Daily Five

The Daily 5 is a series of literacy tasks which students complete daily while the teacher meets with small groups or confers with individuals. The Daily 5 is a structure that helps students develop the daily habits of reading, writing and working with peers that will lead to a lifetime of independent literacy.

+Information from http://www.the2sisters.com/the_daily_5.htm

Everyday Math

Everyday Mathematics is a research-based curriculum that:
• Teaches higher order thinking and critical problem solving.
• Integrates mathematics into other subject areas.
• Places a high priority on children developing automatic recall of the basic number facts.
• Goes beyond basic facts and computation skills so students know when, how and why to use them.
• Recognizes that computation is an important and practical part of mathematics and has been designed to ensure all students can compute accurately in a variety of ways.
• Believes that both the answer and the steps taken to reach the answer are important.
• Uses calculators as a tool for learning mathematics, not simply for computation.

+Information from http://www.wrightgroup.com/parent_connection/index.html

Fundations

Fundations is a research-based program that teaches phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling program for the Kinder-3rd grade classroom. Teachers incorporate a 30-minute daily Fundations lesson into their language arts classroom instruction. Fundations lessons focus on carefully sequenced skills that include print knowledge, alphabet awareness, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and spelling. Critical thinking, speaking and listening skills are practiced during Storytime activities.

+Information from http://www.fundations.com/

Standards-Based Instruction and Assessment

Educational standards are designed to set criteria for student achievement.  Standards set specific learning goals which inform us of what a student needs to do to successfully master grade-level expectations. The goal is to set clear, high expectations and improve academic achievement.  Standards provide a guide or “bar” against which to measure a student's educational progress. A student’s progress is measured against purposeful criteria instead of measured in comparison to other students. 

+Information from "On Common Ground:  The Power of Professional Learning" by .DuFour, etal. NES, 2005.

Parent Friendly Standards: Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 (pdf)

Trophies

Trophies is a research-based, integrated language arts program. The core components are:|
• Explicit phonics instruction
• Direct reading instruction
• Guided reading strategies
• Phonemic awareness instruction
• Systematic, intervention strategies
• State-of-the-art assessment tools

Login to the Trophies Online Website
Click on the Learning Site, Reading and then the Trophies image.
Enter Password: Beck
Enter School Name: Ventana Ranch ES
Select New Mexico from drop-down menu.

+Information from http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/trophies.html

6 Trait Writing

6-Trait Writing is an interdisciplinary approach to teach and assess writing, which focuses on 6 qualities seen in outstanding written works. The six traits include:
• Ideas: The content, or main theme.
• Organization: The internal structure of the writing.
• Voice: The personal voice of author comes through.
• Word Choice: The use of precise, colorful and rich words to communicate.
• Sentence Fluency: The writing flows together often with a rhythm or cadence.
• Conventions: Mechanical correctness, including spelling and grammar.

+Information from http://senior.billings.k12.mt.us/6traits/