Mission Statement

Our mission in the School District of Upper Moreland Township is to create a community in which reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking serve as the foundation for life-long learning.

Overview

The goal of the K-12 comprehensive literacy program is to develop and create 21st century literate communicators, capable of controlling language effectively as they negotiate an increasingly complex and information rich world. Students will refine specific skills and strategies in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will implement these skills and strategies for problem solving situations, making connections, and reflection. The curriculum provides opportunities for teachers to guide, encourage, and challenge students as they progress towards becoming successful, independent, life-long literacy learners.

Grades K-5 Planned Courses

• Kindergarten Planned Course

  Literacy instruction at the Kindergarten Level follows a developmental continuum based on research that identifies the critical foundations for literacy learning. Students will be introduced to the foundational skills of print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition. They will develop an understanding of the alphabetic principle, which includes the recognition of phonemes (spoken sounds) and graphemes (written letters) and the relationship between them. Literacy instruction builds on the foundation of oral language that students bring to school. Instruction stimulates and supports vocabulary growth. Kindergarteners will begin to read emergent text with purpose and understanding as they begin to identify main idea and details. Students will be introduced to beginning strategies necessary to become problem solvers using the Super3 (plan, do, review). In writing, students will use a combination of drawing, dictating, labeling and writing using inventive spelling to focus on a topic. Writing instruction includes the introduction and development of letter and numeral formation in manuscript.

• Grade 1 - Planned Course

  Literacy instruction at the first grade level includes foundational skills that focus on phonological awareness, word recognition and fluency. First graders gain working knowledge of concepts of print, spoken words, phonemes and word analysis in decoding and encoding words. Students learn to read with accuracy and fluency while learning to identify main idea and key details. They make connections using acquired strategies within and across texts. Students in first grade write for different purposes and develop topics by adding details, grouping information and providing closure. Writing at this grade level is purposeful and includes vivid word choice while demonstrating a command of the conventions of Standard English. Students will be introduced to the beginning strategies necessary to become problem solvers using the Super3 (plan, do, review). Writing instruction includes the development of letter and numeral formation in manuscript.
  
  The comprehensive language and literacy program in Upper Moreland Township School District provides a structure for organizing literacy teaching, linking understandings across all content areas to build a strong foundation of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking skills.
  

• Grade 2 - Planned Course

  Second grade literacy instruction includes foundational skills that focus on phonics, word recognition and fluency. Students are taught to read with fluency and accuracy, to identify main idea and to locate key features, facts and information in both literature and informational text. Second graders determine word meaning using multiple strategies, distinguish between literal and nonliteral meanings and/or shades of meanings using graphics, deepen understanding of academic vocabulary, and make inferences using literary devices. Students continue to use the strategies necessary to become problem solvers using the Super3 (plan, do, review). Writing instruction includes the development of letter and numeral formation in manuscript and provides an introduction to letter formation in cursive. Second graders continue to write, revise and edit, as well as extend their understanding of writing genres. Students write for different purposes and develop topics by adding details, grouping information and providing a concluding statement. Writing at this grade level demonstrates purposeful and vivid word choice while demonstrating a command of the conventions of Standard English.

• Grade 3 - Planned Course

  In third grade, a shift from learning to read to reading to learn occurs. Third graders apply foundational skills and strategies to content literacy in order to make meaning of more complex texts. Literacy instruction supports the development of their background knowledge as there is an increased exposure to nonfiction. Explicit instruction is based on the development of comprehension, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of fictional and informational texts. Vocabulary knowledge is developed through a multi-layered approach of direct instruction and students’ individual, active exploration of meaning. Genre writing instruction focuses on the ability to write for multiple purposes and audiences. Students write in a variety of modes, which include informational, opinion and narrative. To ensure clarity of written communication, direct instruction focuses on grammar, based on the Pennsylvania Core Standards. Students learn strategies to become effective and efficient problem solvers using the Big6 research process. Students extend the foundational principles of literacy and explore network, global, informational, media, and digital literacies. Handwriting instruction includes the development of letter formation in cursive.

• Grade 4 - Planned Courses

  Fourth grade students utilize foundational skills to develop their ability to analyze text with an emphasis on critical thinking. At this level, instruction focuses on reading and writing to learn. Use of active reading strategies allows students to expand their understanding of complex text and increase stamina with sustained focus. Students analyze and interpret information from a wide variety of genres to understand the importance of connecting background knowledge to new learning. They read and understand multi-syllabic words. Activating background knowledge enables students to access informational text by understanding text features and structures. Students cite and explain specific text evidence and details. They learn strategies to become effective and efficient problem solvers using the Big6 research process. Writing for a variety of purposes and audiences, students use Pennsylvania State Assessment Mode-Specific Rubrics to guide the writing process and critique their own writing.Handwriting instruction includes the development of letter formation in cursive.

• Grade 5 - Planned Course

  Fifth grade students develop foundational skills that require critical thinking, presentation, and problem solving skills. These skills are necessary for greater independence. At this level, instruction focuses on reading and writing to learn. Reading strategies are used as tools for learning in the content areas. Students actively work to make meaningful connections across texts for a deeper understanding and interpretation. Learners are expected to sustain interest and comprehension over longer texts and read over extended periods of time. Using their knowledge of how words work, students employ a wide range of word solving strategies, including analogy to known words, word roots, base words, and affixes. These processes result in deeper levels of comprehension. Students use the Big6 research process, utilizing strategies to become effective and efficient problem solvers. Writing instruction focuses on the ability to write for a variety of purposes – narrative, persuasive, informative, and poetic. Students continue to craft pieces of writing with developed style across a wide range of topics. Handwriting instruction includes the development of letter formation in cursive.

• Grade 6 Planned Course

  The sixth grade program builds on the accomplishments of the elementary years. Reading instruction is based on the development of comprehension, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of fictional and informational texts. Vocabulary knowledge is developed through a multi-layered approach of direct instruction and students’ individual, active exploration of meaning. Writing instruction focuses on the ability to write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Students write in a variety of modes, which include informational, argumentative and narrative. To ensure clarity of written communication, direct instruction focuses on grammar based on the Pennsylvania Core Standards. Students learn strategies to become effective and efficient problem solvers using the Big6 Process. Students will grow to understand that the notion of literacy has had to expand and go beyond the basic literacies of reading and writing to include network literacy, global literacy, information literacy, media literacy, and digital literacy.

• Grade 7 - Planned Course

  The seventh grade builds on the accomplishments of the sixth grade program. Reading instruction is based on the development of comprehension, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of fictional and informational texts. Vocabulary knowledge is developed through a multi-layered approach of direct instruction and students’ individual, active exploration of meaning. Writing instruction focuses on the ability to write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Students write in a variety of modes, which include informational, argumentative and narrative. To ensure clarity of written communication, direct instruction focuses on grammar based on the Pennsylvania Core Standards. Students learn strategies to become effective and efficient problem solvers using the Big6 Process. Students will grow to understand that the notion of literacy has had to expand and go beyond the basic literacies of reading and writing to include network literacy, global literacy, information literacy, media literacy, and digital literacy.

• Grade 8 - Planned Course

  The eighth grade program builds on the accomplishments of the seventh grade. Reading instruction is based on the development of comprehension, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of fictional and informational texts. Vocabulary knowledge is developed through a multi-layered approach of direct instruction and students’ individual, active exploration of meaning. Writing instruction focuses on the ability to write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Students write in a variety of modes, which include informational, argumentative and narrative. To ensure clarity of written communication, direct instruction focuses on grammar based on the Pennsylvania Core Standards. Students learn strategies to become effective and efficient problem solvers using the Big6 Process. Students will grow to understand that the notion of literacy has had to expand and go beyond the basic literacies of reading and writing to include network literacy, global literacy, information literacy, media literacy, and digital literacy.

• Grade 7 - Humanities

  Humanities is humankind’s responses to fundamental questions about the human condition: Who are we? What does it mean to be a “human being”? How did we get to be this way? Where are we headed? What should the value of the individual be? What can we learn from uncovering the truths of the past? What responsibilities do we have toward other human beings, the environment, and the future? How can we live more humanely with each other?

• Grade 8 - Humanities

  Humanity is humankind’s responses to fundamental questions about the human condition: Who are we? What does it mean to be a “human being”? How did we get to be this way? Where are we headed? What should the value of the individual be? What can we learn from uncovering the truths of the past? What responsibilities do we have toward other human beings, the environment, and the future? How can we live more humanely with each other?