We utilize the Imagine Regional Pacing Calendar to design units that are standards-aligned throughout the year using the Gradual Release of Responsibility (I do 5 minutes-we do 5 minutes- you do 15 min- share 5 min) model. 20-25 minutes of guided reading gives students the chance to apply the strategies they already know to the new text.

Guided reading is an instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small group of students who demonstrate similar reading behaviors and can all read similar levels of texts. The text is easy enough for students to read with the teacher’s skillful support. The text offers challenges and opportunities for problem-solving but is easy enough for students to read with some fluency. The teacher chooses selections that help students expand their strategies.

Direct Instruction (K-1) is a research-proven, child-centered elementary curriculum designed to accelerate learning by maximizing efficiency in the design and delivery of instruction. The DI program breaks learning down into small pieces and then shows students how to bring these pieces together to fit into a larger concept.

Lessons are practiced over and over through choral responses. Teachers advance through the material taking their cues from the children’s progress and their mastery of the lesson. Students, therefore, never “fall through the cracks.” We aim our students with DI strategies that serve them well when advanced thinking is called for in more accelerated subjects such as earth science, chemistry, and problem-solving.