Literacy

Students are exposed daily to a variety of literacy activities during our literacy learning: Listening skills, Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, Letter/Sound Recognition, Shared Reading, Reading Workshop, and Writing Workshop.

Listening Skills

Listening to stories helps to familiarize children with the language of books and their patterns, as well as a variety of basic reading conventions. Hearing stories allows children to hear language that may be above their present independent reading level, but perfectly suitable for their listening level.

Phonological awareness

Phonological awareness is the understanding that our spoken language is made up of words and that our words are made up of individual units of sounds called phonemes. Phonemes are basic speech sounds that are represented by the letters of the alphabet. Children can learn to assemble phonemes into words as well as break words into their phonemes. Giving children experience with rhyming words is an effective first step toward building phonemic awareness. Children need to be able to manipulate these sounds in order to become fluent readers. Phonological awareness skills include concept of spoken word, rhyme, syllables, phonemes, and phoneme manipulation. Phonemic awareness, a part of phonological awareness, is the understanding that words are sequences of phonemes. Students need to learn that syllables are made up of even smaller sounds (phonemes). For example the word “pie” has two sounds; the word “stop” has four sounds.

Sound Recognition

One of the best foundations for early reading success is knowing the sounds of the alphabet. Children have opportunities to learn and practice this through our program called Read, Write, Inc.

Phonics

Although related to phonological awareness, phonics is different. Phonics activities can help a child connect the sounds s/he hears to the printed words s/he sees. These activities include recognizing letters and the sounds they make; hearing and writing down the sounds buried within words; and developing strategies to “decode” unfamiliar words.

Children need to be taught the sounds individual printed letters and groups of letters make. Knowing the relationships between letters and sounds helps children to recognize familiar words accurately and automatically, and “decode” new words.

Shared Reading

Shared reading starts with the teacher reading an enlarged poem, song, or story to the whole class. Predictable books with repeated patterns, refrains, pictures and rhymes work well with early readers. On subsequent rereading the children participate by reading more and more of the text until, in the final stage, they are able to read the story independently. Through this type of modeled reading, the children receive clear messages about concepts of print, phonic connections, and basic story structures. Extension activities can include retelling, acting out, or illustrating the story. Shared reading can often be connected to literature units or themes the children are studying.

Reading Workshop

Reading Workshop provides the children with the opportunity to work on reading. They will practice and learn reading strategies that will enable them to become independent readers. The teacher "guides" the children to develop basic book handling skills, firm concepts of print, understanding of story structures, and effective reading strategies, comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary through mini lessons, such as:

Comprehension

Comprehension strategies help children understand, remember and communicate what they read. They also help children to link what they are reading to what they already know. To become independent readers and thinkers, children need lots of practice at predicting what is coming next, and then checking to see if s/he was right. They need to think about ideas and information, ask questions, and solve problems. Children need to know the steps good readers use to make sure they understand text. Students who are in control of their own reading comprehension become more purposeful, active readers.

Fluency

Reading fluency is the ability to read text accurately and quickly. Several skills help children read fluently: paying attention to punctuation, grouping words into meaningful chunks, and using expression. Fluency also requires children to use strategies to figure out unfamiliar words and to know a lot of sight words that can’t be “sounded out.” Children who read words smoothly and accurately are more likely to enjoy reading and to understand what they read. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically. When fluent readers read aloud, they read effortlessly and with expression. Readers who are weak in fluency read slowly, word by word, focusing on decoding words instead of understanding the meaning of what they read.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary development is learning to use and understand many words, and to use them correctly in sentences. Children will read and write better when they actively build and expand their knowledge of written and spoken words, what they mean and how they are used.

Writing Workshop

Writing is an integral part of the kindergarten literacy program. Children have the opportunity of observing the teacher model writing, writing in their writing book, and predictable charts. There are also opportunities for shared writing where students and teachers interactively write. Writing books are used during our writing workshop. Writing workshop always begins with a mini lesson on writing, followed by writing time, conferring and sharing. Writing allows the child to use all the literacy knowledge they have gained to create stories. Research shows invented spelling to be a powerful means of leading students to internalize phonemic awareness. Our instruction is based on the book, Talking, Drawing, Writing.

Ways to help outside of school with literacy

Helping your child learn to read and write doesn’t have to take a lot of extra time or money. Here are some easy ways to build literacy skills, at home, in the sun, or on the run.

At home

* Let your child see you reading and writing as you go through your day. Talk about what you read and write so your child can hear. Say: “I have to use a capital letter at the beginning of this sentence.” “I’m not sure how to spell this word. I’ll say it slowly and listen for the sounds I hear.” “I’m asking Dad a question in this note, so I’d better use a question mark.” (Print awareness)

* Buy alphabet soups, cereals and cookies and practice finding “letters of the day” with your child as you snack. Leave plenty of time--this will not help you rush through lunch! (Phonics)

* Ask your child to tell you a new or interesting word s/he learned today. Does s/he know what it means? Write the word in a writer’s journal or notebook. Have the child draw a picture to go with the word, or use it in a sentence. (Vocabulary)

In the sun

* Lie on the ground and describe the shapes of the clouds. (Oral language & vocabulary skills)

* As you play outdoors, play “I Spy.” Look around your world and say, “I spy something that starts with the [m] sound. What is it?” If you like, add clues such as “We use it to cut our grass.” (mower) “It’s where we put our letters.” (mailbox) (Phonological awareness; phonics)

* “Finger paint” the alphabet using sand, garden soil or playground pebbles. At the beach, try making letters “giant-sized” by walking the shapes or letters. Pretend you are writing messages to airplanes that might pass by. (Phonics)

* When you take a walk, point out the directions you are going: turning left or right, going uphill or downhill. Point out which directions are north, south, east or west.

On the run

* Point out printed words in the places you take your child, such as the grocery store. Point out individual letters in signs, billboards, posters, food containers, books and magazines. Ask if s/he know what sound the letter makes. (Phonics; print awareness)

* When you travel, bring along a cookie sheet and set of magnetic letters. Your children can find letters, sort and match, and copy short words they see along the way. (Letter recognition and phonics skills; print awareness)

* Give your child a flyer, brochure or page from an old magazine. Circle a letter on the page and have him circle matching letters. This is great for preventing boredom in lines or waiting rooms!(Letter/sound recognition)

* Play with language! Fight boredom in lines and waiting rooms by playing “sound games”: listening for the same beginning and ending sounds or words, creating rhymes, or making “slowmotion” language, where you stretch out the sounds in words to make them easier to hear.