Instructional Playbook

WISR Learning Supports

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Our goal is for all students to receive high quality instruction every day by design, not by chance. For our students to be adequately prepared for the challenges of the 21st century, they must--above all else--be critical and creative thinkers and effective communicators and collaborators (AVID, 2016). Honing these skills requires a sustained focus on language through quality interactions and disciplinary literacy in order to construct knowledge (Walqui & van Lier, 2010).

WISR Learning

WISR is a learning support structure that amplifies students’ access to academic language by focusing on W riting, I nquiry, S peaking and listening, and R eading and viewing, which are foundational college and career readiness skills. When students have the opportunity to access content through reading rigorous texts, writing to express complex thoughts and ideas, and engaging in rich academic discussions, they are developing the confidence and competence needed for full participation in our global society.

Writing

Inquiry

Speaking & Listening

Reading & Viewing

Using WISR as a lens to plan instruction allows educators to incorporate engaging learning tasks that provide high challenge and high support which creates a safe learning environment for students to take ownership and agency of their thinking and learning. All students are academic language learners and need to be explicitly taught how to use language specific to the discipline or content (Zwiers, 2014). Writing as a learning skill is a personal and public communication tool, a record of a learner’s thinking, and a way to make learning visible. Inquiry is uncovering one’s understanding, asking questions, and building connections and provides the purpose for writing, speaking & listening, and reading & viewing. Speaking & Listening are essential for learners to build understanding and exchange ideas, information, and opinions through collaboration and engagement. Reading & Viewing empowers learners to strategically gain meaning, understanding, and knowledge to contextualize learning from text and other media.