ILA (Integrated Language Arts) consists of three main components: Reading, Writing and Word Study. In addition, students will work on mastering skills related to Speaking and Listening. The Reading and Writing units follow a workshop model that allows students to receive individualized instruction in addition to whole-group and small-group instruction.
Reading:
Students should be reading a variety of genres this year. They must practice and maintain fluency while using various reading strategies to improve comprehension. It is expected that students read a just-right book and work on writing about their reading 4 nights a week for at least 20 minutes each night. While reading, they should be stopping and jotting (at least 1 quick jot each time) in order to reflect on their thoughts. These quick jots not only allow the teacher to monitor students, but they serve as helpful notes for students when they need to discuss or write about their book at a later time. Once a week, students should write long about their book in order to expand upon their ideas. This will be checked every Monday.
Students' Reading Notebooks will contain all of their notes and work throughout the year. This artifact is very valuable and should be cherished and well taken care of. Students should make sure all pages contain a heading and are neat and clean. While reading, students should add at least 1 new or interesting vocabulary word to their glossary. The Reading notebook will be collected and graded approximately once a month, and students should use the Reading Notebook Rubric to ensure that they have met the requirements.
Writing:
Students will practice writing a variety of genres this year - from narrative writing to expository writing. Some writing assignments will be timed while others will be worked on at home and at school over the course of a unit. Students will be encouraged to use mentor texts as a way of studying strong writing, and they should try to implement what they observe in those texts in their own writing. Students' Writing notebooks will contain all of their notes and daily writing work. This artifact is very valuable and should be cherished and well taken care of. Writing rubrics will be provided to students for each unit to help them reflect on their work before turning it in.
Word Study:
This year we will continue to use Words Their Way. Students will placed in differentiated groups based on their spelling needs (determined by an assessment of 31 words throughout the school year). Each day, students will complete an activity in class to review the week's spelling rule/pattern. It is recommended that they continue to review for their spelling assessment by completing the extra activities listed in their notebook. Students should not only focus on spelling the words correctly, but understanding the rules behind the English language that contribute to those spellings as this will assist them in the future when trying to learn new words with similar patterns. We will not have Words Their Way every week.
