Language Arts — Four Block

Four Block is an organizational tool that provides a balanced approach to literacy (reading and writing) instruction. It is comprised of four components:

• Self-Selected Reading addresses students’ independent reading levels. Students read books of interest to them at their level while the teacher conducts individual reading conferences with the students. The goals are to motivate students and assist with vocabulary development.
 

• Guided Reading involves reading from a text (science, social studies or a reading series) at grade level. All students follow in the book as the teacher or another student reads from the text. The goal is to teach comprehension strategies and for students to read for understanding.
 

• Word includes spelling and decoding activities. The goal is to teach phonemic awareness using high frequency words and word patterns that help students learn to spell and decode words as they read.
 

• Writing is one way that students learn to read. Teachers at SSDS use a variety of approaches to the writing process including language experience, journal writing and six-trait writing. While students are writing in class, the teacher circulates and conducts individual writing conferences helping students get their pieces ready to publish. Every child at SSDS has a writing portfolio that is shared during parent/teacher conferences.