Memo
From: Linda Baker, Elementary Reading/Language Arts Coordinator
To: Reading/ELA Teachers Grades K-6
Subject: Important Information for Planning Instruction
Welcome back, teachers. As we continue to address the many changes that we are experiencing in the
field of education, we are focused on collaborating with teams of teachers to create materials that will
provide guidance and support for classroom instruction. All materials were created using the structure
and organization or the LDOE Guidebooks in order to assist in bridging to the LDOE Units. Most of what
has been done is posted on either the TPSS Blackboard site and/or on the TPSS Curriculum web page.
Here are a few highlights of things you will wish to access and some indicators of things to come.
Reading/ELA Curriculum Plan for 2014/15:
Kindergarten through 2nd grade will continue to use StoryTown materials while implementing the
changes indicated on the new Pacing Guides located on Blackboard. You will find that the units have
been modified and aligned with the structure of the Louisiana Department of Education Guidebooks.
You will want to look closely at those changes and adjust your planning accordingly.
Grades 3 through 6 may continue to utilize StoryTown materials while implementing the changes
indicated in the new Pacing Guides posted on Blackboard for the first semester (please note the changes
that have been made to the order and content of the StoryTown materials). The district has designated
two units for each grade that will be taught during the second semester. These designated units must be
taught in the prescribed order. Schools may choose to select LDOE Units to implement during the first
semester. However, the district will not be able to supply the text for those units.
Assessments
Teams of teachers have been working to create Common Core aligned assessments for each unit in
grades K-6. These assessments will be posted on Blackboard with additional instructions and
recommendations after August 8th. Because the unit assessments are significantly different from the old
StoryTown assessments, you are advised to examine them closely prior to planning for lessons. The
assessments will include some examples of Daily Tasks that prepare students for the Unit Assessments,
and the LDOE Guidebooks have sample Daily Tasks that can be adapted and added to StoryTown lessons
to increase the rigor and provide students with additional opportunities to write to text.
Reading Foundations for Grades K through 5 are not addressed systematically in the LDOE Guidebooks.
Building the Foundation is a document posted on Blackboard that includes the CCSS standards for each
grade along with the sub-skills required to support that standard and instructional examples of each
sub- skill. This document may be used with StoryTown materials to ensure that students receive
adequate instructions reading foundations.