ELA Vertical Alignment
Standards:
Iowa Core: https://iowacore.gov/iowa-core/subject/literacy
Iowa Core Standards in Rubric form by grade level: https://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/iowa-core/resources/rubrics-learning-progressions/standards-based-rubrics/
Improving our Craft:
Kate and Maggie are literacy consultants representing elementary and middle school teachers who have made several videos that demonstrate making tools with students to develop their writing abilities. https://www.kateandmaggie.com/videos/
Using mentor texts to instruct student writing has become a widely lauded best practice. A short introduction to this practice can be viewed here in the webinar slides from North Carolina. http://elascos.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/file/view/ELA_Webinar_-_Writing_with_Mentor_Texts_April_18_2013.pdf
Writing is a process that is best taught through instruction that has students writing. This format is commonly referred to as writer's workshop. This is not a writing free for all as many have come to assume, but a process through which teachers instruct, model, confer and most importantly, students write. Whole group instruction is still part of this process, but it is what the students write that determines the mini-lessons taught. Lucy Caulkins' name is always at the forefront of workshop discussions. Units of writing study she's helped to write based on this model can be viewed here: http://www.heinemann.com/unitsofstudy/writing/
(These have also been downloaded and shared to our ELA Curriculum google folder)