Lexia Aspire Alignment Middle School (Grades 6-8)

LITERACY EXPEDITION

13-Day Summer Master Teacher Guide

EXCURSION PHILOSOPHY

This intensive curriculum adapts Lexia Aspire's foundational research-based literacy components for older struggling readers. Rather than remedial drills, it approaches literacy as a **critical inquiry expedition**—framing language as an unlockable code and students as expert analytical researchers.

Word Study

Focuses on morphological analysis (affixes and Greek/Latin roots) to expand independent vocabulary acquisition strategies.

Syntax Lab

Deconstructs complex sentence structures through sentence combining and identification of cohesive signal words.

Text Maps

Leverages text structure templates and schema-based inference formulas for deep comprehension.

INTEGRATED PROSODY & FLUENCY ROUTINE

Fluency is taught as the vital bridge between decoding and comprehension. Each day, students participate in structured phrasing analysis (chunking text into meaningful thought groups with slash marks) and prosody modeling, culminating in a Day 13 Reading Showcase.

DAILY 90-MINUTE ROTATION ARCHITECTURE

WARM-UP (10M) Prosody & Echo Reading

WORD STUDY (25M) Morphology/Roots

SYNTAX/STRUC (35M) Syntax & Text Mapping

WRAP-UP (20M) Synthesize & Evidence

Instructional Blueprint Phase Progression

THE 13-DAY MASTER PACING CALENDAR

A complete map of target vocabulary morphemes, fluency skills, syntactic markers, and comprehension layouts.

Day	Morphology & Word Study	Syntax & Connecting Words	Text Structure & Comprehension	Fluency Goal
D1	Affixes: re-, un-, -able, -less	Subject-Verb Agreement	Description: Visual attributes	Slashes for Phrasing
D2	Roots: port, tract (to carry/pull)	Identifying simple subjects	Sequence: Timelines & steps	Punctuation stops
D3	Roots: spect, vis (to look/see)	Identifying simple predicates	Description vs. Sequence review	Pitch & Intonation
D4	Review: Morphology matrix	Kernel sentences	Assessment: Structure sort 1	Peer Feedback
D5	Roots: dict, scrib, script (write/say)	Sentence combining with and, but, or	Cause & Effect: "Because" maps	Thought units group
D6	Roots: bio, geo (life/earth)	Sentence combining with because, so	Compare & Contrast: Venndiagram	Conversational pace
D7	Prefixes: bio-, geo- + affixes combo	Signal words: although, despite	Comparing two historical figures	Emphasis on verbs
D8	Assessment: Root Tree Builder	Compound sentences test	Assessment: Cause/Contrast Map	Pacing adjustments
D9	Context Clues: Synonym & Antonym	Complex clauses with who/which	Inference formula: Text + Schema	Self-Correction checks
D10	Context Clues: Definition & Example	Complex clauses with although/when	Inference: Uncovering subtext	Adjusting for tone
D11	Academic Vocabulary synthesis	Writing cohesive paragraphs	Problem & Solution: System map	Peer reviews
D12	Context Clue Master Quiz	Cohesive device track-back	Synthesizing multiple viewpoints	Practice run
D13	Final Word Showdown	Syntax Portfolio Check	Curriculum Post-Assessment	READING SHOWCASE

RECOMMENDED DAILY PREP

Review corresponding daily segment of the Expedition Master Slides
Print the designated page of the Student Expedition Notebook Workbook for every child
Prepare the day's Fluency Passages (modeled reading of the designated section)

Phase 1 Guide Days 1 - 4

PHASE 1: WORD & TEXT EXPLORERS

Focus Areas: Affixation, Core Latin Roots, Thought-Group Phrasing, Description & Sequence Structures.

DAY 1: MORPHOLOGY & PHRASING KICKOFF Focus: re-, un-, -able, -less

Word Study I Do: Introduce morphology. "Class, words have skeletons. The core parts are roots, and prefixes are hangers-on at the front that twist the meaning. Let's look at predictable. Pre- means before. Dict means to speak. -Able means able to be. What is it?"

Fluency Model: Show students how to divide an informational text into chunked "thought groups" using slashes.
"Deep beneath the ocean / a strange and silent creature / prepared to strike."

DAY 2: LATIN ROOTS & TIMELINES Focus: Roots port (carry), tract (pull)

Word Study Routine: Use root trees. Have students write root word port as trunk, then branches for import, export, transport, portable.

Comprehension Strategy (Sequence): Explain sequence structure. Signal words include: initially, subsequently, simultaneously, ultimately. Lead students to map a short history of deep ocean exploration on a linear timeline.

DAYS 3-4: SYNTAX BASICS & FORMATIVE CHECK Focus: Simple Subjects, Predicates & Assessments

Syntax Focus: "To read complex texts, we must find the heart of the sentence: who did what. Cut through the adjectives!" Show students how to highlight subjects in blue and predicates in green.

Day 4 Assessment Protocol: Have students complete the Phase 1 Assessment in their workbook independently. Spend 15 minutes listening to individual students read Day 3's passage to check for slash placement and pitch accuracy. Use the rubric on Page 5.

TEACHER SCRIPT FOR WORD STUDY DEMONSTRATION

"When you encounter an unfamiliar 8-syllable word in middle school science texts, don't panic. Strip it. Take away the prefix. Take away the suffix. What root is left? If you see 'tract', you know it's pulling. If you see 'unretractable', 'un-' means not, 're-' means back, and 'tract' means pull, '-able' means can be. 'Not able to be pulled back.' You just decoded an academic word like an expert scientist."

Phase 2 Guide Days 5 - 8

PHASE 2: SENTENCE & CONNECTIVE ARCHITECTS

Focus Areas: Dict/Script Roots, Compound Connectors, Conversational Fluency, Cause/Effect & Contrast Structures.

DAYS 5-6: SENTENCE COMBINING LAB Focus: Connectors because, so, but, or

Syntactic Scaffolding: Lexia Aspire research shows sentence-combining builds deep reading comprehension. Model taking two short "kernel" sentences and bonding them:
Kernel A: Giant squids have eyes the size of basketballs.
Kernel B: They can detect faint lights in deep, dark ocean trenches. Combined with Signal: "Giant squids have eyes the size of basketballs so that they can detect faint lights in deep, dark ocean trenches."

DAY 7: CONTRAST SIGNALS & COMPARISON VENN Focus: although, despite, whereas, conversely

Instructional Strategy: Compare & contrast structures require tracking two ideas across a text. Signal words like conversely or whereas warning readers of a mental pivot. Map comparison texts on a contrast grid (e.g., matching characteristics of bioluminescent squids vs. anglerfish).

DAY 8: PHASE 2 ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACK Formative Transition

Assessment Routine: Administer Root Tree & Combined Sentence builder exercises. Ensure student work exhibits correct comma placement before coordinative conjunctions (e.g., "..., but..."). Check conversational fluency pacing to identify students reading too quickly without structural pauses.

CRITICAL MISCONCEPTION ALERT

Students often mistake coordinate conjunctions (and, but, or) as simple sentence fillers. Teach them that these are structural bridges. "But" means an obstacle is coming; "so" means an effect is arriving. Highlight these as compass signals of text meaning!

Phase 3 Guide Days 9 - 13

PHASE 3: CRITICAL CLUE DETECTIVES

Focus Areas: Synonym/Antonym Context Clues, Inference Formula, Problem/Solution maps, Synthesis & Final Fluency Showcase.

DAYS 9-10: THE INFERENCE FORMULA Formula: Text Clues + My Schema = Inference

Teach inference-making as forensic science. Model: "The text states that the submersible's lights went dark and the cabin temperature dropped. I know from schema that deep water is frozen and lights consume battery power. Therefore, I can infer the sub's primary power generator failed." Students must write their reasoning steps explicitly in their workbook.

DAYS 11-12: PROBLEM-SOLUTION & MULTI-SOURCE INTEGRATION Focus: Synthesis & Reading prep

Students read two contrasting viewpoints on deep seabed mining. They map out the environmental problems (habitat destruction) and the economic solutions (valuable mineral extraction) on a comparative chart.

SUMMER ORAL FLUENCY RUBRIC (Middle School Baseline)

Score	Phrasing & Parsing	Prosody & Tone	Rate & Punctuation
4 (Expert)	Reads in large, meaningful thought groups. Never reads word-by-word.	Expression matches character tone & academic shift. Highly engaging.	Respects all periods, semicolons, and dashes perfectly.
3 (Target)	Phrasing is logical; occasionally halts to adjust at complex clauses.	Voice rises and falls appropriately at sentence end. Proper intonation.	Paces correctly; pauses appropriately at punctuation.
2 (Emerging)	Reads in short, choppy 2-3 word blocks. Misses structure connections.	Monotone; does not adjust pitch for emphasis or text changes.	Ignores commas and semicolons. Runs through periods.

DAY 13 SHOWCASE PROTOCOL

Students step to the front of the classroom and deliver a 1-minute oral dramatic reading of their prepared informational text segment. Direct peer audience members to track fluency markers using small slips of feedback paper. Award the "Literacy Expedition Master" certificate to conclude the academy!

Literacy Expedition Teacher Guide

Literacy Expedition Teacher Guide

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