Read Well by 3rd Grade Plan
As written in MN Statute 120B.12, a school district must adopt a local literacy plan to have every child reading at or above grade level no later than the end of grade 3. A local literacy “plan must include a process to assess students’ level of reading proficiency, notify and involve parents, intervene with students who are not reading at or above grade level, and identify and meet staff development needs. The district must post its literacy plan on the official school district Web site.”
Reading Well by Third Grade is one of many developmental milestones in a child’s educational experience. Literacy development starts at an early age and is the basis for all academic success. Reading Well by Grade Three ensures that a student has a solid foundation of literacy skills to continue to expand their understandings of what they read, make meaning, and transfer that learning across all subject areas. Instruction that provides the basis for all students to read well by third grade and beyond will help close the achievement gap and ensure that all students are ready for the demands of college and the workplace. From cradle to career, a sustained effort to create quality literacy environments in all of our schools and programs from birth through grade 12 promotes academic success.
Goals and Objectives
Cologne Academy’s Literacy Plan describes the district’s practices and procedures to reach the goal of having all students, by the end of their third grade year, reach or exceeds proficiency as measured by the MCA-III Reading Assessment.
CURRICULUM
The National Reading Panel Report (2000)
The panel determined that effective instruction includes teaching children to break apart and manipulate the sounds in words (phonemic awareness), teaching that these sounds are represented by letters that can be blended (phonics), having children read aloud while providing guidance, teaching word meanings, and providing comprehension strategies
- Phonemic Awareness: the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words
- Phonics: the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. For example, learning that the letter ‘b’ represents the /b/ sound
- Fluency: the capacity to read text accurately and quickly
- Vocabulary: the words students must know to communicate effectively through listening, speaking, reading and writing
- Comprehension: the ability to understand and gain meaning from what has been read
The core K-2 reading program is a balanced literacy approach that focuses on the five key components of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension. The central focus of the balanced literacy approach is meeting the MN state standards. To support instruction of these literacy components, teachers use: interactive read-alouds, shared reading, word study, strategy groups, guided reading groups, and independent reading stations.
INSTRUCTION
Flexible Grouping
Flexible grouping is used with all students in grades 3-8. Assessment data is used to place students into literacy groups at their instructional level. The groups are flexible allowing students to move to a group that provides a different level of instruction geared more specific to their needs. The goal of flexible grouping is to provide instruction at each student’s instructional level so all students, regardless of their ability, make adequate growth in their reading skills.
Intervention Practices for a Below-level Reader
- Student is placed in an appropriate literacy group to receive instruction that is designed to meet their specific academic needs.
- Students receive additive reading instruction from Reading Corps volunteers. (Grades K-3 only)
- Students receive additive instruction from the reading specialist/interventionist.
FAMILY AND TEACHING RESOURCES
Resources for Families
Learn To Read
A free website to teach children to read. Perfect for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Contains exciting interactive books and phonics games.
Sadlier-Oxford :: Phonics Student Online Components
Mathematics Vocabulary Phonics Grammar & Writing Reading
Books and Reading | Parents | Scholastic.com
Find books and reading help to get your child set for success.
US Department of Education Information
Information on how to obtain Government publications featuring the latest research and most effective practices in subjects such as reading, homework and staying drug free.
PBS Kids: Ready to Learn
Easy-to-use learning resources for students, parents, caregivers and teachers to help children ages 2 to 8 get ready to read.
Department of Education Early Learning Services – Parent Resources
Information about children’s learning, development, health and safety.
Chateau Meddybemps Early Learning Resources
Resources to help young children strengthen learning skills using the characters and stories of the island of Meddybemps.
PBS Kids
Games, activities and parenting advice.
Resources for Kindergarten to Grade Five
Lexia
This site is available to all of our students. Logins and passwords can be obtained from your student’s teacher.
Into the Book: Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies
Into the Book focuses on eight reading comprehension strategies for grades 1-4. Kids area has interactive activities and teacher area features for each strategy.
RIF Reading Planet
Cover Story is a feature on Rasco From RIF where RIF’s CEO Carol Rasco shares with you the “face” of a book that has caught her eye or that readers have submitted.
Get Ready to Read
Get Ready to Read. … Get Ready to Read! is designed to support educators, parents, and young children in the development of early literacy skills in the years
Reading Rockets
Offers strategies, lessons,activities and ideas designed to help young children learn to read.
Reading A-Z: The online leveled reading program
Award-winning reading solution with thousands of leveled readers, lesson plans, worksheets and assessments to teach guided reading, reading proficiency
Childrens Picture Book Database
A keyword-searchable database of over 4000 picture books; includes abstracts, subject classification, and Web links
Giggle Poetry
Children’s poetry by Meadowbrook Press. Lots of funny poems, poetry contests and more! Ideas for educators on teaching poetry in fun and interesting way
Elementary Writing Resources
Find Elementary Writing Resources at Internet 4 Classrooms, internet resources for teachers and students, children and parents
Read Well
Read Well®, a K–2 reading and language arts curriculum, will give even your most struggling youngsters the skills they need to become good readers.
Study Zone: Upper Beginner
The Study Zone is for students of the English Language Centre (ELC) at the University of Victoria. The English-language lessons and practice exercises are created by teachers at the ELC. While the site is designed to support our adult English-language learners, all are welcome to read the lessons and use the exercises.
A free website that supports children’s vocabulary development
Learn To Read
A free website to teach children to read. Perfect for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Contains exciting interactive books and phonics games.
Resources for Literacy Professional Development
PBS Teachers – Resources for Professional Development
NSDC – National Staff Development Council
Minnesota Staff Development Council
Resources for Literacy Professional Organizations
Phi Delta Kappa International, The Professional Association in Education
National Council of Teachers of English
Minnesota Department of Education
IRA International Reading Association
CCSSO
Council of Chief State School Officers/INTASC Standards Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC)
Minnesota ASCD- MN Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development
ASCD – Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Resources for Literacy Professional Resources
Reading Online: New Literacies
National Research Center on English Learning & Achievement
NCLB – No Child Left Behind – Edgov U.S. Department of Education
NBPTS – National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
NAEP – National Center for Education Statistics – U.S. Department of Education
MRA Minnesota Reading Association
Minnesota Department of Education
Knowledge Loom: Early Literacy in the Spotlight
IRA International Reading Association
FREE: Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
Teaching & Learning Resources
CIERA: Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement