Grades 3-5 Philosophy

The Language Arts program includes reading literature and informational text, foundational skills, speaking and listening, language (word work, conventions, and vocabulary) and writing (crafting narrative, informational, and opinion pieces as well as practicing manuscript handwriting). The understandings and skills of each strand of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards are not isolated, but integrated, interactive, and embedded in all subject areas across the curriculum.

Phonics and morphology reading instruction follows a structured literary approach through a number of multisensory strategies and research-based techniques during the Word Study block. Daily word work emphasizing phonemic awareness is embedded within this structure.   Students learn word attack skills through both phonics and morphology activities to not only help them to read and spell words, but also to understand the meaning of words through learning roots, prefixes, and suffixes. 

To teach comprehension and analysis, reading instruction is literature and informational text-based and follows a balanced literacy approach through a number of strategies and techniques during Reading Workshop. These may include read-aloud, independent reading, guided reading, small group strategy instruction, one-to-one conferencing, and book club discussions.

By embracing a centrist approach, both balanced and structured literacy practices provide students with the instruction needed to decode and comprehend print. This bulletin board shows Scarborough's Reading Rope and has a link to a detailed document that explains how both structured and balanced literacy are at work in the Cranford Public Schools. 

Writing Workshop mirrors the same structure and techniques emphasizing immersion, independence, and choice.  Students focus on both process and product. To teach grammar and mechanics, Sentence Study is integrated, which encompasses mentor sentence mimicry and a multisensory approach to teach students to frame their thoughts. All modes of writing including narration, informational, and argument are stressed.

Language arts instruction provides students with the necessary tools to read, communicate orally, and write with clarity and purpose for a variety of audiences.