District Expectation It is an expectation that all students be taught the ELA Common Core State Standards for their respective grade levels. In Kindergarten and first grade, the Common Core places a strong emphasis on teaching the critical foundational skills for literacy as outlined in the Reading Foundation and Language strands. Wake County has provided Letterland as the vehicle for teaching the standards because its systematic, explicit and multi-sensory structure aligns with best practices in reading research. Letterland’s robust design engages students in developing the critical foundational skills and vocabulary needed for reading and writing. Therefore, all Kindergarten and first grade teachers are expected to:

• Use Letterland as the word work resource within Daily CAFÉ during the Word Work segment • Teach the Letterland whole group lessons to all students, ensuring they are being taught the Reading

Foundation and Language standards for their respective grade level • Differentiate instruction within small group and independent work

Parent Information What does Sammy Snake have to do with reading? What if my child is already reading? What is Letterland? For parent information, you can create a Letterland Radio Button on your school website with video links, an alignment with the Common Core State Standards, and more. You can find all you need on the Intranet – Departments- Academics–Elementary-Letterland. http://www2.wcpss.net/departments/academics/elementary/Letterland/index.htm Training Information The Letterland Blackboard site has a recommendation for training for TAs that can be delivered by a Literacy Teacher or classroom teacher. If you have any new kindergarten or first grade teachers that have been hired since the last training offering, please send Sharon Collins the teacher’s name. She will be in contact with the teacher to share the training plan. For new kindergarten teachers, training will be held on December 11th from 1-4 p.m. Supporting Classroom Teachers It is critical that teachers receive support in implementing Letterland during the first year or two of implementing this new resource. The Literacy Coach and K-2 Intervention Teacher should be familiar enough with Letterland to support the teachers. We have developed a Letterland fidelity tool that kindergarten and first grade teachers can use to check themselves and each other on whether or not they are using Letterland as designed. This tool is friendly enough for non-classroom teachers to also use to support teachers. The paper copy will provide picture support which accompanies an electronic tool for entering data when visiting classrooms. The fidelity tool and picture support document can be found on the Letterland Blackboard. Supporting Students within Team Time, Tier II/III Interventions, Small Group Instruction For students that need additional time and support with foundational reading skills, the teacher should refer to the strategies and suggestions as outlined in both the Kindergarten and First Grade Teacher Guide. This will help the student generalize the various strategies across settings, practice what is being taught in Core instruction, and be consistent with the language, stories, cues, and actions of the phonetic patterns. If intervention teachers do not have materials, there is a sample purchase order of what the school may want to buy on the Letterland Blackboard. The part of the manual that intervention teachers need to refer to is within 15 pages. All special education teachers serving K-1 students in reading should be using Letterland as outlined clearly in the special education literacy newsletter posted on the Principal and IRT wiki and sent to Special Education Literacy Leaders. Students and Teachers Can Go to Letterland! Please share with your teachers that on Saturday, May 17th, children and families of Wake County will be able to visit Letterland at Pullen Park from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.! We will solicit help from teachers who are very eager to make this a reality. This may also be an opportunity for a class or grade level to be on stage to sing a Letterland song or participate in a Letterland parade. Teachers may want to come in their favorite Letterland outfit to engage with the students for an hour. High school drama students may be on stage with famous Letterland stories. Students may be interested in having time with the author who will be here from England. Mark your calendar now!

Getting off to the Right Start in Kindergarten and First Grade with Letterland

Kindergarten Literacy Block Daily Schedule (2nd Quarter)

Total Literacy Instruction (Minimum of 150 minutes)

Reading Instruction/Daily CAFÉ (Minimum of 120 minutes)

1st Whole Group Lesson - Interactive Read Aloud, Shared Reading OR Mini Lesson focused on Comprehension (15 minutes MAX)

o Work Time: 1st Round (Up to 30 minutes) Students – Daily Five Tasks Teacher – Small Group Reading Instruction

2nd Letterland Lesson – Word Work/Vocabulary (20 minutes MAX) [Letterland lesson includes teacher-facilitated learning and kinesthetic activities.] Work Time: 2nd Round (Up to 30 minutes)

Students – Daily Five Tasks Teacher – Small Group Reading Instruction

3rd Whole Group Mini Lesson –Reading Strategy (10 minutes MAX) [Purposeful strategy instruction (CAFÉ Menu) based on needs of 80% or more of class]

o Work Time: 3rd Round (Up to 30 minutes) Students – Daily Five Tasks Teacher – Small Group Reading Instruction

Whole Group Wrap-Up/Sharing (5 minutes)

Writing Instruction/Writers Workshop (Minimum of 30 minutes)

Whole Group Mini Lesson – Writing (5-10 minutes) o Work Time (15-20 minutes)

Students – Writing Teacher – Small Group Writing Instruction

Whole Group Wrap-Up/Sharing (5 minutes)

Kindergarten Weekly Schedule for Reading Instruction

Establish a weekly schedule that balances the following:

• Interactive read aloud or shared reading at least 3-5 times per week at various times including within other content areas

• Mini-lessons at least 8-10 per week • A balance of small group instruction including guided reading, strategy groups, and individual reading

conferences (Please note that small group instruction should occur daily for struggling readers. Other students will require a minimum of 2 small group lessons per week. )

• Daily opportunities for students to read independently

Note: Some of the literacy block time may be used for self-selected discovery centers while building stamina in Daily Five tasks. For additional information, see C-MAPP. Adapted from Boushey & Moser, 2006 Revised April 2013

1st Grade Literacy Block Daily Schedule (Week 4-6)

Total Literacy Instruction (Minimum of 150 minutes)

Reading Instruction/Daily Five (Minimum of 120 minutes)

1st Whole Group Lesson - Interactive Read Aloud, Shared Reading OR Mini Lesson focused on Comprehension (15 minutes MAX)

o Work Time: 1st Round (Up to 30 minutes) Students – Daily Five Tasks Teacher – Small Group Reading Instruction

2nd Whole Group Letterland Lesson - Word Work/Vocabulary (20 minutes MAX) [Letterland lesson includes teacher-facilitated learning and kinesthetic activities.]

o Work Time: 2nd Round (Up to 30 minutes) Students – Daily Five Tasks Teacher – Small Group Reading Instruction

3rd Whole Group Mini Lesson –Reading Strategy (10 minutes MAX) [Purposeful strategy instruction (CAFÉ Menu) based on needs of 80% or more of class]

o Work Time: 3rd Round (Up to 30 minutes) Students – Daily Five Tasks Teacher – Small Group Reading Instruction

Whole Group Wrap-Up/Sharing (5 minutes)

Writing Instruction/Writers Workshop (Minimum of 30 minutes)

Whole Group Mini Lesson – Writing (5-10 minutes) o Work Time (15-20 minutes)

Students – Writing Teacher – Small Group Writing Instruction

Whole Group Wrap-Up/Sharing (5 minutes)

1st Grade Weekly Schedule for Reading Instruction

Establish a weekly schedule that balances the following:

• Interactive read aloud or shared reading at least 3-5 times per week at various times including within other content areas

• Mini-lessons at least 8-10 per week • A balance of small group instruction including guided reading, strategy groups, and/or

individual reading conferences (Please note that small group instruction should occur daily for struggling readers. Other students will require a minimum of 2 small group lessons per week. )

• Daily opportunities for students to read independently

Adapted from Boushey & Moser, 2006 Revised April 2013