.jpg)
Literary Focus
LITERACY
"So it is with children who learn to read fluently and well: They begin to take flight into whole new worlds as effortlessly as young birds take to the sky. ~ William James
Our approach to literacy includes focus on three main skills and activities. Reading, Writing and Wordplay.
READING
We believe reading is a natural process and a personal experience. The classroom atmosphere along with our understanding of how reading develops, creates a natural learning environment. We spend time with books every day. The children choose books daily after morning snack and they read either by themselves, with a friend or with a teacher.
We model reading behaviors and comprehension skills by reading aloud or reading along side the children every day. We provide a variety of opportunities for children to read independently. We read quality literature which follows the interests of the child as well as the rhythms of the season.
Children develop pre-reading skills at their own pace with guidance from the teachers, their peers and from the environment.
WRITING
Writing opportunities abound in our classroom and honors individual thoughts and creative expression. By creating a safe atmosphere where kids can explore written language, make marks on paper, and communicate ideas through a variety of paper choices, writing emerges. Children will have opportunities to see writing modeled, share the pen with the teacher and write independently throughout the course of the day. Children will be encouraged to write their thoughts and ideas alongside their discoveries, celebrate the small moments and appreciate authors as mentors.
WORDPLAY
Children will engage in a variety of opportunities to study letters, sounds, and word formation throughout the day and across the curriculum. Our study of letters is a part of each day and embedded in the environment in natural ways. Whether in the block area, at the art table or at dramatic play, kids will be exposed to the alphabet and be given opportunities to play with language. Letters, their sounds and words are taught in a playful way using the children's interests as points of entry for further study.