In Northside, we follow a balanced literacy framework that includes the explicit and systematic teaching of foundational literacy skills. The instructional components within our balanced literacy framework promote the gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student. Our students engage in literacy learning during read alouds of mentor texts, shared and performance reading/writing, mini lessons, small group instruction, and independent reading/writing.
Reading Language Arts at Mary Hull ES
Our mission at Mary Hull is to provide students with engaging and meaningful learning experiences that will motivate and inspire them to become confident lifelong learners. One way we work toward achieving this is through our Literacy Department. Mary Hull has five full time Literacy Leaders to support the reading and writing needs of all students and the instructional needs of all teachers. Each specialist is highly trained in the area of literacy instruction and has specialized training in their areas of expertise. They are also trained in the area of dyslexia and provide services to our dyslexic students.
Our literacy leaders are available to students daily in small group instruction to support dyslexic students, students reading below grade level, and the bilingual student population. They also support students within the classroom by teaching in the regular classroom setting alongside the classroom teacher. These literacy leaders also support teachers’ improvement of their instructional practices by providing training, coaching and modeling. They work diligently to compile and analyze data to help teachers focus their instruction, help students achieve their reading goals, and to ensure that all students are making growth. Our literacy leaders have been trained in programs designed to help our struggling readers.
Our campus has been provided with an Early Literacy Specialist that supports teachers and students in the primary grades. Our mission is to solidify the foundational reading skills needed to be successful readers and to infuse the passion of literacy in our students’ early stages of development. A focal point of instruction with our young readers is the strengthening phonemic awareness and phonics to ensure our students are accelerating through the stages. Anchoring their phonemic awareness and graphophonemic skills with written, pictorial, or graphic support will enable students to learn to be literate in reading and the writing system.
Our English Language Learners/ bilingual students here at Mary Hull Elementary have the luxury of working with a Language Support Teacher (LST) in all areas of content. Oftentimes English Language Learner students encounter challenges in content area learning. The LST has 3 roles: 1) ensures equal educational opportunity, as required in the Texas Education Code (TEC) that provides a bilingual education program, 2) works with both bilingual teachers and 3) works with small groups of bilingual students (grades K through 5th).
The LST facilitates the LPAC Framework ongoing and annual review for the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) that is a process that includes clarification of the legal requirements for the LPAC and reviews second language learners' progress. When the LST works with teachers, using the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) as a linguistic instructional alignment to guide teachers to implement in their instruction as ways to gather information on how students are progressing in English language development while learning the content in their first language and bridging into the English language once the students have a solid foundation in their native language.
The LST works with bilingual students in small groups in their native language while providing additional opportunities to develop the English language and target the English Language Proficiency Standards through sheltered instruction: shared reading, guided reading, work stations, interactive word wall, writing, guided reading, and hands on learning. The LST ensures that students continue in their development of English Language proficiency, literacy, and academic skills needed for success in school.
The Mary Hull Literacy team empowers our students and teachers by encouraging the value of literacy as a lifelong skill in all content areas.
