Douglas Elementary 24-25

Reading

Scarborough’s Reading Rope is a widely recognized framework that illustrates the complex, intertwined skills required for skilled reading. This model presents reading as a combination of two major strands: word recognition and language comprehension. Each strand is made up of multiple, distinct components—such as vocabulary, background knowledge, decoding, and phonological awareness—that must be developed and woven together over time. As these skills become more automatic and strategic, they strengthen the “rope,” resulting in fluent, accurate, and meaningful reading. As we analysed the needs of our learners, we wondered how providing students with strategies specific to both word recognition (early primary) and language comprehension (late primary to intermediate) would improve their decoding and comprehension skills as well as general reading confidence. 

Early Primary: How do word recognition strategies (phonological awareness, decoding, sight recognition) help students develop oral reading fluency and accuracy?

As early primary teachers observed the development of our young readers, they noticed that many students were using ineffective methods, such as depending on picture clues or guessing a word based on the initial letter. This not only made it challenging for students to read words accurately but also negatively impacted students’ confidence in their ability to read, as they did not have effective strategies to rely on. To address these needs, the early primary team decided to focus on explicitly and systematically teaching students strategies that would help them to decode words. Throughout the year, some of these strategies included:

Understanding letter-sound relationships: recognising that letters represent sounds and the same sound can be represented by different letters or combinations of letters.

Using an understanding of letter-sound relationships to blend sounds together and decode a word

Changing a singular sound at the beginning, middle, or end of a word, to make a new word (word chaining)

Using decodable texts that include specific letter-sound concepts that have been explicitly taught 

Developing sight word recognition (words recognised by memory) for regular and irregular (“heart”) words

Results

When comparing the average words read per minute of a grade level text in September and then again in May, the average words read correctly by early primary students increased significantly:

Beyond the growth in their oral reading fluency, students also expressed increased confidence in their own abilities to read:

"When you learn the rules for how words are made, you can use the rules for new words. Like for the word feel or real. Both words have the “eeee” sound but they are spelled different. Then once you know the rule you can read lots of words."

"For some people, they only know that f makes the sound “fffff” but then when you learn that “ph” makes the sound “fffff” too, you can read words like phone. I couldn't read that word before but now I can."

While teaching decoding strategies and using decodable texts supported students who were emerging classroom learners, giving them additional exposure and practice with foundational reading skills, it also proved to be beneficial for all students, providing them with the “why” behind how words are made in the English language and how to apply this knowledge to multisyllabic words. Emerging, developing, proficient, and extending learners all showed growth in their ability to decode and articulate an understanding of the English language.

Late Primary/Intermediate: How do specific reading comprehension strategies impact students’ capacity to process and retain written information?

As word recognition skills became more automatic, students were able to focus less on phonological awareness and decoding and transition to using their cognitive energy for comprehension. Teachers explicitly taught language comprehension skills to develop vocabulary, awareness of language structures, verbal reasoning (figurative language, inferencing) and literacy knowledge (genres, text features, etc.). Throughout the year, some of the strategies included:

Vocabulary Development: explicit teaching of word meanings in context, providing multiple exposures to new words, engaging with rich and varied texts, summarising in “kid-friendly” language

“Learning new words this year really helped me doing details in my writing by making my writing more interesting.”

“It helped me to have the word wall in our class with word of the day words and definitions so I could remember what the words mean when I needed to.”

Summarisation: concise summaries that capture the main ideas and key details of a text (pictured below is “GIST Statements” in a grade 4-6 classroom and “Paragraph Shrinking” in a grade 2-3 classroom)

"Six-minute solutions help with pronouncing new words, incresing how many words I can read in a minute and it gives me a goal to achieve. Making the Gist Statements after reading the passage for the week helped me with understanding summaries."

Genre Studies: understanding how a text is built gives students a greater ability to comprehend and retain information. Teachers build literacy knowledge by reading and discussing a variety of genres (pictured below is a grade 6/7 "40 book challenge"), teaching about text features and structures explicitly, modelling how to approach and make sense of different text types

Results

As students learned and practiced new comprehension strategies in a supported environment, they successfully transferred these skills to new contexts and across various subject areas. With minimal explicit instruction, they were able to summarize paragraphs concisely, identify main ideas and supporting details, and begin to interpret word meanings through their understanding of root words (morphology). Students also applied genre-specific strategies—particularly those related to non-fiction text features—to locate and process information more quickly and efficiently. As these strategies became more familiar and automatic, students began to develop genuine interest and enthusiasm for content and genres they had previously overlooked.

Writing

At every grade level, students engage in a range of writing experiences designed for different audiences and purposes. Through these experiences, they develop essential communication skills by applying foundational language conventions such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. As students, progress through the grades, their writing becomes increasingly sophisticated, reflecting growth in organizing logical sequences, incorporating vivid details, and constructing more complex sentences.

How can we effectively use mentor texts to enhance students’ ability to craft meaningful and purposeful writing focusing on style, structure, and content?

This year, our inquiry shifted toward a more intentional approach: How can we use mentor texts to enhance students' ability to craft meaningful and purposeful writing, with a specific focus on style, structure, and content? We recognized that while students engage in whole-class lessons and genre-based writing units, a more personalized approach might be needed to support deeper writing development. 

We began to wonder whether setting specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic writing goals—developed collaboratively between teacher and student—could lead to increased confidence and improved writing outcomes. Would students feel more empowered and motivated if they could track their progress toward goals such as using language conventions accurately, enriching their writing with adjectives and sensory details, or varying sentence structures for greater impact? 

To support this personalized growth, we explored the use of mentor texts—carefully selected examples of effective writing—to help students analyze and emulate strong writing traits. By closely examining the style, structure, and content of these texts, students were able to see clear models of quality writing, which in turn informed and inspired their own work. We questioned whether integrating mentor texts into goal setting and writing conferences would provide students with clearer direction and a more concrete understanding of how to improve their writing in meaningful ways. 

“I used the mentor texts for our story writing unit. I like them when I don’t have my own ideas.” - Grade 4 Student

Which instructional strategies that incorporate mentor texts are most effective in improving students' writing style, structure, and content?

To explore this, we examined how mentor texts could be used to explicitly model effective writing techniques and inspire students' own work. We focused on helping students develop more descriptive and purposeful writing by highlighting the use of vivid, expressive language—often referred to in class as "wow words." We also emphasized crafting strong introductions that hook the reader and conclusions that effectively wrap up ideas. To support coherence and completeness, we looked for the presence of the 5 W’s—who, what, where, when, and why—in mentor texts, ensuring students were accurately and thoroughly explaining their ideas. As a class, we co-created criteria to evaluate these texts, allowing students to clearly identify the features of strong writing and apply them intentionally in their own work. 

“The mentor texts help me the most because of the ‘wow’ words. I like it when you can ‘feel’ the story, and the wow words, help you feel the story and visualize it. Like now I use words like ‘gasp’ or ‘exclaimed’.  - Grade 4 Student

We began to reflect on the kinds of instructional changes that might lead to meaningful improvements in student writing. Could consistent use of mentor texts as models of strong writing be the key? Would explicitly analyzing these texts and encouraging students to apply the techniques in their own writing lead to greater impact? We wondered if promoting student independence—by having them revisit their writing folders and refer back to mentor texts—might deepen their understanding. We also considered the value of whole-class analysis: dissecting texts together, highlighting key features on the board, and discussing what makes the writing effective. Would providing printed copies of mentor texts for students to store in their folders make these examples more accessible and actionable during independent writing time? 

After we began our first sprint, it became clear that students were not yet able to analyze mentor texts independently or use the checklist effectively to enhance their own writing. However, when we shifted our approach to include whole-class modeling, where students worked in pairs or small groups to examine mentor texts and shared their observations on the board, we noticed a significant difference. Students were more engaged, better able to identify strong word choices and effective sentences, and more confident in annotating their own copies of the texts. This collaborative approach seemed to foster a deeper understanding, and students responded more positively when they saw examples highlighted and discussed in real time by their peers. 

To build on this momentum, we encouraged students to keep annotated mentor texts in their writing folders as valuable reference tools and frequently reminded them to highlight specific word choices or imagery that stood out. Following the first sprint, we also introduced a focused strategy around "show, don’t tell" writing, encouraging students to zoom in on a single scene or moment. Instead of simply retelling an event, they practiced using the 5 W’s to describe it in rich detail, helping them to craft more vivid, purposeful writing. This shift helped students better understand how strong writing is built—and gave them tangible strategies to apply in their own work 

How will we know if we are having the desired impact on our students’ writing?

By the end of the year, we aim for students to be able to independently and effectively analyze mentor texts and apply those insights to enhance their own writing—particularly in the areas of descriptive language, thoughtful expression, and overall clarity. To support this, we will introduce a student-friendly checklist designed to guide their analysis of mentor texts. This tool will prompt them to look for key writing elements such as engaging hooks and conclusions, vivid or “wow” words, sensory and descriptive language, and the inclusion of the five W’s (who, what, where, when, why). It will also encourage students to identify the use of figurative language, including similes, metaphors, and personification, as well as any standout sentences that help them visualize the text. By using this checklist consistently, students will become more intentional in recognizing strong writing techniques—and more capable of incorporating them into their own work. 

“I liked this one mentor text because of the introduction. So, I borrowed the idea and made it my own. I liked that the introduction made me want to keep reading, so I wanted my story to have that same idea. I wrote a mystery and adventure story. One sentence said, “Eliza pulled open the attic door” - Grade 4 Student

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Numeracy

What is the impact we want to have on our students?

Building confidence in communicating student thinking using a variety of math strategies and organisational tools. 

What is the problem?

Can students communicate their mathematical thinking to show how they solved a problem in a clear and organised way? 

How will we initiate the change?

Teaching math strategies (Visualisation, Trial and Improvement, Working Systematically), Math talks, Esti-mysteries, providing templates for students to organise and communicate their thinking. 

What evidence will we collect?

• Teacher observations - student behavior while working on problems 
• Student work samples from Math problems -- seeing growth from beginning of the sprint to end.

Overview

Children arrive at school with intuitive mathematical understandings. A teacher needs to connect with and build on those understandings through experiences that allow students to explore mathematics and communicate their ideas in a meaningful dialogue with their teacher and peers.  This past year, we implemented a variety of strategies that allowed students to find success in math at their own level. Our goal this year has been to help students become more confident and organised when showing their thinking solving math problems. In order to do this, we implemented specific approaches to use while working through a problem. By applying these strategies, we wanted to demonstrate to students a variety of ways one can communicate their thinking in a clear and organised manner. Many students often think math is only about quickly showing the correct answers. When we illustrate to students the importance of clear communication in Math and that there are multiple strategies to use to do this, we empower them. This provides students with the confidence to communicate understanding in Math, an area we believed was important to focus on this year. We continued working through rich math tasks and problem solving. Students continued to learn to apply mathematical strategies, analyze and interpret data, and make informed decisions so they could explain their thinking and understanding of a problem. 

As a team, teachers collaborated to develop a plan focused on nurturing critical thinkers by encouraging students to use a variety of strategies when solving problems. Math is a subject where even adults often fear taking risks. To ensure student engagement and buy-in, we need strategies to help students feel comfortable taking risks without fear of judgment or failure when working on problem-solving and rich math tasks. This, in turn, creates more confident communicators and well-rounded mathematicians. Teachers tracked 5 chosen students of varying abilities throughout the whole process. Additionally, all students were compared from their first on-demand numeracy prompt, to their final assessment. Results are included below.

Nrich Problem Solving Skills

"In order for learners to develop their problem-solving skills, they will need to experience lots of contexts in which to practise each one and to be given lots of opportunities to talk about each one."

Results:

To start with, students were given multiple Math Talk (Number Talk) questions in the beginning of the process to help them understand that there are multiple ways to approach a Math problem and a variety of ways to communicate thinking. This also helped build confidence in the fact that there was more than one 'right answer'. Participation levels gradually increased as students realized their unique ideas to discussing the problem were not only acceptable but valued.

Which one does not belong?

Estimysteries were another activity that whole classes were engaged in. Estimysteries allowed students to have a more flexible mindset when engaging in a math problem. Allowing themselves to change their thinking in mid problem solving.  

Steve Wyborney's Estimysteries

Finally, the grade 6/7 classes and 4/5 class worked on using strategies to explain their mathematical thinking. By implementing the strategies working of ‘visualisation’, ‘trial and improvement’, and ‘working systematically’- our students exhibited increased engagement with the different problem-solving formats by applying new mathematical concepts and understandings in a format that offered them a clear way to present their thinking. 

Trial and Improvement

Working Systematically 

(using tables)

Students were also given a template to help organise their thinking as they approached a word problem. This helps them break their problem up into smaller steps: 

Math Problem Template.pdf

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"By having a way to help me break down a problem, I find it a lot easier to show my thinking; I know it's OK to not get to the answer right away. Sometimes, when I organise my thinking into steps, it helps me see that I need to change the way I think about a problem."

Students initially wrote a prompt with no explicit instruction for how to communicate and organise their thinking. They were assessed on a rubric which teachers collaborated on prior to this sprint. Most students were assessed as developing, with some proficient and few extending. 

At the end of the last sprint, the majority of students clearly showed improvement in the way they organised their thinking and tried out various strategies for solving the problem, clearly influenced by the template they had used earlier in the process. Evidence shows a vast majority of students improved in their ability to communicate in an organised and confident manner.

Reading

Over the past year, we have seen the positive results of intentional and explicit instruction for both word reading and language comprehension. This type of instruction was beneficial for students that were reading at or above grade level but absolutely essential for students who were developing and emerging readers. All students had repeated exposure to literacy concepts and were given opportunities for challenge at their level.

Moving forward, the primary teaching team will continue to work together to providing cohesion from one grade level to the next, following a specific scope and sequence that builds in complexity as grade levels and reading levels increase and enable transitions from one teacher to the next to occur seamlessly. As students transition away from word recognition strategies and into language comprehension, teachers will continue to model and implement comprehension strategies across subject areas. A common assessment platform will be implemented throughout the year in order to identify students at risk and provide support.

Writing

Over the past year, we have seen the powerful impact of intentional and explicit writing instruction through the use of mentor texts and writing conferences. This approach provided students writing at or above grade level with rich, authentic examples to inspire and extend their work, while offering essential scaffolding for developing and emerging writers. Students had regular opportunities to analyze a variety of writing styles and purposes, engage in discussions with partners, small groups, and as a whole class, and apply new strategies at a level that matched their needs. Having mentor texts readily available in their writing folders significantly increased student independence, allowing them to revisit strong examples—such as effective introductions or conclusions—when needed.

Looking ahead, the intermediate teaching team will continue to collaborate to ensure a cohesive and consistent writing journey from grade to grade. School-wide writes will continue to be a valuable tool for tracking student growth and fostering professional dialogue among teaching teams to support assessment and planning. As students transition from writing basic sentences to crafting more complex texts, teachers will continue to explicitly model and teach writing strategies across multiple genres and subject areas. Our school-wide assessment framework, aligned with the BC performance standards, will guide us in monitoring student progress, identifying those who require additional support, and delivering responsive, targeted instruction throughout the year.

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Numeracy 

Moving forward, we will continue to provide explicit instruction and utilize group strategies for solving math problems. We will introduce the skills and strategies that will help guide students to be more flexible in their mathematical thinking by continuing to use math talks and esti-mysteries. Our goal is to provide students with highly engaging thinking tasks such as these, so they are excited and willing to take risks. Additionally, we will continue to provide students with a template to help organise their thinking and approach word problems in a clear manner. 

Our goal is to encourage students to fully communicate their thinking with confidence, using a variety of strategies. To achieve this, we will: 

• Begin the year by continuing to establish collaborative math groups and developing problem-solving skills in Term 1. 

• Continue to collaborate strategies early on, ensuring they become habitual. 

• Reinforce the importance of communicating thinking in a variety of ways and with a variety of strategies introduced early in the year. 

• Refine collaboration rubrics that highlight the competencies necessary for success in a thinking classroom. By setting clear success criteria from the start, students will understand the expectations when working in groups when solving math problems. 

• As a class we will continue to have math conversations across all the units, not just problem solving, and introduce math journals to reflect on learning. By having math conversations after they have completed their task will give students the opportunity to share strategies, consider others’ thinking, and justify their own thinking, they can make connections that build their understanding. This will allow students to use what they know and think in their own ways, and they can reflect on this process in a math journal.   

• Once students are ready to move on to more challenging tasks, another strategy we implement, would be to give the answer upfront. This is so students don’t feel the pressure of the right answer but are working on strategies to get to the answer.  Additionally, by focusing on the process rather than the result, students become more willing to take risks and try out different problem-solving techniques. This method can also promote collaboration, as students explain their reasoning and learn from each other.