Literacy

The simple definition of literacy is reading, writing, listening and speaking. They go hand in hand, involve many shared skills and strategies, and are deeply important for communication. Literacy is a cornerstone to lifelong learning.

Reading is one of the most important skills that children can learn. Learning to read is a complex process which means teaching reading essentials is also a complex task. Each child comes with different skills and develops knowledge at their own pace. Our curriculum, our families and our teaching expertise blend together to give children ample opportunities to practice the skills they need to read and write.

As educators, we work on the five pillars of reading, as identified by the National Reading Panel. These represent the crucial areas of reading instruction that research has shown to be essential for developing skilled readers. These will look different in different grade levels. 

In our 60-120 minute “literacy blocks”, the time we focus on reading and writing, we work on speaking, listening, building vocabulary, fluency while reading, word analysis, high frequency words, conventions in writing, and word attack skills. We are always focused on the needs of the students and plan our instruction to fit those needs. This is where our assessments come in. As each skill gets mastered, there are more to learn. These assessments help us to “dig deeper” for any specific needs and to help guide our lessons.

The ultimate goal of reading is comprehension. The primary reason for reading is to take meaning from text. Strong comprehension skills are important for doing well in school as our readers build a foundation for understanding hard concepts and information. These skills lead to better writing, enhanced critical thinking, expanded vocabulary, improved problem-solving abilities, and greater overall success in life. Proficient comprehension skills can foster a love for reading and continuous knowledge and understanding of our world.

At St. Andrew, we use Being a Reader and Being a Writer, from Collaborative Classroom, for grades K-5 as our core literacy curriculum. We supplement lessons in K-2 with two programs called UFLI and Heggerty, which can be used with the whole group, small groups, or as intervention. Each piece of our curriculum and supplements is research-based, evidence-based and helps children become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another. We want our students to love to read, talk and write about books and ideas. 

Another aspect of literacy in our school is the position of Literacy Support Coach (LSC). The coach supports teachers with assessments, individualized support, instruction in the classroom, a leader of a small group of students, helps to plan and develop goals for students, building collaborative relationships, sharing resources, and working as a team to increase student achievement.

The LSC also works with students individually as an interventionist. The focus is on what each child needs to support their literacy learning. A screening tool called DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is a series of short, quick assessments that we use to determine if students may be struggling with reading and may need additional help. We use this tool in the fall, winter and spring to inform our instruction. Throughout the school year we monitor students’ progress using DIBELS guides. Following a benchmark for each section, the teachers can tell if students need any additional support in reading, as well as the type of help they may need. 

Not all students will work with the LSC. Again, students will master some skills but may need support to help them meet other benchmarks. This is always a work in progress. Students will move in and out of groups as their needs change related to grade level literacy. We are 100% committed to meeting every child where they’re at and teaching them the skills they need to succeed!