Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Program (Kindergarten and 1st Grade)
The Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Curriculum is used with early childhood and primary grades. The curriculum follows an intentional and systematic progression covering a range of phonological and phonemic awareness skills. Each whole-group lesson articulates a skill focus, provides detailed teacher language for the lesson, and includes associated hand motions developed to support students’ learning of the focal skill. The curriculum’s weeks of content vary by grade level and cover specific skills students are expected to learn in that grade. The kindergarten program is 35 weeks long and designed to last 10-12 minutes per day, while the first-grade program is 24 weeks long and designed to last 8-12 minutes per day.
Word Journeys Phonics/Word Sorts and More/Mindful of Words (Grades 1-5)
This phonics program is a comprehensive and systematic approach to assessing and building children's word knowledge along the Continuum of Spelling. It utilizes differentiated Word Sorts designed to target and improve features of spelling within each student’s zone of proximal development to secure spelling patterns that make spelling generative. Phonics instruction is provided during a specific word study time as students engage in sorting, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Instruction moves from demonstration and explicit teaching to guided practice and then to independent problem solving.
Reading and Writing Workshop (Grades K-5)
A well‑designed literacy framework positions students as participants in active thinking,
engaging conversations, and authentic reflections about texts that are purposefully chosen to meet the variety of needs and interests of students.
The foundation of these experiences begins with high-quality children’s literature and a systematic way to use the literature, which includes whole-group, small-group, and individual reading and writing contexts.
VWCS teachers will receive ongoing professional development as they continually implement these approaches in their own classrooms.
Students will receive grade level instruction utilizing evidence based instructional strategies including:
- Interactive Read Aloud
- Reading Mini-Lesson
- Shared Reading
- Guided Reading
- Independent Reading
- Word Study
- Writing Workshop
- Community Writing
- Interactive Writing
- Writing About Reading
Additional strategies to support learners include:
- Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) may be integrated in daily instruction as a form of intervention
- Title I services
- Small group guided reading instruction daily based on individual reading level
- Targeted Instruction to meet individual needs based on specific skills
Monitoring of the literacy plan will be completed through the analysis of data and tracking of adult implementation through: coaching, walk-throughs, and ongoing professional development.
- Analysis of data will occur at TBTs, BLTs, and DLT meetings
- Professional development for teachers and administrators to support the use of these tools and data collection and analysis will be ongoing
- RIMPS will continue to be monitored and updated as required by district and ODE regulations
- TBTs and BLTs will monitor the components/goals of the plan as it relates to grade levels and DLT will review the data
- Data will be collected from various sources such as: STAR Reading, STAR CBM, STAR Alternative Assessment, Ohio State Tests, KRA
