ELA

  • Reading and writing units taught at Hunter are constructed based on the latest research from Reading and Writing Project from the Teacher’s College at Columbia University.
  • These units will address all current Tennessee standards and are supported by HCDE.
  • Workshop model is founded on the idea that the best way to help students grow as readers and writers is through large amounts of daily reading and writing with emphasis on personal choice and teaching at the individual student’s level.
  • Daily writing: 2-3 published pieces each nine weeks. Units include narrative, essay and informational writing and are designed to prepare students for the TN Ready and for future academic writing by teaching strategies to accomplish the writing task.
  • Grammar instruction will align with unit goals and focus on correct usage in context of a piece of writing.
  • Daily reading: Initial goal of 45 pages per day/5 days a week—part in school and part at home.
  • Reading instruction places emphasis on reading books on an appropriate level and are student selected. Instruction will include strategies for inferring and synthesizing ideas about texts, and being able to support these ideas with evidence.
  • All students reading levels will be assessed at the beginning of the year. Levels will be independent level.
  • Reading notebooks and writing notebooks will become their places to practice their thinking. These will be a large part of their daily work grades.
  • Published pieces, reading responses (summative writing about their reading) and unit tests will be part of their assessment grades.
  • Most grading will be done using rubrics. All rubrics are issued to students prior to beginning a project.
  • Daily class will typically include 10 minute mini-lesson, 30 minute practice, 5 minute share/goal setting. Students may also have conferences or small group instruction, or book club meeting.
  • Keyboarding skills are very important. Please do not type for your child!
  • Homework—Students must read at least 45 pages per day!! Please check your child’s reading log to help him/her keep up with this. Writing homework will be assigned periodically.

Date / Reading Units of Study / Writing Units of Study
8/17-9/4 / Turning every kid into a reader / Writing about Reading: Creating a reading notebook
9/8-10/2 / Partnerships/Character / Personal Narrative: Creating Powerful Life Stories
10/12-11/13 / Character / Literary Essay
11/16-12/18 / Nonfiction / Informational Book
1/6-1/29 / Critical Literacies I / Test Prep: Writing with a prompt
2/1-3/4 / Social Issues / Quick Literary Essay/Fanfiction
3/7-3/24 / Test Prep/Lifting the level of partnerships / Raising the level of reading notebooks
4/4-4/22 / Critical Literacies II and III / Poetry
4/25-5/25 / Summer Reading / Character Analysis

Weekly plans can be found online at planbook.com after clicking on Student View and entering the following information:

Teacher Email:

Student Key: gohawks

Links and instructions can also be found on the school’s website (hunter.hcde.org) under your teacher’s name.