Language Arts

Everett Middle School is in full implementation of Balanced Literacy as our approach to Language Arts at the Middle School level. Students get 90 minutes of Literacy instruction a day, divided into two components: a Reader's and Writer's Workshop. Teacher's typically start each component with a mini-lesson rooted in the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and then students have the opportunity to practice their new learning with an independent reading book at their level, or an independent piece of writing.

During this independent work, teachers strategically confer one-to-one with students or pull small groups, listening to them read, helping them tackle a new school and keeping a running record of notes. This differentiated approach helps us meet students where they are in their stage of literacy development and allows for a wide range of needs to be addressed in a heterogeneous classroom.

Everett is SFUSD's designated Spanish Newcomer Middle School which means we receive students who are new to the country from all parts of Central and South America, as well as other countries around the world (Japan, China, Iraq, Vietnam, India, Samoa, Brazil, Syria, to name a few!). Newcomer students start their day with 90 minutes of English Language Development and then take a series of content classes following Structured English Immersion Model. Newcomer students who are native Spanish speakers continue to advance their native language skills by taking Spanish Language Arts for 90 minutes every other day. Students and staff alike are deliberate about engaging in discussion around diversity and inclusion to ensure our community leverages having such a rich diverse population at our school!