ELA (English Language Arts)

Teachers:

Ms. Tan Cole & Mr. Hendricks  (6th Grade)
Ms. Cotanch & Ms. Roberts     (7th Grade)
Mr. Story & Mr. Goldstein       (8th Grade) 
Ms. Rymer                           (Literacy Coach)

The Reader's and Writer's Workshops are being implemented in all grades.  In these workshop periods, teachers use workshop structures, such as focused minilessons, independent work, and partnership talk to develop students’ literacy skills.  Students choose novels for independent reading during reading workshop and choose topics to write about within genre-based units of study in writing workshop.

 Our ELA teachers analyze previous ELA tests to determine standards, skills, and assessments to incorporate into unit and lesson plans. Additionally, to assist our students to widen their vocabulary and to develop a greater understanding of the English language, we use the Wordly Wise 3000 curriculum.  We use Writing Portfolios to showcase the work students have done to plan, draft, revise, and publish a variety of fiction and nonfiction pieces during writing workshop.

The ELA teachers work together to use student assessment information (e.g., D.R.A., Acuity Report, records of conferences during independent work), to target students requiring additional support.  This additional support is offered through in-class Guided Reading, pull-out Wilson services, and our Saturday Academy program.