Departments

Language Arts

Meeting the Middle

Program Overview

Meeting the Middle is a reading program in the Charles County Public Schools. Its mission is to improve the reading achievement of middle schools students who are reading below grade level. By teaching students key strategies for reading, writing, and thinking, the program goal is to accelerate the growth of struggling readers so that they can achieve successfully with their peers in all subjects.

The program is conducted through the students' double period language arts class. Class size is limited to 15 to 20 students. Each class is taught by a language arts teachers and an instructional assistant for literacy. All teachers and assistants have received special training in the program. Special education teachers and assistants have also been trained to implement the program in their classes.

Students have been selected for the program by teachers of grades 5, 6, and 7. The target population includes currently in grades 6, 7, and 8 who are reading at least two years below grade level and whose test scores, grades, and reading behaviors indicate the need for additional support in reading.

Class time is very structured. Student receive daily instruction in guided reading and writing, self-selected reading and content connections. Students work on fluency, phonics, and comprehension.

Meeting the Middle students use materials selected for their particular needs. They progress through leveled text as they gain independence in reading. During the content connections time, students work with text related to their science, social studies, mathematics, and other classes.

Teachers conduct ongoing assessments of each student in order to monitor progress. This is done in a variety of ways, using both formal assessments and observations.

As the year progresses, teachers and assistants meet periodically to assess the program progress and needs

MEETING THE MIDDLE

Reading ( 5 Days) 20 Minutes	Content Connections (5Days) 20 minutes
Guided Reading A * Working with Words: word wall activities, chucks, etc. * Re-read yesterday's book * Re-tell what happened in yesterday's book * Read new book * Summarizing OR Guided Reading B* Modified Literature Circles * Before, During, and After Reading Strategies	* Building Prior Knowledge * General Reading Processes * Reading Strategies practiced in all content areas ( model, guided, independent): - Before - During - After * Stances * Text Features * Technology * Materials may include: Text or selections for science, social studies, math or health
Writing/Response (5 Days ) 20 Minutes	Self Selected Reading ( 5 Days ) 20 Minutes
( Model / Guided / Independent )* Free Writing * Interactive Writing * Writing with Frames * Oral Retelling * Response Journals * Descriptive Writing * Sentence Composing * Technology	Independent* Teacher Read Alouds * Varied Genre * Using Familiar Text * Paired Repeated Reading * Running Records * Fluency Checks * Conferencing * Refection / Sharing

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