Literacy
What is Literacy?
Literacy is more than reading and writing. It is about having the skills in today’s society to communicate ideas in a variety of ways (written, oral, with technology, etc.), think critically about learning concepts and develop an understanding of subject matter. Within School District No. 73 we are focusing on the teaching of literacy skills in the classroom that will bring forth these skills and, in turn, create life-long learners.
Who is Responsible for Teaching Literacy?
Whether teaching Kindergarten, Biology 12, or any grade or subject in between, all teachers are responsible for providing students with literacy instruction and learning opportunities.
Balanced Literacy at the Elementary Level
Comprehension Instruction at All Levels
Literacy Learning Opportunities
For two years, Intermediate Literacy Leaders and Secondary Literacy Leaders have been meeting for literacy in-servicing focusing on current research-based literacy strategies. After attending sessions, Literacy Leaders are asked to go back to their schools and share these strategies with their respective staffs through presentations at staff meetings, informal meetings with colleagues, demonstrating lessons in their own classes and providing suggestions for resources.
Other literacy learning opportunities include after school workshops, learning lunches, staff development days, collegial planning, modeling of lessons, support with ordering of finding resources and book studies, among other things.
How are Literacy Levels Measured and Monitored?
Within the classroom, teachers use a variety of on-going assessments in order to plan effective lessons for their students. Some of these formats include running records, anecdotal comments during large and small group instruction, rubrics, BC Performance Standards, exemplars, self-assessments, and many more.
At the district level, data is collected through Primary Reading Levels, Whole Class Reading Assessment (Intermediate), Foundational Skills Assessments (Grades 4 and 7) and Provincial Exams.