Reading Legislation
Legislation has passed in many states over the past several years which focus on reading curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Along with that legislation has come requirements and considerations for our WELS schools. The following videos and resources have been designed to assist faculties in navigating these requirements and considerations and to review what we know to be true about education and curriculum for English Language Arts (ELA) also referred to as literacy.
If you have specific questions, please feel free to reach out to Curriculum Coordinator Melanie Giddings at [email protected].
Resources to Learn More about the Research around the Science of Reading
Shifting the Balance Book by Jan Burkins and Kari Yates (K-2) with some FREE Support Materials (scroll down webpage)
Shifting the Balance Book by Jan Burkins, Kari Yates, and Katie Egan Cummingham (targeted for 3-5 but also appropriate for 6-8) with some FREE Support Materials (scroll down the webpage)
The Six Shifts website with resources, podcasts, blogs, online courses
Knowledge Matters Campaign promotes the need to balance foundational skill (phonemic awareness, decoding, sight words) with knowledge/language comprehension.
The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler (along with links to her podcast) promotes the need to also teach knowledge comprehension and not just phonics in ELA
Curriculum Crosswalk Toolkit This is a rubric, designed by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, to assist schools in evaluating their current curriculum programs with the criteria for science-based reading instruction in other words evaluating with the research around the Science of Reading.
Resources to Assist with Curriculum Reviews
Guidelines for Steps-to-Take for a Curriculum Review
Curriculum Development website – created by Melanie Giddings for WELS schools (samples to be added beginning Summer 2024)
The Teacher Clarity Playbook (second edition) by Doug Fisher & Nancy Frey, et al. – Each chapter is an individual module that is meant to be a step-by-step guide to curriculum planning with videos. The workbook can be purchased for each teacher, and a faculty can work through it together. Sample answer key is at the back of the book.
Curriculum Crosswalk Toolkit This is a rubric, designed by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, to assist schools in evaluating their current curriculum programs with the criteria for science-based reading instruction in other words evaluating with the research around the Science of Reading.
Wisconsin and Minnesota are two of the states who’ve recently passed legislation and are now seeking to enact the new laws. Many questions surround these new laws which has prompted this series of video messages.
LUTHERAN SCHOOLS ON WELS.NET
Learn more about WELS Lutheran Schools and Lutheran education in your area.
CONTACT US
Contact Lutheran Schools for more information.
