In the Primary classroom, it is
through immersion in quality literature that children develop their reading,
writing, and language skills. As much as
possible, the Reading and Language Arts program is integrated with our Main
Lesson units. Through nursery rhymes,
poems, fairy tales, fables, tall tales, legends and myths, quality fiction,
author studies, and non-fiction literature, children develop their
understanding of literature, other cultures, author styles, and human nature in
addition to basic reading and writing skills.
In order to better meet the needs of each child, multiple modes of
learning are incorporated into classroom lessons. Thus, the lessons include the visual,
auditory, kinesthetic, artistic, and musical aspects of an overall theme.
In a multi-age classroom, students work at
their own pace, without comparisons to others, and they teach each other
through paired reading and group activities.
Children of all ages in the group, participate in learning language
skills through whole group, small group, paired, and individual
activities. Younger children are often
introduced to advanced concepts within the context of the whole group so that
they can begin to build on them through the years.
The writing program consists largely of
responding to literature in a personal way, working in the pattern or style of
a particular author or poem, or developing creative fiction and
non-fiction. The students identify and
write about character traits, aspects of the setting of a story, the plot
development, and other salient points brought out in class discussions. It is through these authentic and meaningful
activities that the children develop a love of reading and writing as well as
pride in their accomplishments.
Upper Level
Fluency in reading and public speaking are important elements of Language Arts and Main Lesson. Each week, students memorize and recite poems to improve these skills. Poetry is also used to improve understanding of literary devices and knowledge of the forms of poetry.
Upper Level
The goal of Language Arts program
is to create life-long readers and writers by providing a breadth of experience
over the five years of the program.
Each year, the students read one independently selected book from each
of eleven different genres: realistic fiction, mystery, folk literature,
autobiography, science fiction, fantasy, graphic novel, poetry, informational
report, historical fiction, and biography.
Students respond to each reading with a book report, while a journal of
guided questions is maintained for in-class reading. Independent and in-class
reading groups are the platform for teaching critical analysis and
understanding the elements of literature.
Learning to write well requires
that students explore a variety of writing projects, including informational
essay, persuasive essay, personal narratives, and biographies, from which they
learn about the structural elements of writing: idea, organization, voice, word
choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation. These lessons build throughout the years, adding
onto and reinforcing the foundations from the previous years, while introducing
new stylistic and grammatical elements.
The students engage in personal and peer critiques, working to constantly
grow as a writer. Each year, they create
a writing portfolio, in which they select their favorite four pieces of writing
from the year.
Fluency in reading and public speaking are important elements of Language Arts and Main Lesson. Each week, students memorize and recite poems to improve these skills. Poetry is also used to improve understanding of literary devices and knowledge of the forms of poetry.
