Non-negotiable Practices and Instructional Expectations for Woodland Elementary

Rationale: In order to optimize the learning opportunities for all of our students, we must be consistent in our instructional
practice, expectations, and guiding principles. We are committed to achievement for all students, creating a culture of
collaboration, and focusing on results in our academic efforts. In order to do this, a clearly defined set of expectations that we
all support and follow will help us become more cohesive in our instructional practices and in student learning.
Instructional Practice
We will use research-based best practice instructional strategies.
We will differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners.
We will use an integrated, project based approach to implement the STEM initiative.
We will implement the RTI process.
We will use data to monitor student progress and to inform our instructional practice
Fountas and Pinnell data
Common assessment data
State/County data
STAR testing

Reading Framework Overview:
Fountas and Pinnell administered 3 times per year (September, January, and May)
Whole Group Mini-Lesson 15 to 20 minutes; includes components of balanced literacy (modeled reading, shared
reading, etc.)
Guided Reading Groups (Anecdotal notes/observations will drive instruction during reading groups. After a quick mini-
lesson to the group, the individual students should whisper read the majority of the time during reading groups, while
the teacher listens in to individual students. Teacher should use a variety of reading methods to help students
increase fluency, comprehension, and engagement.)
Literacy Work Stations (not a required amount, differentiation should be evident with some of the workstations)
Great resources by Debbie Diller: Making the Most of Small Groups: Differentiation for All; Practice with
Purpose: Literacy Work Stations for Grades 3-6; Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work. All of these can be
found in the Teacher Resource Room.

Math Framework Overview:
Warm-Up: Problem Solving/Fact Fluency practice
Whole Group Mini-Lesson Introduce skill; 20-30 minutes
Small Group Instruction (differentiation should be evident with the math groups)
Math Work Stations (differentiations should be evident with some of the workstations)
Great resources: Math Work Stations: Independent Learning You Can Count On, K-2 (by Debbie Dillar); Guided
Math: A Framework for Mathematics Instruction (by Laney Sammons). All of these can be found in the Teacher
Resource Room.

Writers Workshop Framework Overview:
Mini-Lesson 10-15 minutes, focusing on the craft of writing rather than grammar lessons
Write Time 20-30 minutes for students to write and teachers to confer with students.
Student Conferences During Write Time, teachers should pull individual /groups of students to discuss the
students writing and help them improve the craft of writing.
Authors Chair 5 minutes, allowing students to share.
Grammar Options: Teachers can have a grammar lesson on Mondays, or teachers can teach a short (5 min.)
daily grammar lesson before the writing mini-lesson.
Great resources: Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide (Ralph Fletcher); Nonfiction Craft Lessons (Ralph
Fletcher); Craft Lessons Second Edition (Ralph Fletcher); Launching a Primary Writing Workshop Kit (Lucy
Calkins); Launching an Intermediate Writing Workshop Kit (Lucy Calkins)

Science/Social Studies Framework:
Make it hands-on, engaging, and fun!

Technology:
Preview before allowing students to use.
Model use before giving it to students.
Be specific about what they are to do/sites they are to visit.

Curriculum:
We will teach the curriculum based on the CCGPS.
We will follow the curriculum maps (scope and sequence) that have been developed collaboratively by grade
level teams.
We will develop lesson plans that include the following information: primary standard, whole group mini-
lesson, small group lesson, workstation, and assessment.
We will implement the various best instructional practices that have been adopted:
Guided Reading/Literacy Workstations
Guided Math/Math Workstations
Writers Workshop
Assessment:
We will develop common assessments as a part of assessing students.
We will administer the Fountas and Pinnell Reading Benchmark system three times per year.
We will record all assessment data in the Data Spreadsheet within Teacher Share.
We will administer various county level assessments.
We will administer STAR Early Literacy (Kindergarten and some First), STAR Reading, and STAR Math to students three
times per year.
We will analyze assessment data collaboratively to drive instruction, differentiate for students, and remediate/enrich.

Culture and Climate:
We will be collectively responsible for the learning of all students in our school.
We will model positive behaviors and attitudes to promote student learning.
We will participate in the Wildcat Pride positive behavioral intervention and support system in our school.


Environment:
We will organize our classroom environment to reflect the importance of literacy and STEM learning.
We will use anchor charts to display classroom procedures, student thinking, and learning and model the use of
anchor charts as a resource for student learning.
In the hallway, we will display current student work with meaningful feedback.


Collaboration:
We will respect the decisions made through consensus in our grade level teams.
We will implement changes in practice based on the consensus of the grade level teams.
We will be ready to share with peers during collaborative planning











Lesson Plans:


Plans are important. In the words of a once famous coach, "It's not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes
the difference." - Paul William "Bear" Bryant
You may design your own template as long as it includes the required components. Also, please note that some of the
previously required components have been decreased. If you are collaborating and planning together (in person) then it is
fine to turn in the same plans for whatever portion was planned collaboratively. Bring your computer, have one person serve
as a scribe and knock it out! Plans should not be a 7-8 page document, but all plans should include the following:
1) Primary Standard (EQ is optional) If you are focusing on the same standard all week then put it in a box right above the plans
for that subject. No need to retype or copy it over and over.
2) Whole Group Mini-Lesson (this is where your standard fits in) Give a brief summary of your mini-lesson and is typically about
15-20 minutes of your literacy/math block.
3) Small groups should be evident in reading and math. List the names of the students, their guided reading level (GRL), the
name of the book and the GRL of the book. The students' names can be a part of your weekly template and only need to change
when you move students.
4) Stations/Opportunities for Practice: Give the name of the station and focus skill. These can be listed for the entire week. A
minimum of 2 of your stations should be tied in to your current standard from your mini-lesson. For those that use choice
boards, you may list the skill on your choice board and attach a copy of the choice board.
Station Example:
Skill (Beginning, Middle and End)
Listening Center: Book, If you give a Mouse a Cookie
Graphic Organizer: Order of Events

Assessment: How will you know what they have learned/mastered? Include a variety of assessments. Closure: (may be included
in the assessment). Every lesson should have some type of closure/check for understanding activity. Great opportunity to refer
back to your standard/EQ.
***Remember! Lesson plans are a guide. If you are teaching a concept and your realize your students are not getting it, adjust
your instruction!












Reading Framework:
Fountas and Pinnell - administered a minimum of 3 times a year (September, December, and May). Literacy
workstations and meaningful work should continue during the testing windows. When a student is making significant
progress, go ahead and administer the F&P to the student. For example, if a student has made a lot of gains in
November, go ahead and test them, and you will not have to redo the assessment in December.

Whole Group Mini Lesson (Typically 15-20 mins.) This may be longer the first of the week when you are modeling and
introducing stations, or covering new material. This should include components of balanced literacy for example
modeled reading, shared reading, etc.

Guided Reading Groups (Warm Up, Intro to book, reading time, closing/guided skill practice (The skill you are working
on, depending on the level, may be based on what you observed during the reading. Take anecdotal notes as you
observe students so that you can adjust instruction.

The skill you teach may or may not be related directly to the book. This is especially true in the lower grades. Your focus
may also come from observations you make during the lesson. For example, if you notice several of your students are
struggling with specific vocabulary or word endings then you need to spend a few minutes focusing on those concepts
during you after reading instruction. Small group lessons are not required to tie directly to your mini-lesson. It is great
when you can, but not required.

Focus on what your students need to become strong readers. Middle and High groups are ideally pulled a minimum of
3-4 days a week. Your low group needs to be pulled daily.

In the upper grades, you also have the option of moving to more of a literature circle framework where students read in
pairs, or small groups and you call the students to your table to review what they have read, discuss, etc.

Stations: What the kids are working on while you read with your small groups. There is not a required number of
stations. Some individuals have lots with choice boards, some have 4-5. It all depends on what you can successfully
manage. Some teachers provide students with a MUST DO list (many are differentiated) that everyone completes and
then they are given choices for their other activities.

Remember the key to successful stations is modeling the materials and expectations before you release the students to
do it on their own. Find what works for you! Trying to do too much can cause it all to fall apart. For those of us who need
a bit more order, a smaller number of really well-planned stations may be the key for you. Slow down to speed up.


Math Framework: (grades K-1)
Warm Up: Problem Solving (consider math journals) and skills practice for fact fluency
Whole Group Mini-Lesson (Daily), Introduction to Skill (Typically 20-30 minutes, but may be longer or shorter depending on the
skill)
Pull small groups based on formal and informal observations. Have a few stations for students to work on while you pull
individuals or when they finish early. We would like to see you working towards a math workshop framework over the next
year.





Math Framework: (grades 2-5)
Warm Up: Problem Solving (consider math responsive journalsthis is a great way to see how your students are problem
solving and will be a large portion of the new CRCT that will be implemented this year) and skills practice for fact fluency
Whole Group Mini-Lesson (Daily), Introduction to Skill (Typically 20-30 minutes, but may be longer or shorter depending on the
skill)
Small Group Instruction (Based on informal and formal assessments to develop groupings) occasionally it may be based on
observations during whole group lesson and then you may need to pull a flexible group based on this information.
Stations: Minimum of 4 days. One day may be needed to introduce and model stations. Stations are opportunities for students
to practice the focus skills while you meet with your small groups.

Differentiation: Small groups will be differentiated based on level. Work towards further differentiating your stations over time.
At this point there should be evidence of differentiation in a minimum of 2-3 stations. There are several different ways to
differentiate; you might choose content, product, or process. We will provide continued support and training in math
differentiation during the 2014-2015 school year.

Writer's Workshop:
Should be taking place in every classroom daily. Time has been set aside in your schedule to ensure that all students have 30-45
minutes, depending on grade level, for writing daily. This is not prompt writing, but teaching students the "craft" of writing*

Should include:
Approximately a 10-15 minute mini-lesson, focused on specific writing skills, not a grammar lesson, but may have reminders
from previous grammar tie ins. We have also offered the option of Grammar Mondays when more focus is needed on
grammar and can then be reinforced throughout the week.

20-30 minutes for writing and conferring (teacher is engaging individual students in conferencing to read and discuss the
students writing). This is a great opportunity to link to current and previous standards. Teacher is also taking notes and
assessing students understanding of the skills. Some teachers have a set schedule for when they confer with students while
others look to see which students are at a point when they need additional support.
Students are not expected to take every piece of writing through the entire writing process. Many times these short writing
samples allow you and the student the opportunity to practice and gives you the chance to reinforce skills through conferencing.

5 minutes for sharing (Authors Chair)
If you are unsure what this looks like, then please touch base with Ms. Sapp and go back to our book study by Ralph Fletcher.
Also, remember we have sets of the Lucy Calkins books for your use. These lessons are scripted and are a very effective way to
build you confidence in teaching writing.
5th graders will not be participating in the 5th grade writing test this year. We are working to determine our next steps with
Write Score to see how we need to evaluate writing proficiency internally. We will keep you posted.






Other Best Practices:

Science/Social Studies:
Make it hands-on, engaging and fun! As we work towards implementing STEM we will provide support in developing
lessons/units that have an interdisciplinary approach to science instruction and incorporate the other areas of STEM.

Technology:
A great tool, make sure you have used it and modeled it before giving to students. Also be very specific about what they are to
do (games, apps, research) and which sites they are to visit. Videos should be approved by the CST prior to showing and should
include the standard, length of video or portion of video, and purpose.
Professional Learning Communities:
We will engage in PLCs focused on the three big ideas for Professional Learning Communities by Dufour:
1) We accept learning as the fundamental purpose of our school and therefore are willing to examine all practices in
light of their impact on learning.

2) We are committed to working together to achieve our collective purpose. We will cultivate a collaborative
culture through the development of high-performing teams.

3) We will be results oriented: We assess our effectiveness on the basis of results rather than intentions.
Individuals, teams, and schools seek relevant data and information and use that information to promote
continuous improvement.

Effective PLCs also focus on 4 critical questions of learning:
1) What is it we expect them to learn? (Unpacking Standards, Planning)
2) How will we know when they have learned it? (Common Formative Assessments, Data Talks)
3) How will we respond when they dont learn? (Remediation)
4) How will we respond when they already know it? (Extensions/Project Based Learning)