Core Reading Block

• Students work with words and word building developing phonological and language pattern awareness
• Students work to build vocabulary and vocabulary strategies at high levels
• Part to whole and whole to part instruction occurs daily in word building
• Word study is used at all levels

Examples of Learning: Word families, grammar, dictation, diagraph/word families/prefix/suffix anchor chart, word strategy charts, vocabulary code, word building – encoding and decoding

• Teachers read aloud from a purposely-selected book
• Use a variety of genres (fiction and nonfiction) slightly above students’ instructional level
• Provide explicit models of metacognitive strategies, comprehension strategies, thinking processes, and fluency
• Demonstrate what good readers do (using specific comprehension strategies and learning standards)
• Students build comprehension that can be later transferred to independent reading comprehension

Examples of Learning: Anchor charts with skills/strategies, think alouds, cooperative learning, graphic organizers, student reading responses, thinking maps

• Teachers and students read together
• While the teacher is the primary reader, students are invited to join in through choral reading, echo reading, etc.
• Teachers focus on strategies, skills, phonics skills, and vocabulary in the text
• Text is read multiple times building fluency and automatic word reading as well as layering of more complex skills

Examples of Learning: Reading decodable readers together, decoding strategies for difficult words, rereads and timed readings to increase fluency, marking up a text, partner reading, reading responses, writing alternate endings/changing a story element

• Students independently read just right books (identified through assessments)
• Students mimic the model of a good reader set by the teacher in the read aloud and the shared reading
• Small group lessons (4-6 students) are instructed using appropriately leveled materials (their instructional level) to develop reading skills (decoding, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary) and strategies

Examples of Learning: Independent reading (daily), partner reading, book clubs, book discussions, small group instruction, reading journal, daily reading response activities