EMC’s Mirrors & Windows: Connecting with Literature is a comprehensive resource to support English language arts instruction in grades 6-12. The program includes print and web-based resources. In the middle school grades (grades 6-8), instruction uses the theme of “mirrors and windows” to help students use literature to reflect on their own lives and to connect with people from different cultures and times.
Across middle school grades, Mirrors & Windows units are organized in terms of a theme linked to a literary genre. For example, a grade 6 unit that introduces poetry is centered on the theme of “Expressing Yourself.” Each unit is made up of a set of reading selections related to the theme. [Read more…]
Instruction focuses on the development of “close reading” skills using three readings of the same text. Each reading is for a different purpose, such as identifying important details, determining the text’s structure, and interpreting the its meaning. Reading strategies to be used before (e.g., build background), during (e.g., ask questions, visualize), and after reading (e.g., recall, analyze) each selection are provided. Lessons are organized using the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model, which frames activities in terms of Guided, Directed, and Independent Reading.
About EMC*
Over the years, EMC School has grown steadily into one of the nation’s leading producers of blended learning solutions for K-12 schools throughout the country. EMC School offers K-12 programs in Language Arts, World Languages, Business Education, and Social Studies with supplementary and multimedia materials.
EMC is now a division of Carnegie Learning, Inc., a comprehensive, dynamic and progressive learning technology company. Advocating a belief in teaching and determination to help students develop as learners and thinkers, Carnegie Learning is seeking to re-define the role of technology across the K-16 landscape. Its mathematics and STEM division delivers research-proven mathematics curriculum and the MATHia® platform for grades 6-12, developmental math support for 2- and 4-year colleges, project-based digital solutions for STEM, and best-in-class K-12 professional learning services. For more information, please visit www.carnegielearning.com and www.emcp.com.
*Information in this section is provided by or adapted from EMC.