Elementary ELA

Have you noticed that the pacing guides have been updated in the curriculum folder? It is year three of our Wonders adoption and there have been updates made to the pacing guides for each grade level. All components of wonders are paced each week according to the categories of phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, structural analysis, high frequency words, vocabulary and comprehension. Corresponding TE pages and Reading and Writing Companion pages have been added. It incorporates research-based best practices that are grounded in the science of reading. For more information regarding your specific grade level's pacing guides, visit the 2024-2025 Curriculum Folder for Elementary.

New this year is the use of the Wonders Unit Assessments for Grades K-5. Want to know more about your students and their progress? After administering the unit assessments, teachers are able to review data to make more impactful and strategic adjustments to instruction. The unit assessments are generated from Wonders and capture information on items such as phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. It measures skills that are taught in the Wonders program and aligns with grade level standards. If you would like time to explore how to use this data, please reach out to our coaches Tracy Zarei-King, Kate McNeill, or myself.

Small group reading instruction involves grouping students together to target a specific skill and need. They are to be conducted during the reading block. Assessment data is utilized to form the groups and a skill should be identified. The teacher utilizes materials from the Wonders curriculum to match the skill gap and student need. According to an ASCD article co-authroued by Nell Duke, groups should be seen "at least two to three times per week" with additional time reserved for students that have "greater instructional needs".

On the other hand, interventions are a set of practices that assist students who are experiencing difficulty and occur in addition or outside of the reading block. These groups are formed based on data and provide targeted Tier 2 or Tier 3 instruction. It incorporates scaffolded and explicit instruction. Frequency on delivery instruction should be three to five times per week for 20-40 minutes.

For more information on small group instruction or intervention please see the following articles.

Turn Small Reading Groups into Big Wins

What are the best strategies for Small Group Instruction?

Reading Interventions for Students Struggling to Read

In place of previous programs such as LEXIA in Grades 2-5 and Reading A to Z, we’re excited to introduce Wonders Adaptive, a comprehensive tool that supports foundational reading skills across grade levels. Additionally, teachers continue to have access to EPIC, a fantastic, free digital library offering an extensive collection of ebooks and audiobooks to keep kids engaged and excited about reading. Here is a link to the recording of Wonders Adaptive training . The passcode for the video is Ty$?P8T?.

I’m excited to share an opportunity to participate in the LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training available through our district. We’re forming a KPS cohort, and you’re invited to join!

LETRS is a comprehensive professional development course designed to deepen your knowledge of reading, spelling, and language skills. This training provides educators with effective tools and strategies that can be applied across any reading program, enhancing instructional practices and student outcomes.

To learn more about the LETRS KPS cohort, please join one of the virtual informational sessions:

• Wednesday, November 6th, 4:00-4:30 PM (Link)

If you have any questions and are unable to attend one of the two information sessions, please feel free to reach out to me.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

We're excited to introduce our new Elementary ELA Google Classroom! This dedicated space will be a hub for sharing valuable resources to support learning in English Language Arts. We’ll be posting a variety of materials, from instructional guides to interactive tools, designed to enhance ELA learning and teaching. As we’re in the early stages of building this resource, we encourage you to explore and check back often for new updates. Together, we’ll make this a dynamic space that supports our ELA community. Here is the link to join!