Questions

Contact the Elementary ELA Coordinator: Shannon Brooks- (307) 771-2140

Understanding English Language Arts

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Laramie County School District 1 strives to provide the highest quality education in literacy for every child. The district is going back to the basics, and focusing on the specific skills and concepts students need to be successful in their academics. These skills and concepts are housed within our standards and the most important of those were chosen to be the center of our teaching. To help with instruction and provide consistent practices throughout the entire district, there are various instructional programs we have adopted. The Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum (GVC) informs and guides the teaching, and the programs help support instruction.

Wit & Wisdom

Wit & Wisdom is our K-6 comprehensive core reading program that is designed to challenge students in positive and productive ways. This program aims to build knowledge of the world and to deepen the skills students need to be strong readers, critical thinkers, skilled writers, and productive collaborators.

Fundations

"Fundations utilizes a structured literacy approach grounded in the science of reading to make learning to read fun while laying the groundwork for lifelong literacy. The program's research-based approach and extensive materials allow K-3 teachers to confidently present a carefully structured reading, spelling, and handwriting curriculum using engaging, multisensory techniques. This program establises a foundation for reading, spelling, and handwriting" (Wilson Language Training).

https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/programs/fundations/

Heggerty

Heggerty is a program focused on phonemic awareness, which is the ability to understand that spoken words are made up of individual sounds called phonemes. It is a comprehensive program designed to support teachers in building the foundation of reading within their students.

Elementary ELA Coordinator,

Shannon Brooks, (307) 771-2140

Summer Reading

Parents this is the first way to support your child this summer. Find your child's grade appropriate books below.

Kindergarten Summer Reading
  • Geraldine, the Music Mouse, Leo Lionni  
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Eric Carle  
  • Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, Bill Martin Jr.
  • The Listening Walk, Paul Showers  
  • Drum Dream Girl, Margarita Engle
  • Hello Ocean, Pam Munoz Ryan
  • Rain, Manya Stojic  
  • Owl Moon, Jane Yolen
  • Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats
  • The Fur Family, Margaret Wise Brown
  • Every Second Something Happens: Poems for the Mind and the Senses, Christine San Jose  
Parent Reading Tip Sheets

Research demonstrates that students are most successful when parents and caregivers are meaningfully engaged with their child's school curricula.
Wit & Wisdom supports engagement with families by providing Parent Tip Sheets for each unit of study.
The Parent Tip Sheets provide families with the following:

  • An overview of what students will learn
  • The core texts students will read
  • The Essential Question and Focusing Questions guiding each unit of study
  • A list of books families can read together at home
  • Questions families can discuss with students at home
  • Ideas for what families can do together to explore the content at home

Examples of Parent Tip Sheets at each grade level can be found below.

GVC Presentation