Language Arts/English Curriculum Frameworks - Albemarle County ...

About the Reading Maps
Articulating reading requirements across grades involves considerable thought and discussion about
individual student reading levels, appropriateness of the literature to an age group, and appropriateness of
literature to the curricular goals. That said, teachers should keep in mind the following items as they
select literature for instructional purposes:
• Vertical alignment and requirements at specific grades should be honored.
• Titles/authors have been recommended at the lowest grade level to accommodate as many learners
as possible. Titles may be used for any grade at or above the recommendation level.
• Suggested texts and authors should be used whenever possible. If a teacher would like approval for
a text not on the reading maps or text lists, s/he must go through the building-level approval
process with notification of the appropriate curriculum coordinator.
• Within Professional Learning Communities, grade-level teams may design instruction around
common texts.
• To meet the needs of all learners, schools may elect to use adapted texts for the recommended
titles as long as the title is the same.
• At the elementary level, notable author lists are provided to maximize flexibility with reading
instruction. However, not all texts by any one author are appropriate for all students. Discretion and
awareness of students’ social development and community expectations should precede any text
selection.
• While some overlap in notable authors and suggested texts may exist, teachers should avoid using
any book that is specifically listed on a reading map at a higher grade.
© Albemarle County Public Schools, May 2006 22