Language Arts
Language Arts encompasses the largest portion of our academic day. I take a two-pronged approach to Language Arts. First I teach small groups Guided Reading while the rest of the class is working on the Daily 5. The other part is direct instruction and practice of the skills as outlined by both the Common Core and school district curriculum. I have included examples from a Literacy Unit for the Fifth Grade that I created.
- A day by day lesson plan for the unit (Literacy-Theme 3 Lesson Plans). Each lesson includes the anchor(s), objective(s) lesson, and assessment. I keep a Microsoft© Word copy so that I am able to adjust the lesson for future use upon reflection of its effectiveness.
- The vocabulary packet that I created to be used as a homework assignment. By having this be a homework assignment that is due one week after it is received, we are not only practicing our vocabulary words, we are learning to be responsible students.
- The Theme test study guide and parent contract. One week before each test the students receive a study guide. The top portion of the document describes all of the skills that will be assessed on the exam. The bottom portion of the document is the test contract. For homework they have the contract portion of the study guide signed by their parents and return it to me for a bonus point on the upcoming test. I feel it is very important to get the parents/guardians involved as often as possible in their child’s education. Attached to the study guide are several worksheets that allow the students to practice each of the skills that will be assessed on the test.
- Theme 3 Test. I took the Literacy By Design assessment and pulled the questions that best reflected what was being taught for the theme. I then augmented the test with 2 open-ended questions and the theme vocabulary. I feel that it is important to include open-ended questions as part of our ongoing PSSA preparation.
- Theme 3 Adapted Test. I adapted the Theme 3 Test for my Learning Support students. I reduced the number of options for each stem to reduce frustration. I also increased the white space on each page to make the tests less overwhelming. Finally, I chunked the vocabulary to break it into manageable portions. The adapted test looks exactly like the regular test to reduce any stigma that may be associated with receiving an adapted version.
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