120-Minute Literacy Block
This year, teachers and students in all kindergarten through Grade 5 classrooms are following a 120-minute literacy block. This block of time provides a common way that will help our students transition more easily between grade levels and schools.
Here’s what a typical literacy block (or class period) looks like.
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Time
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Reading and Writing Instruction
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What teachers and students are doing
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20 minutes
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Phonics and Morphology
Phonics is teaching students how to connect sounds of language with corresponding letters or groups of letters, as well as teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce unknown words.
Morphology is giving students the skills to study word patterns and structures of language, such as meaningful word parts (like root words, prefixes, etc.). |
- Teachers guide students through a series of practice exercises of how words and word patterns work.
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60 minutes
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Reading Instruction
- 30-35 minutes: Shared Reading of Complex Text
- 20-25 minutes: Small Group Instructional Time
- Independent Reading
- Guided Reading
- Literacy Work Stations
- 5 minutes: Share and Final Check for Understanding
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- Teacher models the reading strategies to students and provides supports while reading.
- Students are actively engaged in discussion around text.
- The teacher provides opportunities for review and practice of the new skills presented.
- Teacher meets with small groups of students to target specific reading skills where students need extra support.
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40 minutes
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- 5-10 minutes: Mini-lesson on specific writing strategy
- 25-30 minutes: Student writing practice
- 5 minutes: Share and reflect on student work
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- Teachers guide students through a series of practice exercises on writing strategies.
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