TEAMS reading/language arts programs invite teachers and students to participate in a variety of lessons that encourage active participation and interactivity. Reading: Basic to Success, for grades K-3, stresses reading acquisition and demonstrates the components of a comprehensive literacy program including the structure of language, phoneme awareness, decoding, spelling, comprehension, and vocabulary development. Writing in the Primary Grades guides teachers and students through the stages of writing development. Through the TEAMS DISTANCE LEARNING Home Page, teachers and students can access resources that extend and support reading/language arts programs.

READING: BASIC TO SUCCESS SERIES

Reading: Basic to Success is an interactive TEAMS DISTANCE LEARNING series designed to help teachers effectively teach reading in the primary grades. It is developed in two modules, each consisting of eight student programs supported by four staff development programs. The first module focuses on K-1 classrooms, the second on grades 2 and 3.

Reading: Basic to Success programs provide for active viewing and student participation. Students respond with hands-on activities and discussions, interacting with other students and the classroom teacher. Strategies that teach beginning reading and writing are modeled in each of the student programs in this series.

Reading: Basic to Success: (K-3) Staff Development Programs
Two 60-minute programs

These professional development programs provide an orientation for the series, Reading: Basic to Success. The first program, Introduction, visits a first grade class in September. The teacher gives students individual assessments and then demonstrates small group instruction based on the results of those assessments. The final program of the series, Review, revisits the same first grade classroom in May to observe student progress made in reading acquisition. The Results Project, a program that focuses on matching instruction to assessment, is discussed.

Grades 2 -3: (Units 5-8)
Staff Development Programs Four 60-minute programs	Student Programs: Grades 2-3 Eight 30-minute programs

Unit 5: Phonics Instruction, 2-3

The staff development program takes teachers through the stages of phonics development and demonstrates appropriate assessment tools for these stages. An explicit, systematic phonics lesson is demonstrated and appropriate reinforcement activities are explored for students in grades K-3. The two student programs invite classroom students and their teachers to experience a phonics lesson that addresses specific skills at the grade 2-3 level. Students participate in activities that reinforce the phonics concepts learned during direct instruction.

Unit 6: Spelling Instruction, 2-3

In this staff development program the stages of spelling development are described and appropriate assessment tools are given. The program includes an explicit spelling lesson as well as activities that reinforce the spelling patterns being learned. The two student programs invite classroom students and their teachers to experience a lesson that teaches a specific spelling pattern at the grade 2-3 level. Activities that reinforce spelling patterns and word parts (root words, prefixes, and suffixes) are also included.

Unit 7: Comprehension and Vocabulary Development, 2-3

Activities are demonstrated on this staff development program that teach students to use strategies that deepen comprehension and expand vocabulary. Both narrative and informational text is used. The writing process is introduced. The two student programs invite the students to interact with the text as it is read aloud by the studio teacher. Students experience predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing strategies at the grade 2-3 level. After the story is read, students are encouraged to respond to the story.

Unit 8: Strategic Reading Instruction, 2-3

The staff development program demonstrates strategies that help students become independent readers. The reciprocal teaching method that teaches students to predict, question, clarify, and summarize information is highlighted. Video segments demonstrate each of these processes with students. The two student programs invite students and their teachers to experience strategic reading lessons using both fictional and informational texts.

 

Teaching Writing, Grades 2-3
Staff Development Programs One 60-minute program	Student Programs: Grades 2-3 Two 30-minute programs

During the staff development program for this module, the studio teacher discusses the stages of writing development and shares samples of student writing at the second and third grade level. Suggestions are made for helping students learn to use the writing process. During the first student program, the writing process is modeled. Students create their own stories about pets. The focus of the second student program is on writing in the content areas. The studio teacher introduces students to the concept of collecting and organizing research in a report form.