Reading
All students in Kindergarten through fifth grade are using a reading anthology called Treasures. It is a 2009 publication from Macmillan/McGraw-Hill. This reading program draws on the latest research into what works best for students at varying ability levels within a classroom. All of the students begin their reading instruction as a whole class by reading an on-grade selection that introduces a theme, a key phonics and/or comprehension skill, and key vocabulary. Students are then divided into small groups that match their reading performance level. In the teacher-directed small groups, students read a selection that has the same theme as the introductory whole group selection. The small group selection also incorporates the same skills and key vocabulary as the whole group selection. Frequent assessments inform teachers about students’ learning. The program offers many options for teachers to use when their students excel or need extra reinforcement. An intervention component of the program, Triumphs,is being used with students who are reading two or more years below grade level.
Writing
Writing instruction is based on a theory and practice called 6 Traits. It incorporates the research and experiences of Ruth Culham and Vicki Spandel. These 6 traits of writing are designated as the essential elements of good writing. They are:
Ideas - the content of the writing piece
Organization – the structure of the ideas
Voice – the personal touch the writer conveys
Word Choice – the use of rich, colorful, precise language
Sentence Fluency – the grace, variation, rhythm, and flow of the sentences
Conventions – the final touch for spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation
This approach to writing instruction is a school-wide initiative. Instruction focuses on one trait at a time by listening to good literature that incorporates the trait being studied and through additional teacher modeling and guidance. All six traits are covered within the school year and refined at each succeeding grade level.
Spelling
Teachers at Hampstead Elementary are using the county-adopted word study program developed by Donald Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, and Francine Johnston called Words Their Way. The purpose of this word study program is to provide systematic, explicit skill/word study instruction in order to make connections between sound, structure, and meaning while reading and writing. Spelling patterns are at the heart of this hands-on approach to spelling. Students discover and practice the spelling patterns by sorting the words into the pattern(s) being studied. The use of rules is avoided since some words in the English language do not follow the rules. The word “pattern” is used in place of the word “rule”. Words that don’t follow the pattern are labeled as Oddballs and have their own category in a word sort. There are 5 stages of study included in Words Their Way:
Emergent – This stage begins with picture sorting for categories of items and leads into sorting by beginning sounds.
Letter Name/Alphabetic – Students at this stage are sorting by word families (also called chunks), such as at, ill, ug, an, eg, etc. It includes consonant blends, such as bl, fr, st, etc.
Within Word – This is a very important stage that will help the students transition from beginning readers and writers into more proficient ones. Finding and understanding spelling patterns are critical to success at this stage. Students learn and use words that have vowel and letter combinations that most often can’t be sounded out letter by letter. Some examples are: ck, sh, ow, au, oi, ar, tch, plurals ending in ies, etc. This stage may take up to two years to develop.
Syllables and Affixes – In this stage, students learn how dividing words into syllables affects spelling and pronunciation and how prefixes and suffixes change the usage, meaning, and spelling of words. This is another important stage that will determine a student’s ability to read and write successfully as they meet more challenging texts. The full development of this stage could take up to three years to complete.
Derivational Relations – Students and adults who are at this stage of spelling development are at an advanced level of reading proficiency. They understand the influence of Greek and Latin elements that are the basis of word construction. They see the connections between words that have the same prefix, root, or suffix and understand how these elements influence the meanings of words. This is the final stage of spelling development. It continues to develop throughout adulthood. Very few elementary students will reach this stage.
Student placement within these five stages is determined by an assessment. For students whose test results show they fall between two spelling stages, we start them at the lower stage in order to assure that there are no gaps in their learning before beginning the next stage. The placement tests are given a minimum of three times throughout the year, but may occur more frequently if needed.
