Characteristics of Effective Curriculum
- The curriculum is aligned to grade level, state and national standards and addresses reading for literacy and informational text, writing, speaking and listening, language, and foundational skills.
- The curriculum reflects the synchrony of reading and writing – progression of the reading/writing phases – beginning with a deep understanding of foundational skills.
- The curriculum includes systems of strategic actions for thinking within the text, beyond the text, and about the text.
- Students experience lessons and tasks that are selected and sequenced to maximize student learning.
- Students are exposed to a range of high quality literary and informational texts and media.
- Students experience writing in a variety of genres including opinion/argument, narrative, informative/explanatory, research-based , poetry, plays, etc.
- Students experience opportunities to manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple types of information.
- Students have access to resources that will support their personal growth as readers and writers.
- Students are provided a significant time for reading/writing to transfer what they have been taught while being coached through difficulty.
- Students are explicitly taught strategies and skills to approach any text.
- Students not only experience reading and writing according to grade level standards but opportunities to read and write at their independent level.
- Students have the opportunity to use technology to enhance reading, writing, speaking and listening.