How might we collaboratively establish a clear and coherent progression of literacy skills using the PYP, Ontario curriculum, and 5 Pillars of Reading as a framework?
Some thinking that supported and shifted my thinking after the 2nd face-to-face meeting was the idea of creating a more general overall version of a progression for vertical use and then a more detailed version to be used at a grade level. Teachers could access both versions if they wish to see more details for a specific grade level above or below them, but it will be easier to read and digest from a whole school perspective. The thinking also led to the idea that we could create the framework on how and what to map out, and then bring it to grade-level teams to help fill in the information, creating a living document that we can fill in as we go and develop.
A big piece of what is needed is time to start fleshing out the framework collaboratively with Dianne. It would be helpful to see if any frameworks or examples are already in place in other schools that we could view and consider. I’m also curious to see how AI could help us develop something specific to our needs, but will very likely need some support in this area. I still have a question about how to identify in a clear way, how writing lives within instruction, and to also highlight how it parallels or compliments writing when it is being taught in tandem.
@mthompson
Hi Melody,
Your How Might We question is incredibly well-structured and brings together key frameworks (PYP, Ontario Curriculum, and the 5 Pillars of Reading) in a way that can create a truly cohesive literacy progression across grade levels. I love how your thinking has evolved since the second face-to-face meeting—especially your approach to developing both a high-level progression and a grade-specific detailed version. This layered structure will ensure accessibility and usability for all teachers while providing coherence across the whole school.
Below are some next steps, resources, and strategies to support your action plan:
1️⃣ Refining Your Progression: What to Map Out?
It sounds like your biggest challenge is structuring the framework in a way that is both comprehensive and practical. Here’s a suggested structure that might help guide your mapping process:
✅ Overarching Literacy Progression (Vertical View for Whole School)
• Focus on broad learning goals that connect across all grade levels.
• Include major skill areas (phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing development).
• Align these skill areas with the PYP, Ontario Curriculum, and 5 Pillars of Reading.
✅ Grade-Level Specific Progression (Detailed View for Teachers)
• Break down the broader literacy skills into grade-specific expectations.
• Identify benchmark skills that students should achieve at each stage.
• Incorporate common assessments and strategies that support skill development.
Reflection Question:
Would it be helpful to color-code or categorize skills (e.g., “emerging,” “developing,” “mastery”) to help teachers quickly identify progression?
📌 Resource: The Science of Reading Implementation Guide – https://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/reading-basics
2️⃣ Researching Existing Frameworks: Learn from Other Schools
Before building your own framework from scratch, review existing literacy progressions to see if any models resonate with your vision. Here are some potential places to look:
🔍 PYP Schools Literacy Maps
• Schools with strong PYP literacy frameworks often document conceptual understandings rather than just isolated skills.
• Check out International School of Geneva’s PYP Literacy Framework: https://www.ecolint.ch/
🔍 Ontario-Based Literacy Progressions
• Some Ontario schools have created scope-and-sequence guides that align with the new Language curriculum and Science of Reading research.
• Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read Report outlines clear best practices for structured literacy instruction: https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/right-to-read-inquiry-report
🔍 Structured Literacy Progressions from Other Schools
• The Lexia Literacy Framework is based on research and provides structured pathways from foundational reading to fluency: https://www.lexialearning.com/
Next Step:
Would it help to reach out to literacy leads at other CAIS/PYP schools to gather insights on how they structured their literacy progressions?
3️⃣ Leveraging AI to Support Development
Since you mentioned curiosity about how AI might support this process, here are a few ways AI tools could help co-develop and refine your framework:
🤖 Using AI for Literacy Scope & Sequence Development
• AI can synthesize curriculum documents and extract common themes to help structure your literacy progression.
• Tools like ChatGPT or Claude AI can generate drafted literacy maps based on key curriculum elements you input.
💡 Suggested AI Prompt for Drafting a Literacy Progression:
“Analyze the Ontario Curriculum, PYP Language Scope & Sequence, and the Science of Reading framework to generate a literacy progression for Grades JK-6. Break it into major skill areas (phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, comprehension, writing). Highlight grade-specific benchmarks and how they connect across levels.”
📌 Resource: The AI Education Project offers AI literacy tools for educators – https://aiedu.org/
Reflection Question:
Would you be open to testing AI-generated literacy progressions and editing collaboratively with your team rather than starting from scratch?
4️⃣ Clarifying the Writing Component
Your question about how writing fits into the progression and its relationship to reading instruction is a great one. Here are some guiding principles that might help:
📝 Parallel Literacy Strands: Reading & Writing Must Reinforce Each Other
• Reading & writing should develop simultaneously, not in isolation.
• Writing instruction should follow a gradual release model (modeled writing → shared writing → independent writing).
📌 Resource: Writing Continuum from the Institute for Excellence in Writing – https://iew.com/
🎯 Idea:
Consider embedding writing instruction as a distinct pillar within your literacy framework, ensuring that it is:
1. Explicitly taught (not just assumed through reading exposure).
2. Connected to comprehension and vocabulary instruction.
3. Developmentally appropriate, matching writing demands to cognitive readiness.
Would it be helpful to document writing expectations in parallel with reading for each grade level?
5️⃣ Finalizing Next Steps: What’s Your Roadmap?
Based on everything you’ve shared, here’s a suggested timeline for refining your action plan:
✅ February-March:
• Research existing literacy frameworks and connect with other PYP/CAIS literacy leads.
• Test AI-generated literacy progressions as a starting point.
✅ April-May:
• Develop initial framework draft and get teacher feedback.
• Clarify how writing fits into literacy instruction.
✅ June:
• Finalize high-level whole school progression and pilot grade-specific literacy mapping with teachers.
Final Thoughts & Looking Ahead
Melody, I love how collaborative and strategic your approach is—you’re making sure this is a teacher-driven process while also leveraging research, AI, and best practices to make it efficient and effective.
The challenge now is refining the structure of your progression and deciding on your first tangible draft. Would a low-fidelity prototype (like a simple Google Sheet with rough literacy milestones) be a good place to start?
Looking forward to seeing you at the 3rd face-to-face session at Montcrest School, where we can continue iterating and refining your plan together!
Best,
Justin
Hi @mthompson – looks like Justin has some amazing resources and next steps for you and @djojic – mentioned my take on finding time to collaborate in a comment on Dianne’s recent blog post, but time is always tricky to find, that’s for sure.
When you speak of your curiosity around AI, it makes me think about the journey we’re on at Shad around incorporating AI into some of what we do. We’ve been looking at optimization tools, some that do and other that don’t involve AI, as well as how evaluation processes can work when incorporating AI. We have been considering everything from data intake and what we share with AI to having it be an evaluator. Happy to chat more at the face-to-face!