Reading

Learning to read and reading to learn are two of the most important missions of childhood. Parents, community members, and teachers must all maximize their efforts to make certain that each child has the opportunity to experience the great gift of literacy. These efforts will ensure that each individual has the prospect of a life filled with possibilities and a future of literate interaction in the world. By providing children equal access to well-designed, organized, and systematic reading instruction in our schools; we can assure ourselves that students have the greatest possible chance at future academic excellence.

In order to be successful in reading and learning, students need to develop:

• The skills and knowledge to understand how phonemes, or speech sounds, are connected to print;

• The ability to decode unfamiliar words;

• The ability to read fluently;

• Sufficient background information and vocabulary to foster reading comprehension;

• A appropriate active strategies to construct meaning from print;  and

• A motivation to read.

Reading Grade Level Expectations (GLEs)

Reading Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs

Washington State K-12 Reading Model
The goal of the K-12 Reading Model is to provide a framework from which to work on systemic reform in reading instruction. It is simply a guide. There are no easy answers to the challenges facing schools today; indeed, this is one model. There are other models that work, and schools are encouraged to seek answers to their unique situations and find what works best for them. The goal is to increase student achievement; however, the ways in which schools reach their goals will be as exceptional as are the teachers, students, and communities across our state.

Trophies/Trofeos (Harcourt School Publishers) - Grades K-5

The district adopted the Trophies/Trofeos reading program in 2006.   It was among three programs recommended by the state of Washington after a careful review of resources available at that time.  Our teachers have been using the materials for their reading instruction since the Fall of 2006 and have participated in numerous professional development sessions to help them use the program more effectively.   It is available in English (Trophies) and Spanish (Trofeos).   See the links below for more information on the program.

Electronic Resources Overview
http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/preview/trophies/preview.html

Parent, Teacher and Student Resources
http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/signin/author.html?seriesid=11

When you get to the link above, please complete the blanks, using the password “Beck.”  Complete the rest of the information for your child’s school.  You may want to check the “remember password” box so that you don’t have to re-enter the information each time.

Once you get to the home page, you may either click on a grade level or activity to get going. 

* Note that there are also other specialized curriculum materials available for students needing additional assistance in the goal of reading at grade level, based on their area of need.

Elements of Literature (Holt Publishing) - Grades 6-8

The adopted reading/language arts curriculum for grades 6-8 is Elements of Literature.  However, students in our middle schools use many resources for reading instruction and comprehension.   Reading instruction is a priority at both Pioneer and Garrison middle schools, with one class period per day devoted specifically to independent reading, group work and remediation.   Our classrooms have multiple resources, including literature sets and other materials of interest to the middle school student.

Below is a link to a current resource web page for the Elements of Literature program.  It features informational texts, reading tips, pop-up questions, and polls to help guide you through the reading process.

http://eolit.hrw.com/hlla/newmainlinks/read.jsp

* Note that there are also other specialized curriculum materials available for students needing additional assistance in the goal of reading at grade level, based on their area of need.

Patterns in Literature (Pearson/Scott-Foresman) - Grade 9
Traditions in Literature (Pearson/Scott-Foresman) - Grade 10

The same reading textbooks have been used at our high schools for a number of years and the Wa-Hi English Department is currently looking at three new programs that have been recommended by the state of Washington.   Casey Monahan, the English Department chair, reports that samples of the three programs were tested in some high school classes over the course of the first semester.   During the second semester, the top two programs will be piloted on a more significant basis and there should be a recommendation for new textbook adoption in 2008. 

All three programs underwent significant testing and scrutiny by the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and are being recommended for use throughout the state.  They are:   Glencoe Literature 2007, Elements of Literature/World Literature 2007, and The Language of Literature/World Literature 2006.