Literacy

Philosophy
The Issaquah School District believes that reading is the foundation of lifelong literacy. It is a meaning-making process that requires an active, constructive, strategic interaction between the reader and the text. Reading is both developmental and personal. It is nurtured by purposeful, research-based instructional practice, integrated throughout the curriculum. Reading is the cornerstone of literacy upon which students become enlightened, productive and informed citizens.

The Issaquah School District reading program consists of clearly articulated goals, quality assessments, appropriate, research-based instructional strategies, and quality materials for students, teachers and parents. It is supported by ongoing professional development.

Goals
The accumulated wisdom of educational research in the field of reading suggests that instruction focus on several main areas. Each of these is entirely necessary to the development of strong independent reading skills, but none, standing on its own, is sufficient to build meaning.

The students in the Issaquah School District will

• use alphabetics to decode words.
• read fluently at an appropriate and increasingly challenging level.
• use a variety of strategies to deepen comprehension.
• read many types of fiction and non-fiction text for a variety of purposes.

Assessment
Intentional and on-going assessment is essential to quality education. Assessment takes a variety of forms and serves multiple purposes:

• to monitor and adjust curriculum at the district and school level.
• to inform and guide classroom instructional practice.
• to chart the development of student skills and strategies over time.

Instructional Strategies
Appropriate and effective instructional strategies are based on research. They are applied systematically and consistently in order to ensure success for all students.

Elements of effective instruction include:

• Alphabetics - systematic instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics skills at appropriate stages of development.
• Fluency- reading with speed, accuracy, and proper expression.
• Comprehension- intentional instruction of vocabulary and a broad array of strategies to derive meaning from and form personal responses to text.
• Purposeful reading- teaching readers to adjust reading strategies to suit different texts and contexts.

Instruction must meet the needs of all students as determined by assessment. Effective instructional models include read-alouds, shared, guided and independent reading.

Materials
Materials meet the needs of all students through a variety of instructional strategies that provide multiple opportunities for mastery of skills. These materials consist of decodable texts, multilevel sets of quality fiction and non-fiction literature, and a variety of text forms and features. Materials are used to support instruction in alphabetics and comprehension in individual, small and large group settings. Motivation is enhanced through the use of engaging and interesting materials for students. Materials are appropriately readable, sensitive to diversity, visually appealing, and broaden students' life experiences.

The Issaquah School District selects materials for use by all those involved in a child's education. Ongoing and varied assessment materials are provided for the gathering of appropriate and useful information. Teacher materials are clearly written, easy to follow, and meet the needs of both beginning and experienced teachers. Adopted materials include suggestions for home practice and enrichment. Finally, the materials lend themselves to integration into technology and the content areas. The ISD reading philosophy is reflected throughout these materials.

Professional Development
Professional development is the collaboration of knowledgeable people in the pursuit of district-wide literacy.

Professional development is research-based, ongoing, and includes a variety of methodologies. It empowers teachers to meet the needs of diverse learners. Further, it establishes common vocabulary to clarify conversations and provides consistency among schools.

Support for effective professional development includes presentations and materials aligned with the adopted curriculum. It also includes time to implement, monitor, and adjust methodology to meet the needs of all staff. Successful acquisition of literacy depends upon knowledgeable people embracing professional development.

Adopted materials

• Elementary
• McGraw-Hill Reading
• Six-Trait Writing
• Write Source 2000
• Middle school
• All grades: Jane Schaffer Writing
• 6th grade: Elements of Literature (Holt, Rinehart & Winston)
• Novels: Lost in the Labyrinth; Thieves of Ostia
• 7th grade: Prentice-Hall Literature/Bronze Level
• Novels: Catherine Called Birdy; The Kite Rider; Beduin's Gazelle; Blood Red Horse (Honors)
• 8th grade: Prentice-Hall Literature/Silver Level
• Novels: The Light in the Forest; To Be a Slave; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
• High school
• All grades: Jane Schaffer Writing
• All grades: Writers, Inc.(Write Source)
• 9th grade: Language of Literature (McDougal/Littell)
• Novels: Haroun and the Sea of Stories; Things Fall Apart
• 10th grade: Elements of Literature, Fourth Course (Holt, Rinehart & Winston)
• Novels: Lord of the Flies; Tragedy of Macbeth; Night
• 11th grade: Elements of Literature, Fifth Course (Holt, Rinehart & Winston)
• Novels: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Crucible; Great Gatsby

Parent Resources
Each year, thousands of children, young adults, teachers, and librarians around the United States select their favorite recently published books to be included in the Choices annotated booklists . Published annually by the International Reading Association, Children's Choices, Teachers' Choices, and Young Adults' Choices booklists are used in classrooms, libraries, and homes to help young people find books they will enjoy reading.