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Literacy

Profile of A Lifelong Learner

 

At its simplest, literacy is the way that we interact with the world around us, how we shape it and are shaped by it. It is how we communicate with others via reading and writing, but also by speaking, listening, and creating. It is how we articulate our experience in the world and declare, “We Are Here!” - National Council of English Teachers

 

Literacy in FPS

It is critical that students develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in order for them to engage in and with the world. Literacy is how students build and share knowledge, making it necessary for students to use these skills throughout the school day within authentic learning experiences. Each day, students should find themselves using and deepening their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Diverse texts are a central part of a student's literacy experience.

 

The Elementary Literacy Experience

Kindergarten students sit in a circle as they participate in a Socratic Seminar with their teacher.

Elementary students in grades K-2 have opportunities to build foundational reading skills through daily whole class and small group lessons, with embedded independent practice activities aligned to their learning goals.  

With foundational skills as a foundation, all K-5 students learn English Language Arts concepts through an integrated approach that provides them with daily opportunities to engage in authentic reading, writing, speaking and listening activities while also building their knowledge of the world through daily theme-based module lessons.  Students have daily opportunities to engage with the content through collaborative discussion with peers during activities like Socratic Seminar, Think-Pair-Share,Fishbowl, and Mix and Mingle. 

Grammar lessons are woven throughout to support students in developing language skills such as vocabulary, sentence structure, and proper punctuation.

The Secondary Literacy Experience

In each unit, students encounter topics that center their reading and writing experiences. Students will experience reading and writing with a wide range of texts (narrative, informational, visual, etc.) on a wide range of topics, from a wide range of perspectives. Common anchor texts and choice texts will be read throughout the year. With our units being built upon workshop principles, students have the opportunity to independently select and engage in a wide range of reading experiences and volume of reading is critical. Students will engage in deep discussions on a regular basis to deepen their knowledge and views. Authentic writing and purposes are critical in engaging students in writing instruction that will develop their independence as writers within the classroom and beyond. Students will investigate grammatical structures as they impact meaning and intention in their writing.