📖 Growing Strong Readers at Tomsett Elementary

At Tomsett, we believe that reading is more than just understanding words on a page—it’s about making connections, exploring identity, and building a sense of community.

This fall, our staff came together to reflect on student reading progress using the Richmond Formative Reading Assessment. We noticed something exciting: our students are great at talking about what they read and relating stories to their own lives. These strengths show that our learners are thinking deeply and making personal connections with texts.

But we also saw an area where we can grow. Many students find it challenging to put their ideas into writing. While they can explain their thinking out loud, expressing those same ideas clearly and fully in writing is something we’re working on together.

🌟 Our Goal

We want to help students become confident writers who can share their thoughts about what they read. We’re focusing on strategies that support both reading comprehension and written expression, while encouraging students to explore who they are and how they connect with others.

🛠️ What We’re Doing

Using tools from the Pillars of Literacy in Learn 38, our teachers are helping students:

• Use sentence starters and graphic organizers to plan their writing.
• Practice shared writing to see how ideas grow and connect.
• Build vocabulary and sentence structure to make writing clearer.
• Make text-to-self and text-to-world connections to deepen understanding.
• Give and receive peer feedback to improve their work.

🌱 What’s Next

We’ll continue using these strategies in our classrooms and choosing books that reflect diverse voices and experiences. Our goal is to help every student feel confident sharing their ideas—not just in conversation, but in writing too.

Together, we’re growing strong readers and writers who understand themselves and the world around them