Here at Octorara Elementary School, we strive toward a Structured Literacy approach in our ELA curriculum, which has several components:

• WHOLE GROUP INSTRUCTION  consists of a teacher led lesson on grade level.

• SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION during which teachers work with small groups of students. 

• WORD STUDY is our phonics, spelling, and vocabulary study that is differentiated based on students’ developmental spelling stage.  Our word study involves word sorting and other activities that incorporate individual, partner, and whole group instruction.

• WRITING is integrated with reading. Writing is essential to reading.

One of THE MOST IMPORTANT things parents can do to help support their student’s reading and writing fluency and comprehension is to ensure their student is reading lots and lots of books.  We want READING TO BECOME A HABIT!

BOOK BUFFET

About every 6 weeks, each classroom is given 200-300 books categorized by genre at various reading levels.  Students may choose from these books for their independent reading time.  Classrooms that have 100% return of the books have the opportunity to earn the “Golden Bookmark” award as well as individual dog tag awards.

RAVENOUS READERS

Teachers in each class are on the lookout for students who are becoming Ravenous in their reading.  These students are honored once a month in a building announcement and special celebration song.

LUCKY LISTENERS

In an effort to build our oral reading fluency this year, we have weekly poems for each grade that are distributed to each classroom.  Students practice these or other short passages in class and at home.  Every Friday morning, we have “Fluency Friday” where alternating grades send out 1-2 readers into the hall to find “Lucky Listeners” that will listen to their reading.  These Lucky Listeners are faculty and staff from the entire building and they always make sure the readers walk away with a poem for their pocket.

BREAKFAST BOOK CLUB

Title I Reading students have been invited this year to be part of a monthly Breakfast Book Club.  If they are chosen to participate, they all receive the same book to read and are invited to come talk about the book with the other club members over breakfast.