Tyrone Area Elementary School Comprehensive Curriculum Aligned to Pa Core Standards st K3, K4, Full-Day Kindergarten & 1 Grade

Comprehensive Program  Curriculum and assessments are designed to follow a continuum  Curriculum is guided by the Pennsylvania Core Standards  The 5 Essential Components of Effective Instruction (, Phonemic Awareness, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension) are incorporated into our Balanced Literacy Program  Curriculum Core Teams (PreK – 4th) meet to ensure horizontal and vertical articulation of curriculum and assessments K3/K4 Kindergarten 1st Grade K3, K4: Concepts of Prints Begins in the Fall Begins in the Fall Guided K4 Begin: Formal Reading in January Fluency: 40-60 wpm by Spring

Assessment: Concepts of Print, K4 Assessment: DRA (K4, K – 4th) Assessment: Literacy Checklist K3-1st (Sight Words & Comprehension) Interactive Writing Journals & Writing Journals Writing Journals 5 Days a Week Independent 5 Days a Week 5 Days a Week Writing Independent Writing Center Independent Writing Center Independent Writing Center

Assessment: Writing Checklist K3-1st, Monthly Portfolios Phonics  Begin with letters in  Focus on consonants,  Focus on consonants, Wright & child’s name vowels, some blends long and short vowels, Benchmark  Focus on consonants  Cumulative Letter double vowels, blends, Phonics Introduction endings  Decodable Readers  Decodable Readers

Assessment: Literacy Checklist K3-1st; DIBELS, K-1 Phonemic  Rhyming Words  Begin the same  Deletes a syllable Awareness  Syllables  End the same  Produces vowel  Same middle sound substitution  Identify beginning  Deletes initial, and end sounds final sounds  Segments and  Deletes initial and blends a word final phoneme in a  Substitutes initial blend and final sounds Assessment: Literacy Checklist K3-1st, DIBELS K4-1 Shared Big Books, poems, taped recorded , Readers Theater, word walls Reading Interactive Daily Read Alouds from a variety of genres to model Comprehension Strategies Read Aloud Independent Reading Daily independent reading time from class libraries, browsing boxes Shared Writing Response charts, class books, morning message, Comprehension Charts, Word Walls

Tyrone Area Elementary School Comprehensive Curriculum aligned to Pa Core Standards K3, K4, Full-Day Kindergarten & 1st Grade

Comprehensive Curriculum  Our Math and Science Curriculums are guided by the Pennsylvania Core Standards  Curriculum Core Teams (PreK – 4th) meet to ensure horizontal and vertical articulation of curriculum and assessments

K3, K4 Kindergarten 1st Grade

Math Everyday Math  Hands-on lessons using a variety of manipulatives  Problem Solving  Conceptual Understanding  Number & Fact Practice  Collaborative Learning  Independent Math Center

PATHS PATHS: Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies

& Second Step Second Step Social & Emotional Curriculum

Social Based on Themes Studies Integrated with Literacy and Math Fieldtrip planned to extend learning

Science Based on Themes Integrated with Literacy & Math The lessons include many hands-on experiments and activities Fieldtrips planned to extend learning

Tyrone Area Elementary School A Balanced Literacy Program K3, K4, Kindergarten & 1st Grade Benefits and Implementation Component Benefits Instructional Strategies & Activities

 Provides adult model of fluent,  Big Books, Trade Books phrased reading  Read a variety of genres to build Interactive Read  Develops sense of story story knowledge and vocabulary Aloud  Develops vocabulary &  Model fluent, phrased, expressive background knowledge reading The teacher reads  Provides demonstration of selection aloud to comprehension strategies students  Develops vocabulary &  Class made books Shared Reading background knowledge  Big Books, poems & songs  Develops sense of story content  Audio taped books, poems Teacher and students  Develops fluency and phrasing  Computer Interactive Storybooks  Demonstrates reading strategies (starfall.com) read text together  Provides sight word practice  Read environmental print such as  Models Comprehension word walls, word splashes Strategies  Model Comprehension Strategies  Builds Phonemic Awareness (Before, during & after reading)  Identifies the conventions of  Use highlighting tape or Wikki sticks print to draw attention to high frequency words  Model Reading Strategies  Use Guess the Covered Word Activities  Integrate Phonemic Awareness  Promotes reading strategies  Word Work Guided Reading  Increases comprehension  Sight Word Activities  Encourages independent  Before during and after strategies Teacher introduces a  Develops vocabulary and  Look across the word activities selection at students background knowledge  Phonemic Awareness & Phonics instructional level  Provides reading at the child’s Activities instructional level  Repeated readings to build fluency  Provides support to the reader  Choral Reading, Paired or Buddy  Allows for dynamic, flexible Reading, Echo Reading, Popcorn groups Reading  All children read the whole text  Provides opportunity for daily evaluation through RR and teacher observations  Encourages strategic Reading  Repeated reading activities to Independent  Increases comprehension improve accuracy, speed and  Develops Fluency expression Reading  Promotes reading for enjoyment  Sustained Silent Reading and information  Class made books Students read  Develops vocabulary and  Paired & Buddy Reading independently background knowledge  Reading the Room: Word Walls, Word Banks, Word Splashes, Poems, Songs  Reading Response Journal  Literacy Centers  Cut-up sentences  Pocket Chart Activities  Readers Theater

 Develops Concepts of Print  Create Word Walls, Word Banks,  Develops Writing Strategies Word Splashes Modeled/Shared  Provides model for a variety of  Build Environmental Print: Label the Writing writing styles room  Models the connection among  Morning Message Teacher and students and between sounds, letters,  Create Class made books collaborate to write text; and words  Recording Observations  Produces text that students can  Graphic Organizers teacher acts as a scribe read independently  KWLH Charts  Builds vocabulary  Story Maps  Helps develop Phonemic  Integrate Phonemic Awareness & Awareness Phonics activities into your writing  Provides the opportunity to activities teach children to use the print in  Write all consonants in blue & all the room in their writing vowels in red  Model use of Word Walls, Word Banks & Word Splashes in your writing  Demonstrate proper letter formation & conventions  Provides opportunity to plan  Writing/Mini Lessons Interactive and construct text  Build Word Walls, Word Banks &  Increases spelling knowledge Word Splashes together Writing  Produces written language  Build Environmental Print: Label the resources in the classroom Room Teacher and students  Creates opportunity to apply  Morning Message compose together using a what has been learned  Class Made Books “shared pen” technique in  Supports Phonemic Awareness  Recording Observations which the students do and Phonics acquisition  Graphic Organizers some of the writing  Provides the opportunity for  KWLH Charts students to use the print in the  Story Maps

classroom (Word Walls, Word  Integrate Phonics & Phonemic Banks, Word Splashes) Awareness activities into your writing activities  Write all consonants in blue & all vowels in red  Model use of Word Walls, Word Banks & Word Splashes in your writing  Demonstrate proper letter formation & conventions  Develops understanding of  Writing/Mini Lessons multiple uses of writing  Journal Writing Independent  Supports reading development  Author’s Chair Writing  Develops writing strategies  Activities in Literacy Centers  Develops independent use of  Activities in Writing Centers Students write Phonics and Phonemic  Labeling the Room independently Awareness skills  Write Retellings  Develops story sequence  Complete Graphic Organizers

 Provides the opportunity for  Response Journal students to use the print in the  Writing captions for pictures classroom (Word Walls, Word  Provide practice in different types Banks, Word Splashes) of writing:  Develops use of a varied Narrative, Informational, Persuasive vocabulary  Class made books  Encourage use of Word Walls & Banks, & Word Splashes

Tyrone Area Elementary School Essential Components of Effective Reading Instruction

Information based on the book Teach Them All to Read: Catching the Kids Who Fall Through the Cracks, by Elaine McEwan. This information is also based on the recommendations from The National Reading Panel.

The 2 pieces that are crucial to unlocking the written code are: 1. Explicit Phonemic Awareness Instruction Phonemic Awareness is more highly related to learning to read than tests of general intelligence, reading readiness, and listening comprehension. (Stanovich, 1986, 1993) Support for phonemic awareness should occur in K3, K4, Kindergarten and First Grade (Yopp, 1992). 2. Explicit Phonics Instruction Young readers must develop fast, accurate decoding skills; and research verifies that they are much more likely to do so if they receive a good program of Phonics Instruction. At this point it is essential that both Phonemic Awareness and phonics be mutually integrated into, shared and guided reading, writing activities and spelling. The students must develop: 3. Fluency Fluent reading is a major goal of reading instruction because decoding print accurately and effortlessly enables students to read for meaning. Students who decode words effortlessly can focus more of their conscious attention to making meaning from text (Bevins, 2001). By the end of 1st grade students should be able to read 40-60 words a minute to be considered fluent. The pieces essential to gaining meaning from text for the purposes of both learning and enjoyment: 4. Vocabulary: Language Building Reading comprehension can be closely estimated by measures of their vocabulary. In the interest of vocabulary development, children must read and be read to as much as possible. Knowledge Building Again to build background knowledge children must read and be read to as much as possible. 5. Explicit Instruction in Cognitive Strategies (Comprehension) Research shows that children’s reflective control of text can be improved through direct instruction in comprehension strategies. Children need instructed in before, during and after reading comprehension strategies.