Reading Curriculum
Literacy Classes: Students enrolled in Literacy Learning or Literacy Skills will be encouraged to read and comprehend grade-level fiction and non-fiction materials competently. Literacy Skills students may require a more flexible pacing of instruction and choice of selections read. Course materials include Prentice Hall Literature, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Collections, district approved whole class reading titles, and self-selected reading books. Topics of instruction concentrate on study skills, strategies for reading fiction and non-fiction texts, vocabulary development, comprehenion skills, writing responses, PSSA preparation, and familiarizing students with how to access and appreciate various genres of noteworthy adolescent literature.
Expectations: Students are required to bring a self-selected book, their white Reading binder, agenda planner, and at least three pencils or erasable pens to class every day. Silent reading opportunities will be incorporated into class time on a weekly basis. Homework each evening should include silent reading and reflection with the goal of reading approximately six books each marking period. Parents will find that periodically taking time to discuss what their children are reading is always beneficial. Students will be working toward the district's goal of reading 25 books per school year.
Assessments: Evaluating the progress of students occurs in various ways: tests involving multiple-choice and essay formats, book talks, written responses to pieces of literature, and completion of projects, self-selected from a differentiated list. The Classrom Diagnostic Tools Assessment (CDT) will be administered two times a school year to evaluate growth in comprehension and vocabulary skills. An additional program entitled Read Naturally requires students to independently read, comprehend, and answer questions using various non-fiction selections in order to encourage and gauge growth in reading levels.
