District ELA leaders describe updated literacy units, districtwide author program and new multilingual strategies

Lisa White, ELA coordinator for the Plymouth Public Schools, and teacher Shelley Terry updated the school committee on Feb. 10 on elementary literacy screenings, revised writing units, author visits, Poetry Out Loud and recent shifts in how multilingual learners are instructed at the secondary level.

"Oral language is a precursor to reading and writing skills," White said, describing early-literacy emphasis and classroom practices that move students from teacher-led lessons to small-group, targeted instruction. She said the district has updated writing units for grades 3–5 to emphasize authentic audiences and purpose; she described a third-grade unit in which students wrote letters to district officials about issues in their schools. White read classroom responses, and…