, what do you think this book will
be about? What clues helped you make a decision?
2. Where did you look to help you make a decision about how to rate this book? How did this
help you decide?
RATING:
The book I most want to read is ___________________________________________________,

because:
Page 29
Drawing Conclusions
Name: ________________________
Something in the book:
Something in your head:
Conclusion:
?
Page 30
Inference
Name: ______________________
Word clues from the book:
Underline
Predict answers using past experiences and

knowledge in your head:
??? ???
??? ???
Guess?
Go back to the text and give the reason for

your answer:
Support
Page 31
BOX WEB FOR YOUR SUMMARY

DIRECTIONS: Write the main idea in the center box and give four supporting details or
sentences in the remaining boxes. Then write the summary below.
Supporting Detail:
In the beginning
Next Supporting Detail or

As the action builds
Main Idea
The story or article is mainly about:
Next Supporting Detail or

As the story progresses
Last Supporting Detail or

At the end
SUMMARY DIRECTIONS: Use the information above to write a summary that

clearly does the following:
Includes the important facts in your own words
Combines facts where possible
Excludes extra information not necessary to the main meaning of the article
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 32
Appendix B: Additional Writing Instructional Activities

The following activities have been submitted by Accelerating Literacy Skills teachers to help
scaffold students as they write.
3 2 8 Formula for Paragraphs
The 3 refers to your 3 main reasons (also called arguments or points).
The 2 means you will devote two sentences to each of your main reasons.
The 8 equals the total number of sentences your paragraph will have after adding in your topic
and conclusion sentences.
Choose one of the topic sentences below to get started.
Halloween is the best Holiday. Our school should have recess.

Dogs make the very best pets.
Topic sentence: ________________________________________________________________
Reason #1 (write two sentences about reason number one)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Reason #2 (write two sentences about reason number two)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Reason #3 (write two sentences about reason number three)

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Now write a conclusion sentence that is NOT a copy of the introductory sentence:
______________________________________________________________________________
You now have a total of eight sentences and perfectly supported paragraph!
Page 33
Example
Loudoun County Public Schools would benefit by changing to a year-round school schedule.
Year round school would have a lot of small vacations throughout the year as opposed to the
long summer vacation we have now. Small, frequent vacations would keep students and parents
refreshed, but knowledge would not be lost the way it is during the long summer vacation. Yearround school would also allow for more flexible vacation opportunities. Right now, we can only
go on family vacations during the summer, but with the new schedule, families could plan
vacations at other times. The last reason we should switch to year-round school is that you
would see your school friends all year long. Sometimes we dont see our school friends during
the summer, but this way wed see them throughout the year. For these reasons, LCPS should
switch to year-round school.
Instructions
Underline the topic sentence.
Highlight the two sentences dealing with point number one in pink.
Highlight the two sentences dealing with point number two in yellow.
Highlight the two sentences dealing with point number three in green.
Underline the conclusion sentence.
You are ready to write your own 3-2-8 paragraph!
Page 34
RAFTS before you begin writing, hop in your raft! This will help you as you
travel down your stream of thought!
R Role of the writer
Who is telling the story? Who are you pretending to be?

Are you a historian, a cartoonist, a radio announcer,
an animal, a movie star, a politician, or a poet?
Remember to write with the appropriate tone and word choice!
A Audience
Who will read your story?

Are you writing for a teacher, a parent, your principal,
the school board, a newspaper, or your classmates?
Again, remember to write with the appropriate tone
and word choice!
F Format
What is the best format for your work?

Should it be a letter, a diary, an essay, a picture book,
a news article, a play, a list, or a short story?
Remember to write in the appropriate format!
T Topic
What is the subject of your writing? Are you writing

about your pet, your favorite sport, or a new movie?
Remember to keep the focus of your writing on your topic!
S Strong Verbs
Why are you writing? What is your purpose?

Are you trying to persuade, entertain, inform, invite,
or describe? Remember to write with the appropriate verbs
and tone!
Page 35
Appendix C: Scary Story Unit
Mapping Out Your Scary Story
For the past few weeks we have been reading scary stories now it is time to write your own!
We have taken some time to brainstorm characteristics of scary stories in class. Using the sheet
below, think about some of the characteristics we have talked about and create a map of your
own scary story. Below you will find a list of categories, take a few minutes and write down as
many things you can think of for each category that you may find in a scary story.
Characters:
Items:
Places:
Events:
After you brainstorm characteristics, look back at the list you have. Circle at least three of the
ideas from each category that you would like to include in your story and write them on the
following page.
Page 36
Characters
Below write down at least three, but no more than four characters that you chose from your list
on the previous page. Then describe each character using character traits (what a character feels,
thinks, says, looks like, and what others say about that character).
Character One: ____________________________________
Character Two: ____________________________________
Character Three: ____________________________________
Character Four: ____________________________________
Page 37
Places/Setting
The setting and places mentioned in your scary story can be the most important for the plot. Pick
either one or two places that you listed on your brainstorm sheet and list them below. After you
list them, take some time to brainstorm details about them as well as a time that you intend your
story to take place. Be descriptive because this will make or break your story!
Time: ___________________________________________
Place One: _______________________________________
Place Two: _______________________________________
Character Four: ____________________________________
Page 38
Items
Now that you have created the characters for your scary story, look back at what items you have
selected. Carefully describe at least three, but no more than four of those items.
Item One: _______________________________________
Item Two: _______________________________________
Item Three:
____________________________________
Item Four: _______________________________________
Page 39
Events
Looking one last time at your brainstorming list, look at the events you mentioned. Pick two or
three events that could possible happen in your scary story. These events need to be well thought
out and very descriptive because they create the heart of your story. Use descriptive details!
Event One: _______________________________________
Event Two: _______________________________________
Event Three:
____________________________________
Congratulations! You have now mapped out your whole scary story! Now it is time to get
writing! Look over your map and ideas that you have brainstormed in the past few pages and put
it all together! Have fun and make it scary!
Page 40
Appendix D: Book Festival

ACCELERATING LITERACY
BOOK FESTIVAL REQUIREMENTS
Below, you will find a checklist of items that will need to be completed by
_______. It is up to you to decide the order in which you wish to complete them.
Remember that each class you will have the opportunity to read independently and
to work on your checklist.
_____ Persuasive letter to principals
25 pts.
_____ Bookmark for contest
20 pts.
_____ Author poster

50 pts.
Include: research, contact information, other books by that author
See attached page.
_____ Educational game
50 pts.
All game cards and game pieces should correspond directly to your book
See attached page.
_____ Independent reading booklet
Include all entries and a decorative cover.
50 pts.
Be sure to take your time, work neatly, and consult this packet for all directions
information. Have fun!
Page 41
BOOKMARK CONTEST
INSTRUCTION SHEET/RUBRIC
Please follow the directions below when designing your bookmark for our contest.
1.
Create a rough draft on the paper provided.
2.
Include the following items on your draft.

a.
b.
c.
d.
Book title/author
A decorative border
Objects/shapes/words that represent item/people
in your book
Bright/bold colors
5 pts.
5 pts.
5 pts.
5 pts.
3.
After teacher approval, transfer your bookmark to the final draft paper
provided.
4.
Be sure to sign your bookmark in the bottom left-hand corner.
5.
Be creative! Be neat! Have fun!
Page 42
AUTHOR POSTER
INSTRUCTIONS/RUBRIC
Please be sure to read each of the following directions carefully before you begin
your poster.
1.
Research your author for the following things:

a.
Birth/death dates and places _________________________________

________________________________________________________
b.
Awards won _____________________________________________

________________________________________________________
c.
Other books by your author _________________________________

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
d.
Website at which to contact your author ________________________

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
e.
Any correspondence youve had with your author ________________

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
2.
Place a picture of your author or book cover in the center of the poster and
surround it with the above information.
3.
Each item a-e will be worth 8 points. Your layout/neatness is worth 10
points.
Page 43
EDUCATIONAL GAME
INSTRUCTIONS/RUBRIC
Please be sure to read each of the following directions carefully before you begin
your game.
1.
First, plan your game layout on a piece of computer paper.
2.
Next, use your spiral to write your game cards. (Later well transfer them to
index cards.)
3.
Then, make your game pieces.
4.
Following teacher approval, design your game board on poster paper. Be

sure to include spaces that correspond to your cards, and some game twists.
5.
Place the title of your game in the center of the posterboard neatly!
6.
Practice playing to be sure everything works!
Game pieces and game title are worth 5 points each.

Game design and game cards are worth 15 points each.
Neatness and creativity are worth 10 points.
Page 44
Appendix E: Fractured Fairy Tales

Name _________________________
Block ____________
ELEMENTS OF FRACTURED FAIRY TALES

Title of fairy tale: ___________________________________________________
Describe how the story is different from the original:
List the specific things that make it fractured:

_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
Name _________________________
_______________
_______________
Block ____________
ELEMENTS OF FRACTURED FAIRY TALES

Title of fairy tale: ___________________________________________________
Describe how the story is different from the original:
List the specific things that make it fractured:

_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
Page 45
Name _________________________
Block ____________
FRACTURED FAIRY TALE PLANNING SHEET
Fractured Fairy Tale Title:
_________________________________________
Main Characters: ____________________

____________________
____________________
____________________
Settings (use common places): _______________

_______________
_______________
_______________
Magic Items:
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
Plot (events which will occur in your fairy tale):

1.
___________________________________________________________
2.
___________________________________________________________
3.
___________________________________________________________
4.
___________________________________________________________
5.
___________________________________________________________
The Twist (how your fairy tale will be fractured):
Teacher Approval:
______________________________________________
Page 46
Appendix F: Poetry Month

Name: ____________________
Accelerating Literacy Poetry Month Assignment

April is Poetry Month! For this assignment you will pick a poet from the list of poets below.
You will then do multiple assignments about that poet, which are listed below. After we have all
completed these assignments, we will have a small poetry slam in class (with refreshments),
where you will present your poster that you create.
Poets
Circle one poet
Langston Hughes
Rudyard Kipling
Walt Whitman
Emily Dickinson
Robert Frost
Carl Sandburg
Edward Lear
Robert Browning
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Edna St. Vicent Millay

Lewis Carroll
Robert Louis Stevenson
William Shakespeare
Assignments
Each assignment will be worth 10 points. We will discuss each assignment individually in class.
_____ Write a five-sentence paragraph about how/why this person became a poet.
_____ Analyze your favorite poem by this poet.
_____ Create a poster displaying your favorite poem, your paragraph and pictures of the poet.
Page 47
Appendix G: Owl Moon

Teaching Figurative Language with Owl Moon
Materials:
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (picture book)
Yellow moon and brown owl die cuts (one per student)
Flashlight
Lesson:
1. Either teach a mini-lesson on the four common types of figurative language found in
literature--simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperboleor review if you have
already taught this. Be sure to show examples of each and have the class come up with an
example of each.
2. Write the word owl on the board. Invite students to make associations with owl while you
write them down.
3. Introduce the picture book Owl Moon by looking at the book jacket and the pictures on
the title page and dedication pages. Ask students to particularly pay attention to the
figurative language in the book.
4. Turn off the lights in the room and read the story in a whisper until you get to the line,
Time to go home, to capture the true experience and atmosphere of owling. Choose a
student to work the flashlight during the story, pointing it up when the book directs or
around, etc. When the characters finally spot an owl, have the student shine the flashlight
directly on the books picture of the big owl to simulate what it may have looked like on
the owl hunt.
5. Distribute the Owl Moon chart. Have students work in small groups to label the examples
of figurative language from the book with their type. Go over the handout. Ask a few
students to share what their favorite example is and why. How did that example help
them visualize/experience the owl hunt?
6. Give each student a moon die cut and an owl die cut. Each student should write one or
two sentences on the moon that describe the moon and one or two sentences on the owl
that describe the owl. The sentences should use figurative language. This is a good time
to point out that wise as an owl is tired and clich. Challenge them to come up with
new and fresh ways to describe the moon or an owl. When students are finished, have
several of them share and then hang the die cuts on a previously prepared winter
themed bulletin board.
Page 48
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen:

Figurative Language & Literary Devices
Example from book
The trees stood still as giant
statues.
Somewhere behind us a train
whistle blew, long and low,
like a sad, sad song.
They sang out, trains and
dogs, for a real long time. And
when their voices faded
away
And when their voices faded
away it was as quiet as a
dream.
...little gray footprints
followed us.
my short, round shadow
bumped after me.
The moon made his face into a
silver mask.
I could feel the cold, as if
someones icy hand was palmdown on my back.
The shadows were the
blackest things I had ever
seen. They stained the white
snow.
...the heat of all those words
we had not spoken.
Then the owl pumped its great
wings and lifted off the branch
like a shadow without sound.
But I was a shadow as we
walked home.
The kind of hope that flies on
silent wings under a shining
Owl Moon.
Type of figurative language
Page number
Pg. 2
Pg. 2
Pg. 3
Pg. 3
Pg. 4
Pg. 4
Pg. 6
Pg. 10
Pg. 12
Pg. 20
Pg. 27
Pg. 27
Pg. 28
Page 49
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen:

Figurative Language & Literary Devices
Example from book
The trees stood still as giant statues.
Somewhere behind us a train
whistle blew, long and low, like a
sad, sad song.
They sang out, trains and dogs, for
a real long time. And when their
voices faded away
And when their voices faded away
it was as quiet as a dream.
Our feet crunched over the crisp
snow
...little gray footprints followed us.
my short, round shadow bumped
after me.
The moon made his face into a
silver mask.
Whoo-whoo-who-who-whowhoooooo
I could feel the cold, as if
someones icy hand was palmdown on my back.
The shadows were the blackest
things I had ever seen. They stained
the white snow.
the snow below it was whiter
than the milk in a cereal bowl.
I listened and looked so hard my
ears hurt and my eyes got cloudy
with the cold.
...the heat of all those words we had
not spoken.
Then the owl pumped its great
wings and lifted off the branch like
a shadow without sound.
But I was a shadow as we walked
home.
The kind of hope that flies on silent
wings under a shining Owl Moon.
Type of figurative
language
Simile
Simile
Page number
Pg. 2
Pg. 2
Personification
Pg. 3
Simile
Pg. 3
Onomatopoeia
Pg. 4
Personification
Personification
Pg. 4
Pg. 4
Metaphor
Pg. 6
Onomatopoeia
Pg. 6, 17, 18
Simile
Pg. 10
Metaphor
Pg. 12
Hyperbole
Pg. 14
Hyperbole
Pg. 17
Metaphor
Pg. 20
Simile
Pg. 27
Metaphor
Pg. 27
Metaphor
Pg. 28
Page 50
Writing Extension/Independent Practice:

Students will be practicing the use of figurative language by writing a descriptive paragraph
about some aspect of winternature, a winter activity, a winter holiday, etc. Show the students a
teacher-written sample and have them highlight and label the figurative language in small
groups. Discuss and then give them time to write and revise. Have a brief author share for
students to share their paragraphs and then hang them on the winter bulletin board with the owls
and moons.
A Brief Winter Walk
By E.L. Gingrich
Pulling my trusty wooden sled behind me as delicately as a sheet of glass, I trudged to

Dead Mans Hill, which is what us neighborhood kids called the local sledding hot spot that
cascaded like a Slip N Slide down toward a slimy pond in the middle of a nearby park. As I
walked along in anticipation of the ride I was about to experience, my eyes ate up the gorgeous
scenery that surrounded me. My neighborhood was a line right out of that popular holiday song
Winter Wonderland. The snow covered the trees as if it were a white blanket tucking the
branches in for a long winters rest. Icicles hung from the eaves of the houses like crystal
stalagmites. The crisp snow crunched under my fire engine-red boots louder than a hundred
people eating potato chips all at once. Winterwhat a breathtaking season of the year.
Page 51
DIRECTIONS: In your pods, highlight all of the figurative language that is present in this
paragraph. After you highlight the examples, label them with what type of figurative language
they represent. There are 4 similes, 2 examples of personification, 1 metaphor, and even 1
hyperbole.
Name_______________________
Winter Paragraph Rubric
Criteria
Paragraph includes 1 simile
Paragraph includes 1 metaphor
Paragraph includes 1 example of
personification
Paragraph includes 1 example of hyperbole
Paragraph does not contain any run-on
sentences
Paragraph contains very few spelling,
punctuation, and capitalization errors
Paragraph stays on topic and flows from
sentence to sentence
Paragraph contains strong word choice and
interesting details/description
Paragraph has a creative title
Points
_____/20
_____/20
_____/10
_____/10
_____/5
_____/10
_____/10
_____/10
_____/5
TOTAL _____/100
Page 52

Accelerating Literacy Skills Curriculum Guide 2011-12 PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Accelerating Literacy Skills Curriculum Guide 2011-12 PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Accelerating Literacy Skills

Dr. Edgar B. Hatrick