‘Both and’ Literacy Instruction K-5: A Proposed Paradigm Shift for the Common Core State Standards ELA Classroom
This article proposes a language arts curriculum congruent to the new, English/language arts (ELA) college and career ready standards, particularly to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The idea of behind “‘both and’ literacy instruction” is that all of the following elements are needed for students to form a coherent literacy experience:
Foundational literacy practices: alphabetic knowledge, phonological processing, vocabulary, fluency
Reading comprehension: the role of read alouds/shared reading of grade-level text, building knowledge, attending to syntax
High volume of reading: using the technique called Guided Reading with Accountable Independent Reading
The purpose of this article is “to help teachers determine which aspects fo their current practice are inherently aligned with the CCSS and which aspects of existing practices must be added to, adapted or shifted” (p. 1).
This article, written for teachers and school and district administrators, provides a comprehensive list of elements needed for an effective literacy program. The authors do a good job in applying reading theory to appropriate ELA Common Core standards, especially focusing on how teachers can teach to Reading Standard One and Writing Standard Nine, which are the “big evidence standards” (p. 7). Note that although the article is intended for K-12 teachers, many of the literacy practices provided focus on K-2 instruction. That said, while many teachers may be teaching some or many of these literary components, this article is a useful reminder for teachers and school and district curriculum leaders on what a cohesive literacy program entails.