- Tigard-Tualatin School District
- Subjects / Content Areas
- English Language Arts: Elementary
Teaching and Learning
Page Navigation
English Language Arts: Elementary

-
In TTSD, our vision is for every student to thrive in school and graduate prepared to succeed. Elementary reading instruction plays a critical role in a student’s future academic success. Reading skills acquired in elementary school allow students to access curriculum across content areas, as well as improve other skills such as language, writing, speaking and listening. We also believe that elementary reading instruction should be a fun, engaging, and hands-on experience for young children.
When teaching students to read, their success is a reflection of high expectations. With that in mind, we provide effective reading instruction using a research-based core curriculum, aligned to the science of reading. Important elements of TTSD’s core reading instruction in elementary school include:
-
Core reading instruction is delivered for 90 minutes per day, 5 days per week
-
All students receive core reading instruction - we meet students where they are at and provide differentiated instruction appropriate to their individual rate and level of learning
-
Core reading curriculum is delivered with fidelity by skilled and trained classroom teachers
-
Teachers include active engagement/effective instructional strategies throughout core reading instruction
-
Core reading instruction includes both whole group and small group learning opportunities
-
Instructional Resource(s)
-
Kindergarten - 5th Grade
Journeys is our current K-5 reading curriculum. This adoption was most recently renewed by the school board in spring of 2022. Teachers utilize the Journeys curriculum to deliver instruction in Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency, and Comprehension. Journeys features a variety of text types: decodable text aligned to phonics instruction, complex anchor texts and leveled text for small group instruction.
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in spoken words and the understanding that spoken words and syllables are made up of sequences of speech sounds. Through daily 10-minute Heggerty lessons, students receive explicit instruction in phonemic awareness
Enhanced Core Reading Instruction (ECRI)
Our explicit phonics program, ECRI, is designed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of reading instruction in kindergarten, first and second grade. ECRI is aligned with the Journeys core curriculum and includes encoding (dictation) as well as opportunities to practice learned phonic skills with paired decodable text.
In fourth grade, all students receive explicit, systemic, teacher-led phonics instruction. Through daily 10-minute REWARDS lessons, explicit teacher-led instruction focuses on decoding multisyllabic words, identifying prefixes and suffixes, and gives students new skills to unlock grade-level content-area text.
Raz-Plus is a comprehensive learning app that includes personalized resources for students. All K-5 students have access to a wide range of high-interest books in Raz-Plus. Teachers utilize Raz-Plus to strengthen the connection between what is being taught during core reading instruction and what students are practicing independently.
i-Ready Personalized Instruction (MyPath)
All students have access to i-Ready MyPath. The MyPath lessons are based on their individual skill level and needs, so students can learn at a pace that is just right for them. MyPath lessons are fun and interactive to keep students engaged as they learn.
Scope & Sequence
-
Kindergarten - Journeys Unit Maps
-
1st Grade - Journeys Unit Maps
-
2nd Grade - Journeys Unit Maps
-
3rd Grade - Journeys Unit Maps
-
4th Grade - Journeys Unit Maps
-
5th Grade - Journeys Unit Maps
-
Phonics & High Frequency Words
Common Core Standards
-
Kindergarten - 5th Grade Common Core Standards
Curriculum Documents
-
TTSD Best Practices in English Language Arts
All students must have the opportunities and resources to develop the language and communication skills they need to pursue life's goals and to participate fully as informed, productive, and responsive members in an information-rich society. In addition, we give children the opportunity to explore reading and writing as enjoyable lifelong processes. Strategic and explicit teaching of the language arts curriculum ensures students develop these skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The articulation of a Language-Arts curriculum should be done within and between grade levels and courses, to ensure that teachers can draw on students' shared literacy background.
Dialogue and reflection are necessary to remain knowledgeable and accountable for teaching students reading, writing and speaking skills in all content areas, therefore it is imperative that all teachers engage in on-going professional development. Teachers will differentiate to meet the range of literacy and language skills of all students. The following principles allow for innovation and creativity, realizing that curriculum and instruction are interrelated and should be considered as a whole.
Reading Intervention Resources
-
TTSD utilizes a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework to provide additional support for students in the area of reading. The RTI process begins with early identification and support for students through universal screening of all children and high quality core classroom instruction provided by the general education teacher.
We screen students using Acadience Learning and i-Ready. Students identified in the lowest 20% are provided with reading interventions at increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their personal rate of learning. Reading interventions are provided in addition to core reading instruction and are delivered by a variety of staff, including general education teachers, specialists, or instructional assistants.
Decisions regarding the intensity and duration of an intervention are made based on each student’s response to the instruction and intervention they receive. Interventions are closely monitored by the school MTSS team and we consider a student’s response to intervention when making decisions in both general education and special education. TTSD’s MTSS process creates an integrated system of instruction and intervention, all guided by student outcome data.
Current research-based reading intervention programs:
Early Reading Intervention (ERI)
Reading Mastery
Corrective Reading
Phonics for Reading
Intensified Enhanced Core Reading Instruction (ECRI)
Heggerty
ReadLive
-
-
Contact Us:
Morgan Whitney
K-12 Literacy & RTI TOSA
(503) 431-4194
mwhitney@ttsd.k12.or.us
-