How can you teach literacy to meet standards?

1 Align your objectives

Before you plan your lessons, you need to know what the standards expect your students to know and do at each grade level. You can use the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts (ELA) or your state's standards as a reference. These standards outline the key skills and knowledge that students should acquire in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language. They also provide examples of texts and tasks that illustrate the level of complexity and rigor required. You can use these standards to align your objectives with the expected outcomes and to design assessments that measure your students' progress.

3 Use a balanced approach

There is no one-size-fits-all method for teaching literacy. You need to use a balanced approach that combines different elements of effective literacy instruction, such as phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. You also need to balance the amount and type of instruction that you provide, depending on your students' needs, interests, and abilities. For example, you can use explicit instruction to teach specific skills or strategies that your students need to master, such as decoding, summarizing, or citing evidence. You can also use guided instruction to scaffold your students' learning and provide feedback, such as modeling, questioning, or prompting. Finally, you can use independent instruction to give your students opportunities to practice and apply their skills and strategies, such as reading or writing on their own or with peers.

4 Differentiate your instruction

Your students are not all the same. They have different backgrounds, experiences, strengths, challenges, and goals. You need to differentiate your instruction to meet their diverse needs and preferences. You can do this by using various methods of differentiation, such as content, process, product, or environment. For example, you can differentiate the content by choosing texts and tasks that match your students' reading levels, interests, and goals. You can differentiate the process by using different instructional strategies or grouping arrangements that suit your students' learning styles, readiness, or pace. You can differentiate the product by allowing your students to demonstrate their learning in different ways, such as oral, written, or visual. You can also differentiate the environment by creating a classroom climate that supports your students' social, emotional, and physical needs.

5 Engage your students

One of the most important factors for teaching literacy is engagement. You want your students to be motivated, curious, and enthusiastic about literacy. You can engage your students by using various techniques, such as choice, relevance, challenge, feedback, or collaboration. For example, you can give your students choice by letting them select their own texts or topics for reading or writing. You can make your lessons relevant by connecting them to your students' lives, cultures, or passions. You can challenge your students by setting high expectations and providing appropriate support. You can provide feedback by acknowledging your students' efforts and achievements and helping them improve. You can also promote collaboration by encouraging your students to work together, share ideas, and learn from each other.

Teaching literacy to meet standards is not an easy task. It requires planning, creativity, flexibility, and responsiveness. However, it is also a rewarding and meaningful task that can help your students develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed in school and beyond.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?