South Windsor Public Schools

SOUTH WINDSOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS LITERACY PROGRAM

Kathleen Simoneau K-12 Literacy Curriculum Specialist Phone: (860) 291-1255 Email

Michelle Rondinone Administrative Secretary Phone: (860) 291-1255 Email

The South Windsor Literacy program adheres to the beliefs articulated by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and International Literacy Association (ILA):

"All students must have the opportunities and resources to develop the language skills they need to pursue life's goals and to participate fully as informed, productive members of society... Curriculum and instruction must provide ample room for the innovation and creativity essential to teaching and learning”

The primary goal of the South Windsor Public Schools literacy program is to empower all students to become confident and independent readers, writers, and thinkers through highly engaging, evidence-based instruction..

The Literacy Department is committed to delivering equitable and effective literacy instruction grounded in structured literacy principles. We provide explicit, systematic, cumulative instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Through data-informed practices and targeted interventions, we ensure every student receives the support they need to achieve their literacy potential.  Through rich language experiences involving reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing, students actively engage in a literacy community, transforming information and experience into knowledge and understanding.  Students become creative and critical thinkers which is essential for success in today’s world.

In response to the literacy shifts in Connecticut's Common Core State Standards and guided by the science of reading, our classrooms are grounded in a wide range of appropriately complex, high-quality texts across multiple genres. All components of reading and writing are explicitly taught and integrated to support and enhance student learning. Teachers use a gradual release of responsibility model—demonstrating skills and strategies through modeling, providing guided practice, and supporting students with differentiated independent application.  In addition, strategic small-group and independent opportunities provide scaffolding tailored to each learner’s instructional level, promoting continuous literacy growth.

Students construct and communicate meaning through discussion, written response, and extended composition. Writing instruction follows a recursive process of prewriting, rehearsing, drafting, conferring, revising, editing, and sharing. Teachers use diverse, research-based instructional strategies to address individual learning needs and promote student ownership, gradually increasing the complexity of texts and tasks.