English Language Arts

Midland ISD

K - 12 Language Arts Instructional Framework

Midland ISD’s Reading Language Arts Vision

Through systemic, explicit, and research-based instruction, students will gain the skills to become fluent, proficient, capable readers, writers, and communicators. Midland ISD will provide literacy opportunities that empower all students to access information, express ideas verbally and in writing, think creatively and critically, and make informed decisions that shape the world around them. Students will engage with complex texts in order to gain knowledge coherence, and will be provided daily opportunities to produce text-based writing.

Midland ISD’s Reading Language Arts Beliefs 

1. We believe in order to develop strong readers and writers, we must provide a systematic and explicit approach to teaching foundational skills.

We believe that to develop strong readers and writers, a systematic and explicit approach to teaching foundational skills is essential. Students will be explicitly taught word recognition and language comprehension skills to develop reading comprehension. It is essential to follow the research-based sequence of skills students need to become readers. Foundational skills explicitly taught include phonemic and phonological awareness, phonics (decoding and encoding), print concepts, fluency, oral language development, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension.

2. We believe that reading and writing are reciprocal, recursive processes. 

We believe that reading and writing are reciprocal, recursive processes. Students should read and write daily in all grade levels and across all subjects. Reading comprehension is strengthened by generating written responses to grade-level texts. The writing process is a metacognitive experience that allows students to understand and demonstrate what they think and know.

3. We believe in daily experiences with complex, grade-level texts. 

We believe in daily experiences with complex, grade-level texts. Students should be immersed in a language-rich environment. They should have opportunities to read and study authentic texts that are relevant and engaging, and to read and study multiple genres and text structures. These complex texts offer students opportunities to encounter new words, gain knowledge, and practice analytical thinking. By providing complex text, Midland ISD will build confident and well-equipped readers. Building a love of reading is essential for every student.

4. We believe that students deserve to grow their understanding of the world by growing their vocabulary and a network of knowledge. 

We believe that students deserve to grow their understanding of the world by expanding their vocabulary and network of knowledge. Students will be exposed to complex and engaging texts and participate in rigorous conversations that expand their understanding of the world. These texts enlighten students to scientific and historical concepts, growing their knowledge coherence. By building knowledge and vocabulary systematically, students gain equitable opportunities to interact with the world around them.

5. We believe in supporting students’ text-based writing through explicit instruction.

We believe in supporting students’ text-based writing through explicit instruction. Students will frequently engage in academic discourse to make inferences, establish connections, and increase their understanding of complex texts. Students will use discourse as a bridge to produce structured writing. They will develop their writing using the writing process—brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing—for text-based and genre-based writing. In text-based writing, students will cite text evidence that accurately supports their thinking throughout the instructional day. Students will be explicitly taught how to provide evidence and will have ample opportunities to produce this kind of analytical thinking and writing. Students will be provided with frequent and specific feedback.