Classroom Practices
For Supporting Early Literacy Instruction
in TCRSB
Learning to read and write is complicated, important work. To be successful, children must internalize a complex set of
attitudes, understandings, and behaviours (Taberski, p. 3). At the centre of this process is the teacher: the most powerful
agent of change in the classroom. Nothing else - not materials, approaches, or initiatives- no other factor has the potential for
positive impact on student learning as time spent with a knowledgeable, caring teacher. While teachers at all levels and in all
classrooms carry this awesome power, it is, arguably, teachers of the early grades who have the greatest influence on the
future success of students.
Teachers of Grades Primary to Three in Tri-County Regional School Board (TCRSB) follow the direction of the Nova Scotia
Department of Education as described in the Atlantic Canada English Language Arts Curriculum (P-3) and its
companion document: Teaching in Action (P-3). In keeping with provincial guidelines, teachers of the early grades follow
the principles of Active Young Readers which mandate a minimum of 60 minutes of uninterrupted time for reading and
reading instruction daily. This Active Reading Hour provides opportunities for students to read independently, to participate
in guided reading sessions as well as shared reading experiences, and to engage in oral language opportunities. Teachers also
use this time for assessment of student reading using observation, oral reading records, conferences, interviews and other
diagnostic tools.
The Atlantic Canada English Language Arts Curriculum (P-3) is divided into ten (10) General Curriculum Outcomes
(GCOs) which are further delineated by a number of Specific Curriculum Outcomes (SCOs). These outcomes are separated into
three strands covering the major components of literacy learning:
Reading and Viewing
Speaking and Listening
Writing and Other Ways of Representing
The teacher’s role in reading instruction is crucial and can be broken down into these main facets:
 Assess children’s reading and make decisions for next steps of instruction
 Demonstrate effective reading strategies
 Provide children with opportunities to read and practice a variety of approaches to text
 Respond to student reading, and encourage students to reflect on their reading process both orally and in writing
(Taberski, p. 6)
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Teachers of Grades Primary to Three in Tri-County Regional School Board are encouraged to adopt a workshop model as an
instructional framework for the Active Reading Hour. Following this framework, classes are conducted through focused lessons
(mini lessons) followed by active practice and reflection. Teachers use the Gradual Release of Responsibility, in which
they model, monitor and modify literacy skills and strategies.
(The workshop model) fosters the individualized instruction that we implement in order to meet a wide range of academic and linguistic needs. It
enables us to expose our (students) to content through interactive experiences, with guided practice, during whole-group lessons. Then they have
opportunities to apply their learning in small-group settings. (Johnson and Keier, p. 49)
It is understood by teachers of Grades Primary to Three in Tri-County Regional School Board that literacy learning is a
developmental process and that students progress through discrete stages: emergent, early, transitional, fluent, as they
mature as readers. We know that young readers need time for independent reading of “just right” texts every day in order to
progress through these stages. These texts are levelled (either by letter or by number) according to the attributes of the text
so that teachers can effectively guide students to material which they can read independently with success. While the process
of learning to read is an individual one, in Tri-County Regional School Board, there are broad grade-level expectations of the
reading levels students should attain at various points each year (Primary to Three) (See pp. 11- 17-34- 38). Individual student
reading levels are never used to retain a child, but instead, to inform instruction and to track progress.
Reading and Viewing:
Within the Reading and Viewing strand, teachers instruct young readers keeping in mind the three main indicators of successful
reading: accuracy, fluency and comprehension.
In the early grades, accuracy is often affected by phonological awareness, letter identification, knowledge of high-frequency
(“No Excuses”) words, and general vocabulary acquisition. Through carefully planned games, word wall and word study
activities, students acquire and expand vocabulary. (See Spelling Primary-9 Document)
As they mature as readers, students are able to read with phrasing and expression. Teachers, most often through read aloud,
model fluency for their students. Teachers in Tri-County Regional School Board understand that pacing and phrasing have a
strong impact on comprehension.
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Teachers in Tri-County Regional School Board are aware that reading without comprehension is not really reading, and that
proficient readers use the following strategies:
 Activate prior knowledge
 Create visual and sensory images from text as they read
 Draw inferences to form conclusions
 Ask questions (of themselves, of the author)
 Determine the important themes and ideas
 Synthesize what they read to create new understandings (Miller, p 8)
These comprehension strategies are taught by exposing students to carefully-planned mini-lessons based on well-written fiction
and non-fiction. Each strategy is taught separately and in depth, and is revisited and expanded as new strategies are
introduced. Teachers employ think-aloud techniques to make children aware of the in-the-head work readers do. (See:
Guided Reading, Fountas and Pinnell)
Speaking and Listening:
Activities and strategies which support the development of Speaking and Listening are interwoven with reading and viewing
experiences. Teachers must provide frequent oral language experiences for students and be diligent in their observations and
assessments of student progress.
Writing and Other Ways of Representing:
Learning to write, just like learning to read, is a developmental process and students progress through discrete stages:
emergent, early, transitional and fluent. Teachers of Grades Primary to Three in Tri-County Regional School Board
understand that, while the writing process will look different at different stages, students can engage in writing activities
(through shared and modelled experiences) from their first day of school. (Teaching in Action P-3, p. 43)
Balanced writing instruction in the early grades involves students in modelled writing, interactive and shared writing, guided
writing, and independent writing. Students are actively involved as they develop skills as writers. Teachers in Tri-County
Regional School Board describe writing characteristics through qualities called Traits of Writing. These traits are ideas,
organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions. Making students aware of these traits in the early grades
will set them on a track for future success in writing.
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Effective Assessment Practices for Literacy:
In order to effectively assess student attainment of the literacy outcomes, teachers must have knowledge of the developmental
stages and be mindful of the following:
Reading and Viewing:
 Enjoyment
 Independent and instructional reading levels
 Comprehension, fluency, accuracy
 Comfort with a variety of genres
 Use of/knowledge of strategies for comprehension and word solving
Writing:
 Teachers provide a range of writing opportunities
 Students need authentic purposes for writing
 Student engagement in writing increases when they have choice in terms of topic, form etc.
 Student engagement in writing increases when they write for an authentic audience
 Student acquisition of the conventions of print takes time and should not be the focus of writing evaluation
Speaking and Listening:
 Students benefit from having a range of opportunities
 Active listening skills must be taught
 Conversational skills must be taught
Feedback:
Students benefit from clear feedback which highlights areas of strength and next steps for improvement.
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For a majority of children it doesn’t matter which theory the teacher
subscribes to. But our biggest concern is for the struggling readers.
For them, we would argue strongly, it does matter which theory the
teacher holds. Struggling readers need help constructing a system
that enables them to be successful readers. Therefore, it is crucial
that a teacher, when working with struggling readers, teach from a
reading process theory that includes a network of strategies
operating in an integrated way.
(Johnson and Keier, p. 26)
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Classroom Practices Supporting
Early Elementary
Literacy Instruction
In TCRSB
Grades Primary and One
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Components of Balanced Literacy
Grades Primary and One
Reading:
The goal of a BALANCED reading program is to encourage students to develop strengths in these key areas:
 Accuracy – independent, instructional, fluent
 Fluency – expression, phrasing, punctuation, rate
 Comprehension – literal understanding, deeper comprehension (making connections, questioning, inferring, visualizing,
determining importance, synthesizing)
A BALANCED reading program does not include worksheets.
Time: One Hour Daily (minimum) uninterrupted
(90 minutes recommended)
Components:
The most supportive framework for literacy instruction
is reading and writing to children, with children and by
children in every teaching day.
(Johnson and Keier p. 72)
Mini Lesson:
Reading workshop begins with a mini lesson. Mini lessons focus on specific concepts (text selection, monitoring/self-correcting
strategies, comprehension strategies, word-solving techniques etc.) and are short in duration. Excellent ideas for mini lessons
can be found in:
o Reading with Meaning, Debbie Miller
o Kindergarten Teacher’s Resource Book, Miriam Trehearne
o Of Primary Importance, Ann Marie Corgill
o Growing Readers, Kathy Collins
Read Aloud:
 The teacher reads a variety of texts which are above the independent reading level(s) of the students
 Read-alouds are crucial for vocabulary development and the development of story sense.
 Scaffolding (support for students who are being read to) involves activating their prior knowledge, predicting, and
monitoring their comprehension during the reading.
 The read-aloud experience should be enjoyable.
 The instructional focus in on comprehension.
 There is a balance of fiction and non-fiction.
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

The read-aloud experience can be interactive.
Reading aloud is the single most important activity in order for students to build the knowledge and skills
required for reading. (Trehearne, p. 42)
Shared Reading:
 Students and teacher read all or parts of a text together (often big books, charts etc.)
 The instructional focus can be on comprehension and/or accuracy and fluency.
 There is an opportunity for the teacher to highlight high frequency words, reading vocabulary, as well as onset and rime.
 There is opportunity for discussion which fosters the development of a community of readers and creates a shared love
of stories.
Phonological Awareness:
Phonological Awareness is all about sounds (it could truly be done in the dark!)
The teacher engages the students in phonological awareness experiences using pictures and oral language including:
 Rhyming (recognizing and generating rhyming sounds)
 Segmenting (words, syllables, sounds)
 Isolating sounds (beginning, ending, and middle sounds)
 Blending sounds (blending syllables, blending sounds)
 Substituting sounds (changing word beginnings, making new words)
Enhancing students’ letter knowledge and phonological awareness skills should be a priority goal in
the (primary) classroom.
(Snow, Burns, and Griffin, p.188)
Guided Reading / Small Group Instruction:
Small group reading instruction may not be possible in the primary classroom until classroom routines are firmly
in place. Until the students are ready, teachers are encouraged to continue shared reading experiences.
 The instructional focus can be on comprehension and/or accuracy and fluency.
 The teacher groups students according to strengths and needs.
 The teacher establishes the focus for the group.
 The teacher chooses appropriate texts at the instructional level of the students in the group.
 The teacher provides a brief, appropriate introduction.
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


The teacher monitors the students as they read.
The teacher provides an opportunity to discuss the reading experience and to make meaningful teaching points such as
appropriate book selection.
The teacher has an opportunity to administer running records during small group instruction.
Independent Reading:
 Students read “just right” and easy books independently.
 The teacher confers and monitors student reading strategies and comprehension.
 The teacher collects information about students as readers – interest, comprehension, ability to select appropriate texts.
 The teacher has an opportunity to administer running records or other forms of reading conferences, to both
assess individual students and to provided one-to-one instruction.
Reflection:
 The teacher will focus on the student learning in order to extend and solidify strategy use and comprehension.
 Students will share their understandings and thoughts. (See Happy Reading DVD, Debbie Miller)
Grade Primary
Indicators of Comprehension in Grade Primary:





Student completes sketches/drawings that reflect the content of a text (characters, setting, an event)
(visualizing)
Student composes a short “sentence” that responds to text (prediction, opinion, feeling) (inferring)
Student completes drawings which show a sequence of events or a list of events (determining importance)
Student makes a simple statement which summarizes text (synthesizing)
Student is able to draw or write about something in his/her own life when prompted by a text (making
connections)
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Grade Primary Reading Benchmarks
By the Mid-Point of Grade Primary, 75% of students
should:


Understand left to right, top to bottom directionality
Recognize most letters (with some confusions) and the
corresponding sounds of many consonants






Voice-match with print

Recognize and fill in rhyme patterns that are read to them
Have a sight vocabulary of at least 6-10 words
Be able to read Levels A and B books
Talk about the books they’ve read
Retell books and stories
Understand the difference between reality and
make-believe
By June of Grade Primary, 75% of students
should:




Begin reading levels C and D books


Begin to reread to check meaning
Build a sight word vocabulary in reading of 10-14 words
Isolate words in text when asked
Begin to demonstrate self-monitoring and self-correcting
behaviours
Understand many of the concepts about print:
-Show the front of the book
-Know the difference between picture and print
-Understand directionality (left to right) and word to word
matching
-Understand the difference between letter, word, and
sentence
-Notice print patterns
-Recognize simple punctuation
-Notice small differences in letter shape and order
-Know most upper and lower case letters

 Students should be handling books from the first day of Grade Primary.
 Small group instruction (guided reading) should begin when classroom routines are established. (Aim for the
end of October.)
 When students can one-to-one match and understand directionality, they should work with texts which force
them to look at text (level C). Triple Treats (Scholastic) are very useful for this purpose.
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TCRSB Instructional Reading Expectations
(Reading with 90-94% Accuracy)
Grade Primary
Important:
1. These are instructional targets only. Not all students will reach these benchmarks with their
classmates, but all students can learn to read.
2. In order to make progress as readers, all students must receive reading instruction at their own
instructional reading levels.
3. During independent reading time, students read texts that are at their independent level (easy text).
Grade
Primary
November
See Below
February/March
F&P Levels
A, B
RR Levels
1,2
May/June
F&P Levels
C,D
RR Levels
3-6
In the first term of Grade Primary, teachers will assess their students during a variety of reading experiences:
read aloud, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading opportunities. Consider the following:
Is the student engaged and participating?
Is the student attempting to read books, charts on his/her own?
Is the student developing concepts about print?
Is the student beginning to use sound/letter correspondence?
Students should engage in reading activities with real books from the first day of Grade Primary. The use of
worksheets is not recommended.
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Writing:
A



comprehensive writing program in the primary year should include attention to:
Modes of Writing: expressive, transactional, poetic
Forms of Writing: journals, stories, reports, logs, poems etc.
Traits of Writing: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions
Time:

30-40 minutes, daily
Components:
The consonants used
most frequently in
simple, one-syllable
words are s, m, d, t,
n, p, b, r, g, f, l.
Thus teachers may
choose to emphasize
these letters first.
(Trehearne, p. 47)
Mini Lesson:
The teacher conducts a short, focused lesson. At the Primary Level, this is a great time for instruction on letter recognition,
vocabulary etc. An anchor text (chart, big book, read-aloud) is also useful at this time.
Modeled Writing:
 The teacher holds the marker and demonstrates specific writing skills often using a chart.
 Students learn that print is thoughts written down.
Shared Writing:
 The teacher holds the marker but the students contribute ideas.
 The students learn that print is thoughts written down.
 This is a perfect opportunity to teach sound-symbol correspondence, letters, concepts about print, and phonological
awareness.
Interactive Writing:
 The teacher shares the marker with the students as they construct text together.
 Students may write individual letters, word parts, or whole words, while the teacher writes the rest.
 This provides opportunity for teachers to work with spacing, letter formations, upper and lower case letters, high frequency
words, spelling strategies.
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Guided Writing:
 Students work in small groups on a common writing task.
 The teacher groups students according to: form of writing, topic, interest, strengths/needs.
 Students support one another.
 Teacher provides support as needed.
 The teacher emphasizes “No Excuses” words and notices words that are spelled incorrectly, but places most value on
content.
Independent Writing:
 Students must write daily.
 The use of invented spelling is important as this is how students develop and assess their knowledge of sound-symbol
correspondence
 Students work on writing pieces independently.
 The teacher confers with students to work on specific skills.
 The teacher emphasizes the value of the content, but notices “No Excuses” words and words which are spelled incorrectly.
 The teacher collects information to inform future instruction.
Writing independently and then reading what was written gives children the chance to self-monitor
to see if what they have written makes sense, sounds right, and looks right. Active engagement
during writing workshop helps a child build a network of strategies and begin to see the
connection between writing and reading.
(Johnson and Keier p. 89)
Effective Techniques for Developing Letter Recognition:
 The goal for Grade Primary is for each student to develop a comfortable familiarity with at least 15 letters.
(Trehearne, p. 46), but knowledge of the entire alphabet would be beneficial.
 The majority of letter work should take place through shared reading (charts, big books, environmental print, and shared
writing).
 Interactive word wall activities are beneficial.
 Intentional exposure to print (drawing students’ attention to print often and in many ways) is crucial.
 “Letter of the Week”, phonics sheets and letters taught in isolation are not recommended practices.
See Miriam Trehearne’s Kindergarten Teacher’s Resource Book pp. 46-62 for excellent ideas for developing
Letter Recognition skills.
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Grade Primary Writing Benchmarks







By Mid-Point in the Primary Year, 75% of Students
Should:
Be able to write some letters of the alphabet using
classroom resources such as word walls, alphabet charts,
name tags etc.
Be able to write their own name
Be able to write some high frequency words (I, me, Dad,
Mom, a, no, see)
Use letters and pictures to represent thoughts
Be able to label drawings using some known vocabulary
some environmental print
Retell what they wrote (what they think the writing says)
Start to represent beginning and ending consonants of
unfamiliar words
By June of the Primary Year, 75% of Students
should:


Be able to write their own first and last name

Write independently at least 15 simple words (I, me, you,
my, and , the , mom, dad, a, cat, dog, like, love, no, yes,
in, look)





Sometimes be able to write the names of their siblings,
friends, pets
Start to understand the importance of word endings (ing, s)
Begin to understand how words work: “If I can spell like, I
can spell bike.”
Write at least one sentence independently and read it
Represent beginning and ending consonants in words they
recognize but do not yet know how to spell automatically
Start to place vowels in words and hear more dominant
ones
 Students should be writing from the first day of Primary.
 Students’ reading and writing vocabularies are not necessarily the same.
 Students should be taught from the first day how to use classroom resources such as word
wall, alphabet chart, name tags, calendars, etc.
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Word Study:
In grade Primary, word study is really the development of word awareness. This happens through oral word play and exposure
to print.
Games and activities using word walls, morning message, and word matching will help to develop word awareness in very
young students. Invented spelling should be encouraged.
Grade One
Indicators of Comprehension in Grade One:








Student creates sketches/drawings which reflect content of a text (characters, setting, an event). (visualizing)
Student writes short sentences that respond to text (e.g. a prediction, opinion, feeling, or any interesting aspect of
the text). (inferring)
Student writes something in his/her own life when prompted by the text (connecting)
Student represents a character (with some detail) through drawing or writing (visualizing, determining
importance, synthesizing)
Student infers how a character feels. (inferring)
Student remembers information from a text to produce lists, simple sequence of actions, and directions.
(determining importance)
Student makes innovations to a text by changing events, characters, endings, settings. (synthesizing)
Student notices the way a text is written and models the style in his/her own writing. (synthesizing)
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Grade One Reading Benchmarks
By Mid-Point of Grade One Students
Should:

















Understand most concepts about print

Be able to read Levels F and G books
Recognize and name upper and lower case letters
Write most letters in correct direction and in standard form

Say words slowly, segmenting and blending sounds

Consistently match one-to-one

Hear and identify sounds in words, especially rhymes,

syllables, and beginning and ending consonant sounds
Know most letter-sound associations for consonants and

easy-to-hear vowel sounds
Recognize own name and names of most classmates
Have a core of known words (10-20) that they can read and 

write
Have knowledge of simple print conventions (end

punctuation, capitals, commas)

Make approximations and use context and letter-sound
associations to sample, predict and confirm

Begin to self-monitor and self-correct

Begin to read familiar texts confidently

Retell the message from visual and printed text
Use a variety of strategies to create meaning

Use some features of text to determine content, locate
topics and obtain information
By June of Grade One Students
Should:
Understand concepts about print – words are made up of
letters and defined by space; letters are in a consistent
order in words; there are capital and small letters; words
are arranged from left to right and from top to bottom**
Be able to read levels H and I books
Know all letter names, forms and related sounds
Hear syllables, rhymes, and sequences of sounds in words
Hear and write most sounds in words, including dominant
and hard-to-hear consonants and vowel sounds
Recognize quickly and easily a large number of words, both
high frequency(103+) and other words**
Spell 25 “No Excuses” words correctly across the curriculum
Write a large number of words (approximately 75-100)
using conventional spelling**
Have knowledge of simple conventions of print
Use background knowledge to make connections to text
Self-monitor and self-correct
Select text appropriate to their interest and needs
Use a variety of strategies to create meaning (make
inferences, identify character traits, follow written
directions)
Use features of text to determine content, locate topics,
and obtain information
**See: Grades 1-2 Teacher’s Resource Book, Miriam Trehearne, pp. 264,272,
274, 278-289
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TCRSB Instructional Reading Expectations
(Reading with 90-94% Accuracy)
Grade One
Important:
1. These are instructional targets only. Not all students will reach these benchmarks with their
classmates, but all students can learn to read.
2. In order to make progress as readers, all students must receive reading instruction at their own
instructional reading levels.
3. During independent reading time, students read texts that are at their independent level (easy text).
Grade
One
November
F&P Levels
RR Levels
D,E
5-6, 7-8
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February/March
F&P Levels
F,G
RR Levels
9-10, 11-12
May/June
F&P Levels
H,I
RR Levels
13-14, 15-16
17
Suggested Guidelines for Grade One Reading Level Progression
(for reporting)
Please Note:
Teachers who choose to use these suggested guidelines need to consider the following:
The letter grade (A,B,C) is based on:
1. The instructional reading level with comprehension
2. The student’s demonstrated comfort with Grade One Reading Benchmarks
Both must be considered when assigning a grade.
Instructional Reading Level Expectations
Letter
Grade
November
February/March
May/June
C
A-C
C-E
E-F
B
D-E
F-G
H-I
A
F-H
H-I
J-K
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Students in Grade One have moved beyond patterned text and interact with text that carries a story. At this stage, it is
important for teachers to understand the thinking process employed by students in order to determine whether readers are
using visual cues, structural cues or meaning cues. Self-Monitoring Strategies should be evident.







Self-Monitoring Strategies
Ignored obvious errors
Paused/stopped
Repeated word(s)
Tried something else
Self-corrected
Self-corrected and re-read to confirm
Integrated cueing systems (m,s,v)
Does it make sense? Does it sound right? Does it look right?
Meaning
Structure
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Visual
Integrating the Cueing
Systems
(Using
meaning/structural/visual
cues simultaneously and
automatically
19
Meaning Cues:
Meaning cues relate to the reader’s ability to gather a book’s basic message by making meaning of it at the text, content, and
word level. If readers are using meaning cues, they think about what they read. They check whether the sentence makes
sense. If the student seems to be considering the story background, the information from the picture and the meaning in the
sentence, then he/she is using meaning cues.
Structural Cues:
Readers who use structural cues rely on their knowledge of grammar and the structure of the language to make text sound
right. Using this knowledge, readers check to see if the word or sentence sounds right. If the student makes errors which
sound right considering the structure and syntax of the English language, then he/she is using structural cues.
Visual Cues:
Visual information includes the way letters and words look. Readers use their knowledge of the visual features of words and
letters and then connect these features to their knowledge of the way words and letters sound when spoken. If the student
makes errors which visually resemble the word in the text, (i.e. begins with the same letter) then the child is using visual cues.
Writing:
A



comprehensive writing program in the grade one year should include attention to:
Modes of Writing: expressive, transactional, poetic
Forms of Writing: journals, stories, reports, logs, poems, procedural text, persuasive text, etc.
Traits of Writing: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions
Time:

30-40 minutes, daily
Components:
The single most important thing you can do to help students become
writers is to provide them with time to write, the materials with which
to write and to demonstrate the process and importance of writing to
them.
Allington and Cunningham
Mini Lesson:
Mini Lessons in the Grade One Writing Workshop focus on concepts like vocabulary development, letter and word recognition,
conventions of print, as well as elements of form (e.g. this is how a story begins, a journal entry looks like this). Teachers are
encouraged to use mentor texts at this time (picture books, charts, big books etc.)
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Modeled Writing:
 The teacher holds the marker and demonstrates specific writing skills often using a chart.
 Students learn that print is thoughts written down.
 The teacher may demonstrate a particular form of writing.
Shared Writing:
 The teacher holds the marker but the students contribute ideas.
 The students learn that print is thoughts written down.
 This is a perfect opportunity to model conventions of print, conventional spelling etc.
Students do their best writing
when they can choose what
they are going to write and
when there is real purpose for
writing. However, within that
choice students must be
guided to do different types of
writing. The purpose for the
writing determines the type or
mode used.
(Miriam Trehearne, p. 298)
Interactive Writing:
 The teacher shares the marker with the students as they construct text together.
 Students may write individual letters, word parts, or whole words, while the teacher writes the rest.
 The teacher has an opportunity to work with spacing, letter formations, upper and lower case letters, high frequency words,
spelling strategies etc.
 This provides a perfect vehicle for the teaching of the traits of writing
Guided Writing:
 Students work in small groups on a common writing task.
 The teacher groups students according to: form of writing, topic, interest, strengths/needs
 Students support one another.
 Teacher provides support as needed.
 The teacher emphasizes “No Excuses” words and notices words that are spelled incorrectly, but places most value on
content.
Independent Writing:
 Students must write daily.
 The use of invented spelling is important as this is how students develop and assess their knowledge of sound-symbol
correspondence
 Students work on writing pieces independently.
 The teacher confers with students to work on specific skills.
 The teacher emphasizes the value of the content, but notices “No Excuses” words and words which are spelled incorrectly.
 The teacher collects evidence to inform future instruction.
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
21
Writing Share (Also known as Author’s Chair):
 The author (student) brings an unfinished piece and tells the group where he/she needs help.
 The author brings a finished piece and gets feedback to support revision.
 This provides an excellent opportunity for the teacher to observe and assess speaking and listening skills.
For excellent ideas for Writing Workshop, see Grades 1-2 Teacher’s Handbook, Miriam Trehearne, Chapter 3
Parents too often focus unduly on the conventions of writing. Although it is important that the writing be legible, that
spelling is improving (e.g. “no excuses words” spelled correctly), the heart of the writing is determined by the other
five traits: ideas, organization, voice, word choice and sentence fluency. It is important that parents understand why
teachers focus on ALL the traits and why undue emphasis on conventions alone can stifle a writer just as an
overemphasis on phonics can stifle a reader.
(Miriam Trehearne, p. 300)
Word Study
Time: Minimum of 3 times per week








Short sessions
Largely embedded in real reading and real writing contexts
Interactive word walls of high frequency words
Other wall charts of words for content areas (posters, graphic organizers, lists)
Focused attention to onset and rimes
Word games
Literacy centres
Provides an opportunity for teachers to assess the ability of students to apply word study knowledge in daily reading and
writing activities
Words can be divided into onsets and rimes. Onset refers to the sounds before the vowel; the rime is the sounds
from the vowel to the end of the word. It is the part usually referred to as the word base or word family. The word
rime is the linguistic term for the part of the word that rhymes. man= m(onset) + an (rime)
When students can orally segment words into onsets and rimes automatically, their word solving for reading and
spelling becomes more efficient and effective. (Miriam Trehearne, p. 43)
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22
Grade One Writing Benchmarks
By Mid-Point in the Grade One Year, 75% of
Students Should:


By June of the Grade One Year, 75% of
Students Should:
Write most letters in the correct direction and in standard

Spell 25 “No Excuses” words correctly across the curriculum
form

Write a large number of words (approximately 75-100)
Have knowledge of simple print conventions (end
using conventional spelling
punctuation, capitals, commas)

Create text of five or more related sentences

Enjoy writing and sharing writing with others

Write about different topics

Understand that writing is “ideas written down”

Use a beginning sentence, title and connecting words (then,

Be increasingly aware of wide range of genre

Be increasingly aware of letter-sound association

Use an ending sentence(usually “The End”)

Use common spelling patterns

Show sense of audience

Use “invented spelling” when writing a draft

Use !,?, big and bold letters, underlining to make a point

Create pictures to support text

Begin to use adjectives and strong verbs

Create text that others can understand

Use a mixture of short and long sentences (mostly short)

Attempt to use specific nouns, adjectives and strong verbs

Attempt to use dialogue

Capitalize the beginning word in sentence, names and the

Correctly use periods and question marks
pronoun I

Begin to edit independently

Use appropriate spacing

Prints legibly

Put name on work
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
and, because)
23
Essentials of Early Elementary Literacy Assessment and Instruction
Assessment






Phonological
Awareness
Reading
Ongoing, includes
1 hour of uninterrupted
both assessment of
Embedded in the
time daily (not
learning and
Active Reading Hour
interrupted by
assessment for
assemblies, or special
learning
events)
Understanding of
 Teacher has an
 Print-rich environment
grade level reading
understanding of
 Use of the gradual
and writing
how to strengthen
release of responsibility
benchmarks
students’
 Daily read-aloud
phonological
Knowledge of the
 Frequent shared reading
developmental stages
awareness skills
experiences
of reading and writing  Using pictures and  Guided reading
oral language,
Ongoing running
instruction with “just
teacher strengthens
records (and the
right” text
ability to analyze
student
 Explicit teaching of:
them)
understanding of:
o
Effective reading strategies
Ongoing assessment
o
Word solving strategies
in order to form small o Word boundaries
o
Comprehension
groups for instruction o Rhyming
o
Syllable breaks in
Ongoing assessment
compound and multi Rereading of texts to
to determine next
syllabic words
build fluency
steps in instruction
o
Isolating sounds in
 Daily independent
words – beginning,
Record keeping,
reading
middle, end
observation, noteo
Blending syllables and
 Students making book
taking
sounds
selections
o
Substituting sounds to
 Students develop oral
make new words
language through
reading
o
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
Writing
Word Study
30 minutes daily
Minimum of 3 times per
(in addition to one week (10-15 minutes)
hour for reading)








Print-rich

environment

Use of gradual
release of
responsibility

Teacher modeling
of good writing
Daily (or almost

daily) independent
writing

Interactive writing
Explicit teaching of 
word building and
reading vocabulary
Differentiation of

writing experiences
based on student
need and stage of
development
Introduction to a
variety of forms of
writing such as
lists, letters, poetry,
narrative,
persuasive,
procedural etc.
Print-rich environment
Teacher knowledge of
phonological and
phonemic awareness
Explicit teaching of
phonological and
phonemic awareness
Use of interactive word
wall
Explicit teaching of high
frequency words
Explicit teaching of
common rimes and
onsets
Differentiation of word
study based on student
need and stage of
development
24
Classroom Practices Supporting
Early Elementary
Literacy Instruction
In TCRSB
Grades Two and Three
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25
A Balanced Literacy Program in Grades Two and Three
What is balanced literacy?
A balanced literacy program consists of time to teach, time to practice, and time to share in:
 Speaking and listening
 Reading
 Writing
 Word Study
 Effective assessment
Time:
Teachers of Grades two and three in Tri-County Regional School Board are required (as mandated by the Department of
Education) to provide a minimum of 60 uninterrupted minutes for Active Reading Hour daily (90 minutes sessions are
strongly recommended). In addition to this Active Reading Hour, students in Grades Two and Three must have 30 minutes
daily of writing and writing instruction. Word Study should be embedded in these time allotments for a minimum of 10- 15
minutes at least three times weekly. (Note: time spent on word study will be in addition to the allotted time for reading/writing
workshop(s).)
Reading:
The goal of a BALANCED reading program is to encourage students to develop strengths in these key areas:
1. Accuracy – independent, instructional, fluent
2. Fluency – expression, phrasing, punctuation, rate
3. Comprehension – literal understanding, deeper comprehension (making connections, questioning, inferring, visualizing,
determining importance, synthesizing)
A BALANCED reading program does not include worksheets.
As teachers of literacy, we must have as an instructional goal, regardless of age, grade, or
achievement level, the development of students as purposeful, engaged and ultimately
independent comprehenders. No matter what grade level you teach, no matter what
content you teach, no matter what texts you teach with, your goal is to improve students’
comprehension and understanding.
(Trehearne, p. 423)
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26
Components of Balanced Literacy
Grades Two and Three
Teachers in Tri-County Regional School Board are encouraged to use a workshop model of instruction. In keeping with this
model, each lesson in the Reading Workshop usually begins with a mini lesson. This short, focused lesson allows the teacher
to instruct the students in concepts such as book selection, comprehension strategies, word-solving strategies, vocabulary etc.
Great examples of mini lessons can be found in:
o Grades 1-2 Teacher’s Resource Book, Miriam Trehearne
o Comprehensive Literacy Resource for Grades 3-6 Teachers, Miriam Trehearne
o Reading for Real, Kathy Collins
o Beyond Levelled Books, Sibberson and Symusiak
o Catching Readers Before they Fall, Pat Johnson and Katie Keier
Component
Read Aloud
What is it?




Whole group
Teacher reads
Text is above the reading level of
the students
Text was chosen for a specific
purpose (purpose could be
enjoyment)
What Does It Look Like?



Teacher holds copy of text
Teacher models fluency and
expression
Teacher might stop at
significant points to
model/practice
comprehension strategies or
to point elements of writer’s
craft
What is Needed?



Variety of genres
Wide range of reading
materials such as short
stories,
newspaper/magazine
articles, poems, “chapter”
books
Comfortable meeting
location
It is important to read both fiction and non-fiction during read-aloud.
Read-aloud can take two forms: traditional read-aloud and interactive read-aloud. Both are essential and have slightly
different purposes.
In a traditional read-aloud we come together as a community and the teacher models for the children what the language
of books sounds like, what loving a book looks like, and what being lost in a story feels like. This time may not be attached
to any curriculum objectives or academic standards. Rather it is simply a time to share and enjoy a fabulous book with your
students.
In an interactive read-aloud, the teacher reads the text with a clear instructional purpose in mind, engaging the children in
conversation before, during and after the read-aloud. Teachers use this type of read-aloud to model comprehension
strategies, such as making connections, activating prior knowledge, questioning, and so on . (Johnson and Keier, p. 73)
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
27
Component
Shared Reading
What is it?





What Does It Look Like?
Supported reading time where

teacher and students read a
common text ( Big Book, Morning 
Message, chart, poem)
Context provides support for all

readers in a safe comfortable
learning community
Text is at instructional or
independent reading level

Opportunities to reinforce effective
reading strategies (predicting,
confirming, monitoring, self
correcting, word-solving, sampling,
gathering, maintaining fluency)
are provided
Whole or small group can read
aloud together chorally with or
without the teacher
Students and teacher read all
or parts of a text together
Specific instructional focus is
included
Explicit teaching of effective
reading strategies, wordsolving strategies, and
comprehension is included
Teacher may use jigsaw (or
other group sharing
strategies)
Teacher may use reciprocal
teaching techniques (refer to
Reciprocal Teaching at Work,
by Lori Oczkus)
What is Needed?




Teacher uses enlarged text,
overhead, charts, LCD, or
multiple copies of text
Variety of genres
Range of reading materials
including poetry, song,
readers’ theatre, chants,
prose, information text
Comfortable meeting
location required
The purpose of shared reading is to make texts available to all children, allowing them to experience what it feels like to
be a proficient reader. It is a time for us to teach about the reading process and serves as a gateway to guided reading
and independent reading.
Johnson and Keier, p. 74
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
28
Component
Guided Reading





What is it?
What Does It Look Like?
What is Needed?
Teacher groups students
 Multiple copies (4-6) of text
according to instructional needs  Variety of genres
 Groups are flexible and change  Range of reading materials
according to need in both size
including articles, poems,
and composition
magazine, fiction/non-fiction

 Teacher introduces the text
 Meeting area with easel, white
board, round table
 Teacher monitors students as
they read independently
 Supplies such as sticky notes,
chart paper, magnetic letters,
 Teacher provides support and
instruction on one focused
markers
strateg or feature including
 System of keeping a record of
word-solving, fluency, or
individual student progress as
comprehension
well as the composition of the
groups over time.
 Teacher assesses or reads with
individuals, as others read
independently
 Discussion takes place around
the teacher-chosen focus, and
opportunities are provided for
the students to practice
 Explicit teaching of effective
reading strategies, word-solving
strategies, and comprehension
Classroom routines must be established before guided reading activities can take place (no later than end of October).
Students not involved in the guided reading group can read independently, stay in one place, engage in reading, respect other
readers, read silently, and refrain from interrupting the teacher
Status-of-the-class can be used to keep track of what students are reading independently.
A drawing folder can be kept at each child’s desk for the possibility that they need new books when the teacher is unavailable.
Independent games and activities (file folder games etc) can be kept in a basket for students when they are finished. Students
can refer to the learning folder for structures and materials to support them independently.
TCRSB, 2010-07-08


Small group
Teacher selects members of
group based on instructional
need or interest
Text is at an instructional level

29
Component
Independent Reading
What is it?





What Does It Look
Like?
Students read silently (or may
use “alone phones”) practicing
skills and strategies on their
own
Students select “just right”
books which are at their
independent reading level
Teacher ensures that students
choose from both fiction and
non-fiction
Students select books which
interest them personally
Teacher observes and makes
notes about student
engagement, motivation,
enthusiasm, stamina etc.





Students read silently (or
out loud to themselves)
Students select texts
independently, returning
them when finished
Teacher confers with
individuals about reading
strategies, comprehension,
interest
Teacher may work with a
guided reading group
Teacher may administer a
running record or other
forms of reading
conferences to both assess
individual students and to
provide one-to-one
instruction
What is Needed?




Routine for selecting and
returning books must be wellestablished
Expectations for student
behaviour must be
established. Students must
be able to stay in one place,
engage in reading, respect
other readers, read silently,
refrain from interrupting the
teacher
Substantial and varied
classroom library
System for keeping a record
of individual student
progress
I find that children, even very young ones, can
read independently for extended periods of time
when they are matched with books they can read
with a 95 percent of higher word accuracy rate.
They are also more successful with books that
interest them.
…Knowing my books and my children, and
making a match between them, is one of the
most important things I do – and one of the most
demanding.
(Taberski, pp. 136-137)
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
30
Component
Reflection
What is it?

Thought, discussion and
possibly written response to a
lesson or activity
What Does It Look Like?

Conference, whole or small
group discussion, jot notes,
written response, KWL etc.
What is Needed?


Any effective form of
formal or informal notes
of observations
of student progress,
learning and attitudes
Any form of formal or
informal
notes on observations of
teaching practices,
feedback, and next steps to
inform instruction
Assessment:











Assessment of reading is ongoing.
Assessment may be formal (reading records, cloze activities) and informal (conferring, note-taking, conversing).
Teacher observes students during read-aloud, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, and reflection.
Teacher confers/converses regularly with individuals and small groups.
Teacher administers ongoing running records and analyzes them to determine cueing system(s), comprehension, fluency.
Students complete interest inventories, participate in discussions, submit written responses and other products, co-create
rubrics and checklists.
Teachers in Grades 2 and 3 are encouraged to use Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment Systems at least twice
yearly. Teachers in Grade Two are expected to submit results to Central Office in February and in May/June.
Teachers must have a solid grasp of instructional and independent reading level targets for Grades two and three.
Teachers must understand the developmental stages of reading and plan instruction accordingly.
Teachers must understand text difficulty scales: Independent (easy), Instructional (just right), and difficult
(hard).
Teachers must keep ongoing notes about student progress and maintain efficient records.
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
31
Grade Two
Indicators of Comprehension in Grade Two:









Uses names of authors and illustrators
Can identify and record whether a text is fiction or nonfiction
Accurately represents information, concepts, setting, characters, and story problems through drawing and writing
(visualizing, determining importance, synthesizing)
Notices and sometimes uses new vocabulary words from a text (synthesizing)
Summarizes text in several sentences identifying significant events or ideas (determining importance, synthesizing)
Describes characters’ feelings and motivations, inferring them from the text (inferring)
Expresses connections to prior knowledge, to other texts, and to personal background or experience (connecting)
Expresses opinions about new learning or interesting facts (synthesizing)
Produces some simple graphic representations of a story (information web, story map, timeline etc.) (determining
importance)
Ask any teacher “What’s it all for?” and we’re sure he or she will tell you that the end goal of all reading
instruction is for the students to be able to comprehend what they read. Highly proficient readers,
having developed a functioning reading process system, will automatically and flexibly apply that
system to any text in order to understand it. Our job is to see that every student eventually develops a
reading process system that will help him or her comprehend text and fix up any problems that arise
while reading.
(Johnson and Keier p. 132)
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32
Grade Two Reading Benchmarks
By Mid-Point of Grade Two Students
Should:















Understand concepts about print
Be able to read levels J and K books
Understand that sounds are represented by a variety of
letter sequences
Recognize quickly and easily a large number of words both
high frequency words (103+) and other words
Begin to use root words and prefixes, suffixes, and
inflectional endings to read and write words
Recognize compound words, contractions, and easy plural
forms
Begin to use known parts of words to solve new words
Begin to read familiar texts confidently
Retell the message from print and visual text
Select texts appropriate to their needs and interests
Use an increasing number of strategies to make meaning
(inferring, identifying character traits
Use an increasing number of features of print to determine
contents, locate topics, and obtain information
Begin reading but may need assistance as they may not be
thinking about the purpose for the reading
Need help in establishing a purpose for reading, making
predictions etc.
May read all text the same way (fiction/non-fiction)
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
By June of Grade Two Students
Should:























Understand that sounds are represented by a variety of
letter sequences
Be able to read levels K and L books
Recognize automatically and rapidly a large reading
vocabulary (100+)
Spell 100+ “No Excuses” spelling words correctly across the
curriculum
Use root words and prefixes, suffixes, and inflectional
endings to read and write words
Recognize compound words, contractions, and simple
plurals
Use known word parts and patterns to solve new words
Identify characters, setting, problem, genre
Identify similies
Make inferences, predictions, comparisons
Identify and use table of contents, captions
Hear and identify new rhyming words
Know initial, final, and medial consonant sounds
Know most short vowel sounds
Know long vowel sounds
Blend and segments sounds in words
Have sense of story
Read for meaning
Retell most of story unaided
Read for own purposes during free reading times
Read with expression
Contribute in guided reading sessions
React to text emotionally or intellectually
33
TCRSB Instructional Reading Expectations
(Reading with 90- 94% Accuracy)
Grade Two
Important:
1. These are instructional targets only. Not all students will reach these benchmarks with their
classmates, but all students can learn to read.
2. In order to make progress as readers, all students must receive reading instruction at their own
instructional reading levels.
3. During independent reading time, students read texts that are at their independent level (easy text).
Grade
Two
November
F&P Levels
I,J


RR Levels
15-16,
17-18
February/March
F&P Levels
J,K
RR Levels
17-18, 19-20
May/June
F&P Levels
K,L
RR Levels
19-20, 21-22
Independent Levels are achieved when students read with 95-100% word accuracy, fluency, and
comprehension.
When the highest independent level for a reader is determined, teachers should use this information to
determine the appropriate instructional level (approximately one level above).
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
34
Suggested Guidelines for Grade Two Reading Level Progression
(for reporting)
Please Note:
Teachers who choose to use these suggested guidelines need to consider the following:
The letter grade (A,B,C) is based on:
 The instructional reading level with comprehension
 The student’s demonstrated comfort with Grade One Reading Benchmarks
Both must be considered when assigning a grade.
Instructional Reading Level Expectations
Letter
Grade
November
February/March
May/June
C
G-H
H-I
I-J
B
I-J
J-K
K-L
A
J-K
K-L
L-M
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
35
Grade Three Reading Benchmarks
By Mid-Point of Grade Three Students
Should:





















Have goals in mind and know their purpose for reading
Be able to read levels L and M books
Preview text (title, pictures, headings)
Make predictions about the text
Confirm or correct predictions
Use some strategies appropriate to the text (e.g. fiction or
non-fiction)
Make appropriate text selections
Maintain interest in simple chapter books
Monitor comprehension and know when it breaks down
Use simple text structures and features to support
meaning
Generate questions about the text
Compare characters, incidents and content, to self, other
texts and the world
Summarize main details
Use meaning, visual, and structural strategies to solve new
words
Rread silently
Read punctuation
Read for enjoyment
Contribute in shared reading discussions
Contribute in guided reading discussions
Read with expression
See self as a reader
By June of Grade Three Students
Should:






Set purposes for reading

Integrate cues as they use reading strategies of sampling,
predicting, and confirming/self-correcting
Be able to read levels N-P books
Read widely and experience a variety of genre
Select texts appropriately
Adjust strategies for different texts and different purposes
Use pictorial, typographical, and organizational features of
written text to determine content, locate topics, and obtain
information



Self-corrects quickly, confidently, and independently




Recognize characters can be stereotyped

Use a range of word identification strategies for
constructing meaning
Prefer to read silently
Retell and discuss their own interpretations of texts read or
viewed
Make meaningful substitutions
Have an increasing bank of sight words
Recognize automatically (and spell conventionally) a list of
110 High Frequency Words **
**High Frequency Words for Grade Three can be found in Comprehensive Literacy Resource for Grade 3-6
Teachers, by Miriam Trehearne on page 531
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
36
Indicators of Comprehension in Grade Three:
 Identifies and records the genre of text
 Writes summaries that reflect literal understanding of a text (determining importance)
 Predicts, supported by evidence, what will happen next in a text or what a character will do (inferring, connecting,











synthesizing)
Represents the important ideas expressed in a fiction text and includes details that show character traits (determining
importance)
Infers a character’s feelings, and motivations and includes evidence from the text to support thinking (determining
importance, inferring, synthesizing)
Relates awareness of author’s underlying message (inferring)
Questions to gather information and to clarify what has been read ( questioning)
Lists significant events in a story or ideas in an informational text (determining importance, synthesizing)
Illustrates awareness of sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect (synthesizing)
Uses both prior knowledge and evidence from text in responses to texts (connecting, synthesizing)
Identifies and uses new vocabulary appropriately from text (synthesizing)
Writes opinions about a text and supports them with specific information or reasons (synthesizing)
Uses a variety of graphic organizers that show relationships among different kinds of information or that connect more than
one text (timelines, webs, comparisons etc.) (connecting, inferring, determining importance, synthesizing)
Interprets or responds to illustrations (inferring, synthesizing)
Monitoring comprehension means:
 Being aware of what is understood
 Being aware of where and when understanding breaks down
 Using appropriate fix-up strategies to restore comprehension
(Trehearne (3-6) p. 109
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TCRSB Instructional Reading Expectations
(Reading with 90- 94% Accuracy)
Grade Three
Important:
1. These are instructional targets only. Not all students will reach these benchmarks with their
classmates, but all students can learn to read.
2. In order to make progress as readers, all students must receive reading instruction at their own
instructional reading levels.
3. During independent reading time, students read texts that are at their independent level (easy text).
Grade
3
November
F&P Levels
K,L


RR Levels
19-20
21-22
February/March
F&P Levels
L.M
RR Levels
21-22, 23-24
May/June
F&P Levels
N, O, P
RR Levels
25-26, 27, 28,
29-30
Independent Levels are achieved when students read with 95-100% word accuracy, fluency, and
comprehension.
When the highest independent level for a reader is determined, teachers should use this information to
determine the appropriate instructional level (approximately one level above).
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Suggested Guidelines for Grade Three Reading Level Progression
(for reporting)
Please Note:
Teachers who choose to use these suggested guidelines need to consider the following:
The letter grade (A,B,C) is based on:
 The instructional reading level with comprehension
 The student’s demonstrated comfort with Grade One Reading Benchmarks
Both must be considered when assigning a grade.
Instructional Reading Level Expectations
Letter
Grade
November
February/March
May/June
C
H-I
I-J
K-L
B
J-K
K-L
L-N
A
K-L
L-M
N-O-P
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39
Writing:
A



comprehensive writing program in Grades Two and Three should include attention to:
Modes of Writing – expressive, poetic, transactional
Forms of Writing – journals, stories, reports, logs, poems, procedural text, persuasive text etc.
Traits of Writing – ideas, organization, voice, sentence fluency, word choice, conventions
Time:

30 – 40 minutes, daily
Writing not only helps to develop students’ skills in phonological awareness, phonics, and word work, but it
also helps to improve their thinking and their comprehension.
Trehearne (3-6), p. 223
We want our readers to make sure what they read makes sense, sounds right, and looks right. We also
want our writers to make sure what they write makes sense, sounds right, and looks right.
(Johnson and Keier, p. 90)
Teachers in Tri-County Regional School Board are encouraged to use a workshop model of instruction. In keeping with this
model, each lesson in the Writing Workshop should typically begin with a mini lesson. This short, focused lesson allows the
teacher to instruct the students in concepts such as the writing process, craft, traits etc. and often begins with the reading of a
picture book (anchor text). It is important to ensure a balance of fiction and non-fiction.
Read-Alouds, and the student responses they generate, help to develop a community of learners. In
addition, there is no better way to teach the craft of writing than through examining and enjoying literature
and other texts. Students learn any craft or skill, such as riding a horse or playing the violin, from examining
the strategies used by the experts. Learning to write follows the same process.
(Trehearne (3-6) p. 232)
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40
Component
Think-Aloud/
Modeled Writing
What is it?



Whole group
Teacher demonstrates writing
including pre-writing, drafting,
revising, editing, elements of
craft, traits (mini-lesson)
Teacher thinks aloud: orally
describes his/her thinking
process, decision making
What does it look like?




Teacher writes on board,
overhead, or chart paper
Teacher describes the
thinking process used
Teacher may focus on a
particular form, trait, skill,
or strategy of writing
Teacher shares personal
writing experiences,
difficulties etc.
What is needed?



Print-rich environment: word
walls, anchor charts, writing
process reference materials,
charts outlining process and
procedures, rubrics
Collection of graphic
organizers
White board, chalk board,
chart paper, markers,
overhead projector,
computer, LCD
Using think-alouds, teachers can demonstrate:
 Conventions
 How to find a word on the word wall or chart
 How to reread to make sure that the writing makes sense
 How to create a good lead
 How to make good word choices
 How to vary sentence length
 How to come up with good ideas
 How and when to create a good title
 How to revise
(Trehearne (3-6) pp. 233-234)
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Component
Shared Writing
What is it?



Teacher and students
composing together
Context that provides support
for all writers in a safe,
comfortable learning
community
Opportunities to reinforce
effective writing strategies are
provided
What does it look like?




Students and teacher
compose a text together
Student or teacher scribes
Students and teacher may
work on sections of a larger
writing piece (jigsaw)
Students and teacher think
aloud as they write
What is needed?



Print-rich environment: wordwalls, anchor charts, writing
process procedures and
routines, anchor texts
Collection of graphic
organizers
White board, chalk board,
chart paper, markers,
overhead projector,
computer, LCD
During shared writing, the children and I compose text together. We might recount a class trip we
took, innovate on a text we read together, or write our own story or poem. The children tell me what
to write, I scribe it on chart paper, and together we work out the conventions of print, spelling and
grammar.
(Taberski, p. 31)
Component
Independent
Writing
What is it?


Students write silently,
practicing skills and strategies
on their own
Teacher observes (and makes
notes) about student approach
to writing – engagement,
motivation, enthusiasm etc.
What does it look like?



Students write silently
Teacher confers with
individuals about writing
strategies, comprehension
etc.
Teacher may be working
with a guided writing group
What is needed?



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Expectations for student
behaviour must be
established; (stay in one
place, engage in writing,
respect other writers, refrain
from interrupting teacher)
Writing folders, writer’s
notebooks, no-excuse lists,
common word lists, graphic
organizers
System for keeping a record
of individual student progress
42
Component
Guided Writing
What is it?



What does it look like?
What is needed?
Teacher groups students
 Table where a small group of
according to instructional
writers can meet
needs and/or interests
 Writing supplies (paper, sticky
notes, pencils, dictionaries,
 Groups are flexible and
change according to need in
word wall, rubrics, word lists,
both size and compostion
word processors)
 Teacher introduces the
 System for keeping a record
focus (writing process,
of individual student progress
traits, craft etc.)
as well as the composition of
groups over time
 Teacher provides support
and explicit instruction on
one focused strategy or
feature of writing
 Discussion takes place
around the focus, and
opportunities are provided
for students to practice
and to support one
another
 Teacher provides ongoing,
meaningful, descriptive
feedback
 Teacher monitors students
as they write
Helpful Suggestions for Classroom Routines Which Support Guided Writing
 Classroom routines must be established before guided writing activities can take place.
 Students not involved in the guided writing group should be writing independently. They must stay in place, engage in
writing, respect other writers, write quietly, and refrain from interrupting the teacher.
 A Writing Folder which includes ideas for writing, revision techniques, editing checklist, lists of “No Excuses” words, lists of
words related to the topic etc. can be kept in each student’s desk for the possibility that they may need help when the
teacher is unavailable. Writers’ Notebooks are very useful for this purpose.**
Small group
Teacher directed
Teacher selects the focus and
plans the lesson based on the
instructional needs of the
students

** For more information on Writers’ Notebook, contact Central Office to borrow a Writer’s Notebook DVD.
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Component
Reflection
What is it?

What does it look like?
Thought, discussion, and

possibly written response to the
lesson or activity
Conference, whole or small
group discussion, jot notes,
written response, KWL chart
etc.
What is needed?


Any effecitve form of formal
or informal notes of
observations of student
progress, learning and
attitudes
Any form of formal or
informal notes on
observations of teaching
practices, feedback, and next
steps to inform instruction
Recommended Practices for Writing Instruction:
 Ensure writing experiences have a clear purpose and intended audience.
 Teach using the gradual release of responsibility.
 Teacher modeling of good writing is crucial.
 Teach a limited number of new forms of writing each year. Teachers of P-3 in Tri-County Regional School Board are
encouraged to work together to plan a Curriculum Map for Writing.





Occasionally, ask students to write from a prompt.
Differentiate writing experiences based on student strength, need, and stages of development.
Embed traits instruction in real writing contexts.
Place the ownership for editing on the student.
Emphasize the correct spelling of “No Excuses” Words.
Not Recommended:
 An unbalanced focus on conventions
 Teachers making all the decisions all the time about what students will write about
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



Teachers introducing a writing task and then asking students to write independently, skipping the modeled, shared, and
guided writing experiences
Teachers always editing student work or sending work home to be edited
Editing with students but focusing on too many conventions at once
Teaching the traits in isolation
Assessment:










Assessment of writing is ongoing.
Assessment may be formal (using rubrics, exemplars) or informal.
Teacher uses ongoing assessment to determine next teaching steps for the whole class, small groups, and individuals.
Students submit written products.
Students participate in the co-creation of rubrics and checklists.
Teacher provides ongoing effective feedback to feed forward learning in the area of writing.
Teachers have a solid understanding of grade level targets.
Teachers in Grades Two and Three are expected to participate in TCRSB Writing Exemplars project in
February and again in May/June.
Teachers must understand the developmental stages of writing and plan instruction accordingly.
Teachers must keep ongoing notes about student progress and maintain efficient records.
Teachers in Tri-County Regional School Board are encouraged to refer to the Nova Scotia Department of
Education Writing Exemplars Website. This online resource provides teachers with a range of writing exemplars from
grades one through eight. To access, simply go to:
http://www.nswritingexemplars.ednet.ns.ca/resources.htm
Coming Soon: TCRSB Writing Exemplars Link
Check it Out:
An excellent tool for assessing students strengths and needs in literacy can be found on pages 447-8 of
Comprehensive Literacy Resource for Grades 3-6 Teachers, by Miriam Trehearne.
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45
Word Study:
Time:


Minimum of 3 times a week (10 to 20 minutes)
Embedded in Writing Workshop (usually)
Recommended Practices for Word Study in Grades Two and Three:
 Print-rich environment
 Posted (as much as possible) visual supports
 Interactive word wall of high frequency words
 Use of open and closed word sorts
 Making Words, word sorts, and word hunt activities
 Continued focus on onset and rime
 Explicit instruction on common word patterns, prefixes and suffixes
 Differentiation of word study experiences based on student need, and stage of development
Not Recommended:




Weekly spelling tests being the major component of spelling instruction
Asking students to memorize lists of words that do not share common patterns or parts
Students completing spelling activities that are not related to real reading or writing experiences
Posting all words students will need on the word wall at the beginning of theyear
Assessment:






Teachers
Teachers
Teachers
Teachers
Teachers
Teachers
must be knowledgeable about phonological awareness and phonemic awareness
assess in part through conversation with students
assess in part through observing students as they approach and engage in word study tasks
assess in part through spelling skills in student writing
use ongoing assessment to determine next steps for whole class, small groups, and individuals
keep daily notes and efficient records about student writing
See: Word Matters, Fountas and Pinnell
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Literacy Place, Working With Words, Grades 2 and 3
Grade Two Writing Benchmarks
By Mid-Point of Grade Two Students
Should:





















Hear syllables, rhymes and sequences of sounds in words
Hear and write most sounds in words, including dominant
and hard-to-hear consonants and vowel sounds
Recognize quickly a large number of words: high
frequency words (103+) and others
Spell an increasing number (at least 50) of “No Excuses”
words
Write an increasing number of words with conventional
spelling
Notice and use simple word patterns or clusters of letters
that occur frequently together
Use with increasing confidence resources such as word
walls, word lists, and simple dictionaries
Create text and pictures, but with the meaning being
increasingly carried in the text
Write on different topics
Create an appropriate lead
Create an appropriate title
Use organizational words effectively (first, then, last…)
Write a closing
Attempt to use different writing forms for different
purposes
Use good word variety
Attempt to use dialogue
Attempt to vary sentence length
Use appropriate subject/verb agreement
Use apostrophes in contractions and possessives
Use capitals correctly
Have printing and spacing are under control
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By June of Grade Two Students
Should:




















Write with ease and fluency a large number of words
(hundreds) using conventional spelling
Experience satisfaction from writing and want to write
often
Spell “No Excuses” correctly across the curriculum
Use root words, prefixes, suffixes, and inflectional endings
to write words
Recognize and write compound words, contractions, and
easy plural forms
Know how to apply useful spelling strategies to new words
Use word walls, word lists, and dictionaries effectively in
writing, proofreading, and editing
Know how to proofread to identify some incorrectly
spelled words
Create a text of at least one or two paragraphs on a
related topic or theme
Develop one clear main idea
Write a strong ending
Create products which have a logical order
Use punctuation, bold letters, and underlining to
emphasize
Use descriptive phrases and strong verbs
Use dialogue
Vary sentence length
Correctly use commas, periods, question marks,
exclamation marks, quotation marks, and ellipses
Use correct syntax and grammar
Demonstrate improved consistency in editing
Use the traits effectively across genres and subject areas
47
Grade Three Writing Benchmarks
By Mid-Point of Grade Three Students
Should:
















Think and organize thoughts prior to writing
Correctly spell high frequency words
Use appropriate subject/verb agreement
Use a variety of sentence lengths
Develop confidence in the use of conventions (commas,
periods, question marks, exclamation marks, quotation
marks, ellipses, parenthesis etc.)
Demonstrate increasing editing skills
Attempt dialogue
Create texts in which the main idea and supporting details
are evident
Develop confidence with transitions
Create effective leads and conclusions
Use voice to engage reader
Use some strong verbs but may rely heavily on modifiers
Understand that people write for many reasons
Begin to understand the difference between revising and
editing
Use writing to support reading , writing , listening, and
viewing comprehension
Use the traits effectively across the genres and subject
areas
TCRSB, 2010-07-08
By June of Grade Three Students
Should:

















Correctly spell most words
Think of themselves as authors
Write about a topic creating a well-defined main idea with
supporting details
Create an appealing lead and conclusion
Use voice appropriately and effectively
Use an increasing vocabulary
Use strong verbs and specific nouns
Use sensory language to enhance
Vary sentence length
Use dialogue with increasing confidence
Have control over most conventions taught
Assess writing in different genres using the traits
Use appropriate language to talk about their writing and
the writing of others
Understand the difference between revising and editing
and use both to improve their writing
Write in different genres and for different audiences and
purposes
Use the traits effectively across the subject areas
Understand the reading – writing connection
48
References:
Department of Education Resources:
Teaching in Action Grades Primary – 3, 2006
Copies of this document are available in every school or
can be obtained by: Contacting Central Office or
downloading from the Department of Education website
The Writing Workshop Series DVD, P-3
One copy of this is available in each school
Spelling Primary to 9
Available in each school, by downloading, or by
contacting Central Office
Primary Program Document
Available in each school or by downloading from
Department of Education website
Coming Soon:
 Revised/Updated P-3 Curriculum Guide
 The Reading Workshop Series DVD, P-3
Tri-County Regional School Board Resources:
Coming Soon:
 P-6 Writing Exemplars
Available in Your School or by Contacting Central Office:
Calkins, Lucy
Units of Study for Primary Writing, A Yearlong Curriculum
Collins, Kathy
Reading for Real, Teach Students to Read With Power, Intention and Joy (K-3)
Collins, Kathy
Growing Readers
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49
Corgill, Ann Marie
Of Primary Importance, What’s Essential in Teaching Young Writers
Cunningham, Patricia
and Hall, Dorothy
Fletcher, Ralph and
Portalupi, JoAnn
Making Words, Grades 1-3
Fountas and Pinnell
Guided Reading
Johnson, Pat and
Keier
Catching Readers Before they Fall, Supporting Readers Who Struggle (K-4)
Miller, Debbie
Reading With Meaning, Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades
Szymusiak, Karen,
Sibberson, Franki,
and Koch, Lisa
Beyond Leveled Books, Supporting Early and Transitional Readers in Grades K-5
Taberski, Sharon
On Solid Ground, Strategies for Teaching Reading K-3
Trehearne, Miriam
Kindergarten Teacher’s Resource Book
Trehearne, Miriam
Grades 1-2 Teacher’s Resource Book
Trehearne, Miriam
Comprehensive Literacy Resource for Grades 3-6 Teachers
Lessons for the Writer’s Notebook
DVDS (Available by Contacting Central Office):
Happy Reading, Creating a Predictable Structure for Joyful Teaching and Learning, Debbie Miller
The Joy of Conferring, One-0n-One With Young Readers, Debbie Miller
Writer’s Notebook, Aimee Buckner
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