Reading:

Here at Manning Oaks, reading is taught using a variety of different resources such Units of Studies and using the workshop model for instruction.   The primary focus, however is on teaching reading skills as outlined in the Georgia Performance Standards.. The Georgia Department of Education provides the Georgia Standards of Excellence for courses from kindergarten to 12th grade. Teacher leaders in Fulton County Schools have prioritized standards in each course. For each prioritized standard, there is learning map that outlines the knowledge and skills students must learn to master the standard. The knowledge and skills needed for mastery are organized by proficiency level.

Here is the link to view the  Georgia Standards for each grade level.

We encourage you to listen to the message from Assistant Superintendent of Learning and Teaching, Amy Barger, who explains Standards Mastery Framework and then view the learning maps for each grade level on the FCS website under the Elementary School ELA Resources.

Why Workshop?

The Reading Workshop model approach to instruction recognizes that “one size fits all” does not match the realities of the classrooms and schools in which they work. When you walk into a workshop classroom at any given moment, you’ll see instruction that is designed to:

• help teachers address each child’s individual learning,
• explicitly teach strategies students will use not only the day they are taught, but whenever they need them,
• support small-group work and conferring, with multiple opportunities for personalizing instruction,
• tap into the power of a learning community as a way to bring all learners along,
• build choice and assessment-based learning into the very design of the curriculum,
• help students work with engagement so that teachers are able to coach individuals and lead small groups.

The routines and structures of reading and writing workshop are kept simple and predictable so that the teacher can focus on the complex work of teaching in a responsive manner to accelerate achievement for all learners.

To learn more about Reading Workshop, head to Literacy Today.

The Lexile Framework for Reading

The Lexile® Framework is an educational tool that links text complexity and readers’ ability on a common scale metric known as the Lexile.  A student receives a Lexile reader measure as a score from the Iready diagnostic; the Lexile describes the student’s reading ability. Books and other texts also have a Lexile measure associated with them, and this Lexile describes the book's reading demand or difficulty.  When used together, these measures can help match a reader with reading material that is at an appropriate difficulty level, or help give an idea of how well a reader will comprehend a text.

In Georgia students will receive a Lexile measure when they receive a scale score on the Georgia Milestones End of Grade or End of Course English Language Arts (ELA) assessment in grades 3-5  This Lexile is based on the reading portion of the ELA test.

Lexile information can be a resource for parents and educators that focuses on improving reading skills and increasing adolescent literacy. A student’s Lexile measure can be used to monitor his or her growth in reading ability over time. 

We also access our students reading levels using the Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) to determine a student’s independent and instructional reading levels.  The BAS enables a teacher to observe reading behaviors as well as overall comprehension of the text.

Phonics

Phonics is taught direct and explicit  in grades K-2 in a fun and interactive manner.  In grades 3-5 word morphology, syllable types  and vocabulary is the focus of instruction.   Each unit of study in phonics aligns with the reading and writing units of study. The units focus on features of phonics, high frequency words, and numerous ways to extend instruction through small groups to reinforce foundational skills. The sessions are engaging for students and provide many opportunities for students to transfer phonics learning into their reading and writing work. The sessions are engaging for students and provide many opportunities for students to transfer phonics learning into their reading and writing work. 

A Workshop Model Instruction for Kindergarten–Grade 5

High Expectations, Achievable Goals

The reading workshop model for instruction help teachers provide their students with instruction, opportunities for practice, and concrete doable goals to help them meet and exceed any set of high standards. 

A Clear Instructional Arc

Each reading unit represents about five to six weeks of teaching focusing on specific standards with the unit whether it be literacy or informational text.

Phonics, Grades K–2:

• Provide a lean and concise instructional pathway in phonics that is realistic and doable, and that taps into kids’ skills and energy for tackling the fabulous challenge of learning to read and write,
• Introduce high-leverage phonics concepts and strategies in a way that keeps pace with students' reading and writing and helps them understand when, how, and why they can use phonics to read and write,
• Offer delightfully fun and engaging storylines, classroom mascots, songs, chants, rhymes, and games to help students fall head over heels in love with phonics and to create a joyous community of learners,
• Align with state-of-the-art reading and writing workshops for a coherent approach in which terminology, tools, rituals, and methods are shared in ways that benefit both teachers and kids.

Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing

A Workshop Curriculum for Kindergarten-Grade 5

High Expectations, Achievable Goals

The writing units of study help teachers provide their students with instruction, opportunities for practice, and concrete doable goals to help them meet and exceed any set of high standards.

A Clear Instructional Arc

Each writing unit represents about five to six weeks of teaching, structured into three or four “bends in the road.” Rather than tackling the entire journey all at once, it’s easier to embark on this series of shorter, focused bends, pausing between each to regroup and prepare for the next.