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Introduction:
With the assistance of the CESA 6 Literacy Center, the Little Chute Area School District developed and implemented a K-12 reading reform project to improve student literacy skills. This reform included training staff to teach thinking skills and mental mapping strategies while students interact with text.
This ongoing process includes the development of benchmark assessments, RtI instructional strategies, and continued professional development on the incorporation of additional literary resources.
Active Literacy Model
2012 WASB Presentation
Reading Philosophy:
The Little Chute Area School District believes that all students can become proficient readers. By using research-based, best-practice models and participating in on-going professional development, staff will be highly qualified to teach and assess the necessary reading techniques and variety of reading strategies which will maximize the reading potential of all students.
Little Chute Area School District Reading Goal:
Develop and implement a research-based, best-practice reading model which will increase the reading proficiency of all students, in all areas.
Little Chute Area School District’s K-12 Active Literacy Model:
The Little Chute Area School District K-12 Active Literacy Model is based upon research and best practices which empower students to become interactive with text of all types. Students will not only read and interact with text of all genres, but will independently synthesize the information and build the knowledge to formulate questions and answers. This initiative goes beyond memorization of phonetic structures, sight vocabulary, and direct skill instruction to a more powerful development of cognitive processes that create independent readers and writers. Teachers will gradually release strategies which promote vocabulary building, comprehension and thinking. Students will view reading in all content areas as a more meaningful way to maximize their learning potential.
Little Chute Area School District K-12 Active Literacy Model Process:
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Consolidated the literature and research regarding best practices
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Assisted in the development of district literacy goals
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Identified best practices at each grade level and content area
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Created a K-12 Literacy Model that benchmarks student achievement
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Implemented and applied Teaching Points for literature instruction
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Built upon formative and summative assessment practices to evaluate student progress
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Modeled and dialogued successful strategies by coaching staff at various levels
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Assisted in the planning and development of Gradual Release Model lessons
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Developed and implemented critical thinking skills unique to the content area
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Determined strategies to build vocabulary and comprehension
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Guided students to gain competency within the content by becoming strategic thinkers
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Assisted the relationship between reading and thinking to impact student success
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Facilitated a love for reading by providing deeply personal, yet social, reading experiences
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Developed cognitive processes that are involved in each of the reading strategies
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Provided a standard by which the district can self-evaluate curriculum
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