Listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking skills are essential
for learning and interacting in our world, a world of language.
Literacy develops in an interactive environment through involvement in
purposeful actions. The process of enhancing literacy should center on the
learner and reflect current knowledge about language development and
learning theory.
We believe that children gain literacy through guided experience with text.
A balanced language arts program provides rich experiences in reading,
writing, speaking and listening. Children at all stages of growth have
opportunities to develop appropriate skills, read, think, comprehend and
develop fluency. They learn to love language, reading and writing.
In the beginning stages of reading, students must have instruction that
helps them develop a successful way to recognize words as they read for
meaning. This instruction includes recognizing, analyzing and manipulating
letter-sound relationships such as phonics, phonemic awareness and spelling
and using context, structural analysis and syntax (the flow of language).
Because most students leave the early literacy stages by the end of second
grade, the instructional focus should shift to the development of fluency,
enriched vocabulary, critical comprehension, refinement of writing skills,
and developing breadth and depth of reading and writing experiences.
We believe that all children can learn, and that appropriate instruction
will lead to the development of literacy for learning and interacting in our
world.
