MISSION

The Language Arts Literacy Department of the Passaic Public School District is committed to the pursuit of excellence for all, inclusive of ELL and Special Needs students.  The Language Arts Literacy Department embraces scientifically based reading and writing research practices in a comprehensive integrated model.  We seek to build a literate community of lifelong readers and writers who will become contributing members of a global society.

VISION AND CORE BELIEFS

Language Arts/Literacy Department seeks to ensure an instructional framework where:

· High expectations and rigor are encouraged while recognizing students’ unique abilities and needs.

 · There exists a shared responsibility of integration of literacy across the content areas.

 · Growth is promoted in reading comprehension and fluency.  Students read and analyze a variety of genres including fiction and informational texts.

 · The use of continuous formative and summative assessment and analysis of data drives instruction.

 · Differentiated instruction is utilized in an extended uninterrupted block of time based on the three tier model of instruction focusing on direct, small group, and intervention component.

 · Students are prepared through the use of the Writers’ Workshop model to write for a variety of purposes across genres.

 · Literacy instruction maintains and progressively increases rigor and complexity of texts and assigned tasks to help students become critical and analytical thinkers.

 · Conventions of language are incorporated strategically as a component of writing craft.

 · Integration of technology and digital media enhances students’ ability to research and compete in higher education and the work force.

 · Teachers’ knowledge of language/literacy content and pedagogy is continually enhanced through professional development.

The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol

(SIOP®)

Echevarria, Vogt, and Short, 2000, 2004

The Thirty Indicators for a Successful SIOP® Lesson

I.   Preparation

  1. Clearly defined Content Objectives for students

  2. Clearly defined Language Objectives for students

  3. Content concepts appropriate for age and educational

  background level of students

  4. Supplemental materials used to a high degree, making the

  lesson clear and meaningful (e.g., computer programs,

  models, graphs, models, visuals)

  5. Adaptation of content (e.g., text, assignment) to all levels

  of student proficiency

  6. Meaningful activities that integrate lesson concepts (e.g.,

  surveys, letter writing, simulations, constructing models)

  with language practice opportunities for reading, writing,

  listening, and/or speaking.

II. Instruction –

• Building Background

7. Concepts explicitly linked to students’ background experiences

8. Links explicitly made between past learning and new concepts

9. Key vocabulary emphasized (e.g. introduced, written, repeated, and highlighted for students to see)

• Comprehensible Input

10.  Speech appropriate for students’ proficiency level (e.g. slower rate and

  enunciation, and simple sentence structure for beginners)

11. Explanation of academic task clear

12.  Uses a variety of techniques to make content clear (e.g. modeling, visuals,

  hands-on activities, demonstrations, gestures, body language)

• Strategies

13.   Provides ample opportunities for students to use strategies

14. Consistent use of scaffolding techniques through-out lesson, assisting and

  supporting student understanding, such as think-aloud

15. Teacher uses a variety of question types, including those that promotehigher–order thinking skills throughout the lesson (e.g. literal, analytical, interpretive questions)

• Interaction

16. Frequent opportunities for interaction and discussion between teacher/student and among students, which encourage elaborated responses about lesson concepts

17.  Grouping configurations support language and content objectives of the lesson

18. Consistently provides sufficient wait time for student response

19. Ample opportunities for students to clarify key concepts in L1

• Practice/Application

20. Provides hands-on materials and/or manipulatives for students to practice using new content knowledge

21. Provides activities for students to apply content and language knowledge in the classroom

22. Uses activities that integrate all language skills (i.e. reading, writing, listening, speaking)

• Lesson Delivery

23. Content objectives clearly supported by lesson delivery

24. Language objectives clearly supported by lesson delivery

25. Students engaged approximately 90% to 100% of the period

26. Pacing of the lesson appropriate to the students’ ability level

• Review/Assessment

27. Comprehensive review of key vocabulary

28. Comprehensive review of key concepts

29. Regularly provides feedback to students on their output (e.g. language, content, work

30. Conducts assessment of student comprehension and learning of all lesson objectives (e.g. spot checking, group response) throughout the lesson