District 62 believes that literacy acquisition is a complex, interactive process of using essential skills and strategies to construct meaning in spoken and written communication. Literacy is best learned in an environment in which students:
- Learn to read and write through interaction with a variety of materials and instructional approaches.
- Share literacy events with all members of the community including families, teachers, and peers as co-learners who model and support literacy development.
- Make literacy connections between texts and to all subject areas, personal experiences, and world events.
- See the relevance of literacy in their lives.
- Use literacy to learn, understand, evaluate, and communicate.
- Develop and use strategies in a variety of contexts.
- Use current and emergent technology to promote literacy.
- Relate new experiences to prior learning.
- Have their individual needs met in developmentally appropriate ways.
- Acquire literacy through a balanced approach.
District 62 Common Expectations for Balanced Literacy Instruction:
- Modeled Reading, Teacher Think-Aloud, Mini Lessons (whole class)
- Interactive Read Aloud
- Shared Reading
- Guided Reading/Small Group Instruction
- Word Work/Word Study
- Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
- Literacy Centers/Independent Work
- Independent Reading
- Writing in Response to Reading
- Writing Workshop
The District 62 Literacy curriculum is based on Illinois State Standards, Illinois Performance Descriptors, and the Illinois Reading and Writing Assessment Frameworks.
Please contact Sylvia Roe, Administrative Assistant to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, or call (847) 824-1276.