Spencer County Middle School

Year One Literacy Plan Goals

Goa1 1: Read the equivalent of 15 books per year across the

curriculum.

• Develop a plan for increasing reading requirements

incrementally over 3 years.

• Implement a school-wide silent sustained reading (SSR)

program

• Expand resources for teachers to expand their classroom

libraries with materials related to the subject matter being
taught.

• Amend the school-wide homework policy to include

required 30 minutes of reading outside of class each day (5
days per week).

• Select a reading motivation program that rewards

students for reading and reporting on a specified number of
books.
• Purchase culturally relevant newspapers and magazines for
classroom use.

Goal 2: Write weekly in all classes.

• Provide coaching for all content area teachers in

appropriate writing to learn, writing to demonstrate learning,
and authentic writing activities.

• Require all students to write weekly reflections about

learning in class.

• Develop a common rubric for evaluating student writing.

• Use periodic school-wide writing prompts, to be evaluated via a
common rubric.

Goal 3: Use reading and writing strategies to enhance learning

in all class.

• Provide professional development to help teachers learn

best practice reading and writing strategies relevant to
specific content areas.

• Select a small number of reading strategies to emphasize

across content areas.

• Provide follow up support that includes observing

colleagues implementing identified strategies and best
practices, including one-on-one assistance.
• Decide on common strategy for all classes for a month. Provide
time for teachers to discuss their use of the strategy and
problems they encounter.

Goal 4: Develop authentic writing pieces in all classes.

• Require students to complete one piece of authentic

writing per year that includes research and a personally-
conducted interview as support for the thesis.

• Develop progressively more challenging requirements for

this piece at each successive grade level.
• Each teacher will contribute a writing piece to student working
folders.

Goal 5: Complete a rigorous language arts curriculum

taught like college-

preparatory/honors English.

• Begin a vertical curriculum alignment process involving

all ELA teachers K-12 that ensures adequate rigor.

• Develop common language and Best Practices for school-

wide literacy initiatives.

• Provide Professional Development opportunities on

strategies for increasing rigor across content areas through
higher-order thinking skill-based activities.
• Provide on-going communication with parents regarding learning
assessment results and the importance of rigorous standards.

* adapted from SREB – Literacy Across the Curriculum