Intellectual
Our students will learn key academic skills - like reading, writing and math - to encompass the knowledge and processes associated with intellectual development. As learners and meaning-makers, students take subject-specific concepts and content and transform them into a new understanding.
Goals
- Improve student success in literacy.
- Improve student success in numeracy.
At Mountain Elementary we are deeply committed to increasing student success in literacy and numeracy through effective teaching strategies. Achieving reading fluency and comprehension by the end of Grade 3 is both a District -wide priority and a key goal for our school. While current data reflects the dedication and hard work of our staff and students, it also highlights the ongoing need to support literacy achievement for all learnings.
Our classrooms are vibrant learning environments where students are supported to grow from where they are. At Mountain, learning takes many forms. A walk through our hallways reveals students engaged in a variety of activities – working with adults, collaborating with peers and learning independently. You will see tools such as pencil and paper, iPads, Winbooks and a wide range of manipulatives. Students are reading, writing, talking and listening, and moving. Older students mentor younger ones, and may classes take learning outside in our forest area. These diverse learning experiences foster literacy and numeracy development while building the competencies needed to become curious, motivated and confident lifelong learners.
We hold high standards for literacy and numeracy and strive to create inclusive learning environments where all students can thrive. Evidence of student progress is reflected in report cards, district wide data as well as Grade 4 FSA scores.
Activities to Support Literacy Instruction Include:
- Sound Wall and Phonics Assessments
- Decodable readers and Chapter books
- UFLI and Heggerty (Primary Classes)
- Reading Power by Adreinne Gear and explicit comprehension lessons (intermediate classes)
- Daily 5/Café instruction
- Words Their Way
Literacy Assessment Practices:
- Classroom based assessments
- PM Benchmark Assessment
- District Grade 3 Write
- Grade 4 FSA (Provincial Assessment)
- Acadience Literacy Screener (Grades K & 1)
- ACT and Vernon Literacy Assessment (Grades 4 & 5)
To foster numeracy grown we are implementing effective strategies and increasing the use of manipulatives across all grade levels. Activities include:
- Manipulatives, number lines and multiplication charts to address skill gaps
- Real world math application to build confidence and relevance
- Ways to make 10
- SNAP Number Sense Assessment
Data is gathered from the following sources:
- Classroom based assessment (number sense assessments, problem solving tasks, daily math work)
- Teacher observation of student understanding of mathematical concepts
- FSA Numeracy Data (Grade 4)
- SNAP Numeracy Assessment