Learning to read is one of the essential tasks of childhood. As literacy specialists at Concord School our primary goal is to support our students as they develop into successful readers and writers.
Research studies show that a balanced approach to literacy instruction is necessary to enable children to become successful readers and writers. Reading is a complex, problem-solving activity. Children must simultaneously integrate many different sources of information in order to read text successfully. Writing is integral to children's development as readers; reading and writing are reciprocal activities and serve to strengthen each other.
The types of literacy support we provide at Concord include Reading Recovery©, phonemic awareness, and small group instruction focusing on effective reading and writing strategies. Selection of students to participate in any literacy support activity is based upon careful assessment of students' strengths and weaknesses.
Reading Recovery is a first grade intervention program which provides individualized, one-on-one instruction for at-risk readers. The goal is to foster independence in reading and writing. Lesson components include extensive daily practice in reading text at the proper level for the child, developing reading strategies, writing, letter/sound knowledge and print concepts.
Phonemic awareness is the understanding that spoken words are made up of individual sounds. It is one of the best indicators of early reading success. Phonemic awareness is not the same as phonics. It deals with sounds in spoken words, whereas phonics involves the relationship between sounds and written symbols (letters). Before children can make the connection of sounds to letters, they need to connect their speech to individual sounds. Lessons include tasks that focus on rhyming, blending and segmenting sounds.
Small group instruction focuses on developing and strengthening reading strategies through reading, writing and word study.