The Reading and Writing Workshop program is the foundation of the Language Arts curriculum. The Shlenker School believes that reading and writing should be taught with direct, explicit instruction from highly trained and experienced educators. Developed out of Teachers College at Columbia University, this research-based instructional model provides students with explicit strategies enabling them to be confident readers and writers.
We recognize that a “one size fits all” model does not match the realities of a student’s needs in today’s classrooms. Therefore, assessment is used to guide the teacher in determining individual book choices and areas of strength and growth in each student’s writing development. The workshop model provides long stretches of time for students to read and write and is conducive to supporting small-group work, conferring, and many opportunities for personalizing instruction. The routines and structures of Reading and Writing Workshop are kept simple and predictable to allow teachers to focus on the complex work of teaching in a responsive manner to accelerate achievement for all learners. Daily instruction includes whole-class, mini-lessons, read-alouds, shared reading/writing experiences, word study, small group reading instruction, and individual instruction.
Students in kindergarten through second grade use the Superkids Foundational Skills Kit in Phonics, which focus on features of phonics and high-frequency words. Students in third through fifth grade use the Words Their Way curriculum to support developmental spelling, phonics, and vocabulary. Students in first through fifth grade are taught vocabulary in context with high-quality science, social studies, and literary text using Vocabulary Workshop.
