Strategic Instructional Model Learning Strategies
For the 2011-12 school year, the Windham Central Supervisory Union will focus professional development on literacy, specifically Fountas and Pinnell at the elementary level and University of Kansas-Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) at the secondary level. The WCSU administrative team has adopted a shared vision of literacy teaching and learning:
We believe that all students in our schools genuinely engage in meaningful literacy learning based on common standards. Teachers and students partner in active reading, writing, critical thinking, and argumentation of text, improving foundational skills based on grade-level benchmarks. Students demonstrate the ability to navigate, comprehend, synthesize, evaluate, and communicate understanding. Teachers support effective teaching and learning within a culture of collaboration and inquiry and within a clear structure of professional development.
University of Kansas SIM Website
RAFT Strategy
RAFT is an acronym which stands for:
R: Role, the person writing the paper
A: Audience, the individual to whom the paper is being written
F: Format, the style of the paper (report, phone conversation, fairy tale, cartoon)
T: Topic or Task, the subject matter to be covered, with a strong verb (convince, please, tech, inquire)
Paragraph Writing Strategy
Paragraph Writing Strategy (PDF)
