Literacy

At Knapp we believe in a Balanced Literacy approach to teaching students reading and

writing. Every student receives at least 60 minutes of Guided Reading daily in addition

to another 90 minutes of literacy instruction that focuses on discrete skills and integrates

reading and writing.

Reading

• Students are engaged in daily Guided Reading instruction on their instructional reading level. There is a dedicated 60 minute daily Guided Reading block for every grade level. We have a cadre of highly trained  paraprofessionals and instructional specialists who push into the Guided Reading blocks to ensure there are two or three adults teaching reading in each classroom every day. All Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade teachers are using the Guided Reading Plus instructional model to plan and facilitate their Guided Reading groups.

Writing

• At Knapp we teach writing use a workshop model where students create authentic writing and progress through the writing process and have regular conferences with their teacher to improve their writing.

Expeditionary Learning

• In 4th & 5th Grade our students are engaged in literacy instruction that embeds rigorous reading and writing instruction with authentic experiences in Science and Social Studies.

The Benchmark Literacy program we use at Knapp is a comprehensive, research-proven program that empowers teachers with tools for vertically aligned K-6 reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language instruction.

• Builds foundational skills such as phonics, word study, and fluency
• Scaffolds ALL students to access complex informational and literary texts
• Guides students to use text evidence in close reading
• Provides opportunities for students to develop collaborative conversations
• Develops writers by teaching writing process and writing to sources