This page presents an outline for a middle school literacy instruction handbook.  The process of creating a handbook that your teachers can agree on is just as important as the product itself: in fact, it’s an important step toward ensuring that your school provides high-quality literacy instruction to EVERY student.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions (or materials to donate to the cause!), please contact me at sarahtantillo@literacycookbook.com.

POLICIES, PROCEDURES, PRACTICES:

Generally Accepted Policies, Procedures, and Practices for Teachers

• Lesson Plans (See sample templates in “Templates for Lessons & Units.”)
• Unit Plans (See sample template, sample overview, and sample unit in “Templates for Lessons & Units.”)
• Sample Classroom Management Plan
• Humanities Dept. Grading Policies (An opportunity to meet and come to consensus)
• Sample Introduction Letter to Parents re: class rules and policies (in the Download Zone below.)
• The “Visible Curriculum”: suggestions for use of wall space, e.g., word walls, student work with rubrics and descriptions of assessments, class rules, inspirational quotes….

CURRICULUM:

Grades 5-8 Scope and Sequence for Literacy (2-3 pages per grade, including essential questions, key unit topics, texts, objectives, assessments, and grammar points emphasized)

HOW WE TEACH READING:

Provide an overview with reference to “Comprehension 101” and “Connecting Reading, Writing, Test Prep.”

The Importance of Independent Reading

• Rationale (See “Guided Reading.”)
• Explanation of Logistics (e.g., HW, DEAR, Accelerated Reader Quizzes, etc.)
• Sample Reading Log

How We Teach Annotation: See “Analyzing Literature” and “Nonfiction Reading Strategies.”

• Sample Rubrics
• Sample Annotated Texts

How We Teach Vocabulary

• Sample Materials (See “Building Robust Vocabulary.”)
• See also “Root of the Week.”
• See also “Idiom Power.”
  

Recommended Reading--See “Recommended Reading” for the following:

• The Book Talk Project
• Recommended Nonfiction
• Recommended Poetry Collections
• Recommended Short Story Collections

Summer Reading

• Rationale
• Explanation of Logistics
• Summer Reading Lists
• Sample Summer Reading Assignments

HOW WE TEACH ORAL PRESENTATIONS:

How We Use Socratic Seminars

• Sample Materials (See “Socratic Seminars.”)

How We Teach Public Speaking

• Sample Public Speaking Assignments
• See “Book Talk Project.”
• See “Oral Fluency Rubrics.”

HOW WE TEACH WRITING:

How We Teach Writing and Use Writers’ Workshop (See “Writing 101” and “Writers' Workshop.”)

• Explanation of Writers’ Workshop Process
• Student/Teacher Conferences
• Peer Conferences
• Sample Materials

Sample Major Writing Assessments in Each Grade

• Project Explanations
• The Research Paper (See “Research Paper Guide.”)
• Rubrics (See “Writing Rubrics.”)
• Graded Student Samples (all typed)

HOW WE TEACH TEST PREP:

How We Use Benchmarks/Interim Assessments/DDI

• Philosophy (See “DDI.”)
• Logistics: Implementation and Follow-through (For suggestions, see “DDI 101.”)

How We Prepare for NJ ASK

• Reading: Strategies are infused in the curriculum.
• Writing: Timed writing needs some specific preparation and review (See “NJ ASK Prep.”).

IN THE DOWNLOAD ZONE for MS Lit Handbook:

• Sample Introduction Letter to Parents