Johns Hopkins Talent Development Middle School (JHTDMS):
READING / LANGUAGE ARTS
Johns Hopkins' Literacy Approach
The Talent Development Secondary English Language Arts program encompasses a variety of instructional techniques and strategies for teaching reading and writing to adolescents ranging from grades 6 to 12. While the Talent Development Secondary approach compels teachers to re-conceptualize daily literacy experiences at the secondary classroom level, it also, by design, supports cohorts of students exhibiting a broad range of abilities and skill sets. The curriculum materials and resources are not only designed to support the developmental needs of middle and high school students, it is also embellished to support secondary teachers with delivering highly engaging, non-traditional literacy lessons. The instructional frameworks and approaches incorporated in the program better equip English teachers to deliver core curriculum and/or meet the challenges of struggling readers and writers.
Considering the differentiated prior knowledge, skills, and motivation often represented in classrooms, this comprehensive, balanced approach to teaching literacy, allows for the strong influence that highly motivated, responsible teachers have on student success. The ongoing teacher training and exposure to research-based approaches guides the teacher to systematically link instruction to the growing knowledge base on adolescent literacy and best practices.
An essential, core component of this English Language Arts model is steeped in collaborative and social learning skills. Students are given opportunities to work in teams to master the literacy challenges that middle and high school learners face, as compared to those in earlier grades. On a consistent basis, teachers explicitly guide reading and students actively engage in cooperative learning to comprehend and respond to rich literature and informational texts with increasing demands: more complex word and sentence structure, greater conceptual challenges and need for critical thinking and synthesis.
Teachers understand that formative assessment is critical to monitoring student progress and targeting extra help when needed. Effective use of data is a key for informing instructional practices and helping students advance their ability to become more independent readers, writers, and thinkers. As facilitators of learning, Talent Development Secondary English/Language Arts teachers work to increase their students’ literacy skills to impact their ability to meet the accelerating demands of the global economy, to get well-paying jobs and to function as informed citizens.
Middle Grades
Talent Development Secondary’s middle grades English language arts (ELA) program includesStudent Team Literature for all students, the Savvy Reader’s Lab for students whose skills are significantly below grade level, and Talent Development Writing, a professional development module that builds teachers’ capacity to deliver effective, engaging writing instruction at every level.
Student Team Literature
The Student Team Literature program is a thoroughly tested and highly effective cooperative learning approach to using Talent Development Partner Discussion Guides. Each school’s ELA faculty selects titles from among more than 200 high-quality, high-interest, culturally relevant trade books for which TD Discussion Guides are available .
Student Team Literature helps students progress beyond elementary literacy and develop proficient reading, writing, communication, and language skills by teaching effective reading strategies, extending comprehension skills, and developing fluency in reading and writing. Ongoing assessment is provided through weekly literature and vocabulary tests as well as Standardized Reading Practice Tests administered after the completion of each book.
Savvy Reader's Lab
In addition, the Savvy Readers’ Lab is an elective course (at approximately half the normal class size) for 10 or 20 weeks providing students a substantial “extra dose” of intensive personalized instruction in addition to their regular ELA class. The Savvy Readers’ Lab helps struggling students become independent readers through instruction in strategic reading, practice of reading strategies, rotation of learning centers, and coaching and in-class support for the SR lab teacher.
http://www.tdschools.org/about-talent-development-secondary/curriculum-instruction/language-arts/
TDMG’s Student Team Literature and Talent Development Writing develop the literacy of middle school students by teaching effective reading strategies, extending comprehension skills, and developing fluency in reading and writing.
This coherent, research- and standards-based approach pairs TDMG Discussion Guides with high-quality, high-interest, culturally relevant trade books. Discussion Guides are available for nearly 200 works (download catalog pdf), including fiction and nonfiction, biographies, and collections of short stories or poems. As students read and analyze books selected by their classroom teacher, they add vocabulary, build language skills, and engage in higher-order thinking.
Student Team Literature is aligned with National Council of Teachers of English standards. The National Staff Development Council recently identified Student Team Literature as one of only seven language arts programs out of the 450 programs reviewed that consistently improves teacher effectiveness and student learning in the middle grades.
Talent Development Writing includes modeling, conferring, teaching mini-lessons, and cooperative team learning. Talent Development Writing focuses on the process of teaching writing, and integrates with Student Team Literature.
http://web.jhu.edu/CSOS/tdmg/program/rela.html
Considering the differentiated prior knowledge, skills, and motivation often represented in classrooms, this comprehensive, balanced approach to teaching literacy, allows for the strong influence that highly motivated, responsible teachers have on student success. The ongoing teacher training and exposure to research-based approaches guides the teacher to systematically link instruction to the growing knowledge base on adolescent literacy and best practices.
An essential, core component of this English Language Arts model is steeped in collaborative and social learning skills. Students are given opportunities to work in teams to master the literacy challenges that middle and high school learners face, as compared to those in earlier grades. On a consistent basis, teachers explicitly guide reading and students actively engage in cooperative learning to comprehend and respond to rich literature and informational texts with increasing demands: more complex word and sentence structure, greater conceptual challenges and need for critical thinking and synthesis.
Teachers understand that formative assessment is critical to monitoring student progress and targeting extra help when needed. Effective use of data is a key for informing instructional practices and helping students advance their ability to become more independent readers, writers, and thinkers. As facilitators of learning, Talent Development Secondary English/Language Arts teachers work to increase their students’ literacy skills to impact their ability to meet the accelerating demands of the global economy, to get well-paying jobs and to function as informed citizens.
Middle Grades
Talent Development Secondary’s middle grades English language arts (ELA) program includesStudent Team Literature for all students, the Savvy Reader’s Lab for students whose skills are significantly below grade level, and Talent Development Writing, a professional development module that builds teachers’ capacity to deliver effective, engaging writing instruction at every level.
Student Team Literature
The Student Team Literature program is a thoroughly tested and highly effective cooperative learning approach to using Talent Development Partner Discussion Guides. Each school’s ELA faculty selects titles from among more than 200 high-quality, high-interest, culturally relevant trade books for which TD Discussion Guides are available .
Student Team Literature helps students progress beyond elementary literacy and develop proficient reading, writing, communication, and language skills by teaching effective reading strategies, extending comprehension skills, and developing fluency in reading and writing. Ongoing assessment is provided through weekly literature and vocabulary tests as well as Standardized Reading Practice Tests administered after the completion of each book.
Savvy Reader's Lab
In addition, the Savvy Readers’ Lab is an elective course (at approximately half the normal class size) for 10 or 20 weeks providing students a substantial “extra dose” of intensive personalized instruction in addition to their regular ELA class. The Savvy Readers’ Lab helps struggling students become independent readers through instruction in strategic reading, practice of reading strategies, rotation of learning centers, and coaching and in-class support for the SR lab teacher.
http://www.tdschools.org/about-talent-development-secondary/curriculum-instruction/language-arts/
TDMG’s Student Team Literature and Talent Development Writing develop the literacy of middle school students by teaching effective reading strategies, extending comprehension skills, and developing fluency in reading and writing.
This coherent, research- and standards-based approach pairs TDMG Discussion Guides with high-quality, high-interest, culturally relevant trade books. Discussion Guides are available for nearly 200 works (download catalog pdf), including fiction and nonfiction, biographies, and collections of short stories or poems. As students read and analyze books selected by their classroom teacher, they add vocabulary, build language skills, and engage in higher-order thinking.
Student Team Literature is aligned with National Council of Teachers of English standards. The National Staff Development Council recently identified Student Team Literature as one of only seven language arts programs out of the 450 programs reviewed that consistently improves teacher effectiveness and student learning in the middle grades.
Talent Development Writing includes modeling, conferring, teaching mini-lessons, and cooperative team learning. Talent Development Writing focuses on the process of teaching writing, and integrates with Student Team Literature.
http://web.jhu.edu/CSOS/tdmg/program/rela.html