Early Literacy
Early Literacy is a child’s ability to read, write, speak, compute, and
solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function in a
K-3 classroom. The West New York School District is committed to
providing a comprehensive Early Literacy program for all our
students.
What are some of the components of the Early Literacy program?
All of our classrooms are filled with many leveled books for all
children no matter their reading level. We have also provided a
library center stocked with books in each classroom. A committee
representing all K-3 teachers in the district selected the high
quality literature that has been carefully chosen for our classroom
libraries. Each of our K-3 classrooms has a writing center, a
listening center, a technology center, and a math center.
Our K-3 reading period is a 90-minute uninterrupted block of time
during which all types of reading skills are taught. Our reading
classes provide flexible small-group instruction, which enables the
teacher to work with several groups during the day that have similar
needs. In West New York, we are striving for all children to become
independent readers and writers who are knowledgeable, strategic,
motivated, and socially interactive. Our goal is to provide an
effective balanced literacy program.
What is an Early Literacy Intervention Program?
An Early Intervention Program is one in which children who are at-risk
receive individual instruction by a highly qualified Early Literacy
Teacher specifically hired by the district to help those children
make accelerated gains to reach the average range of reading
performance in their class. These youngsters are identified through
a variety of screening and assessments to determine exactly what
their strengths and weaknesses in reading are. The Early Literacy
Teacher assesses the child’s knowledge and then provides individual
lessons based on what the child already knows. The youngster spends
30 minutes daily with the Early Literacy Teacher. We believe that
individual learning is essential and in combination with strong
classroom instruction, we are giving children the best chance for
success. We believe that with appropriate intervention, almost all
can learn to read, provided instruction is intensive and begins
early.
What does an Early Literacy Intervention lesson look like?
During our individualized lessons, we stress the importance of phonemic
awareness, which is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate
individual sounds in spoken words. This can be developed through
repeatedly hearing, saying, and singing nursery rhymes, simple poems
and songs. During the lesson, we practice oral reading fluency
because it is essential for good comprehension and enjoyable reading
experiences. We all know that children vary enormously from one
another in their instructional needs; therefore, to be most
effective, instruction must be adapted to the needs of individual
children.
What is a Literacy Team and what purpose(s) does it serves in our schools?
Literacy Teams have been established in all 6 elementary schools. The Literacy
Team consists of the building Principal, the Vice-Principal, and the Supervisor
of Early Literacy, who also serves as the team coordinator. We also have
classroom representatives from grade K-3 (including special education and
bilingual) that serve on this valuable team. The team meets to discuss and
address issues that relate to testing, assessments, ideas for instruction and
current best practices in the area of language arts literacy. The sharing of
information, articulating ideas, gathering data and identifying research that
supports best practices in early literacy has been an integral part of our
district’s policy that every child will have the best opportunity to expand
their lives through the reading and sharing of good quality literature.
What is Family Literacy and what role does it play in helping my child
succeed in school?
Family Literacy is getting parents and the entire family involved in
the child’s education. It’s about reading aloud to your child daily
and then asking him/her questions about what was read. Research
says that children who engage in daily discussions about what they
read are more likely to become critical readers and learners.
Family Literacy is about sharing your knowledge and experiences so
that your child can make connections to what has been read. It’s
about retelling a story, so that the child knows and understands
sequence. It’s about hearing words so that his/her vocabulary can
improve and therefore his comprehension and fluency will improve.
It’s about talking and listening. Reading aloud to your child is
probably the single most important factor in building the knowledge
required for success in reading. Reading aloud, with children
participating actively, helps children learn new words, learn more
about the world, learn about written language, and see the
connection between words that are spoken and words that are
written. Storybook reading, done in the context of sharing
experiences, ideas, and opinions, is a highly demanding mental
activity for children.
What can I do as a parent to support my child in school so that he/she will
become successful and literate?
You can read to your child every night. If you don’t read or write in
English it doesn’t matter. Read in the language that you feel most
comfortable. The West New York Public Library has a terrific
children’s section filled with high quality literature. Take your
youngster to the library and let him/her select books. Always show
an interest in your child’s homework and make certain that you look
it over every evening. Turn off the TV—allow only an hour or so of
TV nightly. Most importantly, READ, READ, READ to your child!
Before you read a story ask your child to predict what the story
might be about. Talk about the pictures and illustrations. After
you read a story, ask questions about the story. Have your child
retell the story in sequence. Try to connect the story to your own
life experiences. Reading is also an excellent way of bonding with
your child. It says, I have time for you—you’re important to me.
Let him/her see that reading is important and is a priority in your
home.
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