| Because children learn
in many different ways, we use a variety of methods in our
reading program. Our Language Arts curriculum combines phonics
with whole language using thematic units relevant to a child's
daily life; through these units the children explore the many
aspects of language. These include stories, drama, picture
and word recognition and sequencing, sounds of letters and
writing. Story writing allows children to express their creativity
by drawing pictures and using inventive spelling. Big Books,
prose and poetry, songs, art projects, and cooking enrich
the curriculum basics.
The Reading and Language Arts curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten
will include:
Writing Names
Recognizing Names
Listening Attentively
Distinguishing Letter Forms
Associating sounds with letters
Speaking in complete sentences
Participating in class discussion
The Reading and Language Arts curriculum for Kindergarten
will include:
We focus on emergent literacy, speaking, listening, reading
and writing, which are necessary for children to communicate
and live in the world around them.
We write and publish our own books. Preformatted
books with predictable sentences are used the first half of
the year. The children may copy the sentences and draw their
own pictures. The children then spend the last half of the
year building upon this knowledge by writing and illustrating
their own personal stories.
The Kindergarten ELA program is Silver Burdett
Ginns Kindergarten Works. It is a very comprehensive and complete
series based on children's literature. All of the books, activities,
and objectives and tie in to other courses are included. Objectives
include providing the building blocks to help young children
develop lifelong readers, writers and learners and bringing
together the skills and strategies, traditionally taught in
a reading program with the standard grade-level curriculum
goals in science, social studies, math, art and music.
The Reading and Language Arts curriculum
for Grade One will include:
Silver Burdett Ginn's Literature Works Program is the applied
curriculum of Raynor Country Day School. The first Grade Curriculum
is broken into eight working themes:
Here I Am
Let's Be Friends
Animals Everywhere
The World We Share
Just Imagine
Changes in the Weather
Tell Me a Story
Watch me Grow
Each theme immerses the children in a variety of literature
and resources. This includes trade books, readables, bug books,
computer software, poetry, and more. The goal is to provide
students with the skills and inters to become lifelong readers,
writers and learners.
Other areas of First Grade Reading and Language
Arts include:
Spelling:
Spelling allows students the opportunity to apply their knowledge
of the relationship between letters and sounds. Spelling words
will be assigned on a weekly basis. The number of spelling
words will slowly increase throughout the year, to insure
that the students are prepared for second grade. Spelling
helps students identify sight words, word patterns, and word
families.
Writing Workshop:
Students are introduced to the various stages of writing through
Writing Workshop. During Writing Workshop, students use their
journal to express feelings, thoughts, experiences, and ideas.
Students are encouraged to apply their knowledge of sight
words, as well as to stretch their own words when they are
writing. This forum provides students with an authentic way
to express their academic skills that have been learned. For
example, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. Students
are also introduced to a variety of literacy genres, such
as poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and picture books. Writing
Workshop also provides students with the opportunity to publish
and share the work that has been created. This allows students
to have a real ownership of their work.
Author Study:
Throughout the course of the school year, students will explore
literature created by selected authors. During the first four
weeks of school, the children were introduced to the work
of Kevin Henkes. Students were given the opportunity to learn
more about the author and to explore the texts he created.
This is an excellent opportunity for children to begin making
comparisons between texts and characters. This also allows
students to identify the style and positive qualities of the
authors we read. Currently, the first grade class is studying
the work of Norman Bridwell. He is the author and illustrator
of the Clifford Series. Author studies provide excellent role
models for aspiring readers and writers. Future author studies
may include: Arnold Lobel, Laura Numeroff, Dr. Seuss, Eric
Carle, Leo Lionni, and more.
Guided Reading Groups:
Guided Reading Groups are created based on ability. Guided
Reading Groups are designed to further challenge the academic
growth of individual students based on individual needs.
Literacy Centers:
Literacy Centers allow students to immerse themselves in a
variety of experiences while experimenting with individuality
and developing cooperation. Centers frequently utilized in
the First Grade Classroom may include:
Computer Software
Word Processing Skill Development
Listening to Books on Tape
Creating Words and Sentences with Magnetic Letters
Completing a Journal Entry
Developing Handwriting Skills
Buddy Reading
Independent Reading
Art Projects
Completion of a Prior Task
Play Sight Word or Spelling Work Concentration
The Reading and Language Arts curriculum
for Grade Two will include:
Decoding Sight vocabulary
Comprehension
Cloze technique
Fluency and pleasure reading
Whole language
Basic capitalization and punctuation
Spelling
Dictation
Sentence structure
Letter writing
Poetry
Dictionary/Thesaurus Use
Writing well organized paragraphs & stories
Contractions/Synonyms/Antonyms/Homophones
Word processing
Parts of speech
Prior Knowledge
Letter/Sound Relationship
Listening
Oral Presentation
Play Presentation
Role Play
Character Acting
Chronological Order
Point of View
Guided Reading
Book Partners
Book Baskets
Reading Logs
Edit-a-Day
Contraction
Cause/Effect
Similies
Personal Response to Literature
Structural and context clues
Story Maps
The Reading and Language Arts curriculum
for Grade Three will include:
Whole language
Phonics
Affixes
Common contractions
Decoding
Development of sight vocabulary
Oral reading
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Punctuation
Dictionary and Thesaurus use
Cloze technique
Alphabetical order
Interpretation of charts, graphs, maps, diagrams, time lines
and pictures
Discrimination between fiction and nonfiction, reality versus
fantasy and genre
Similes
Developmental written expression
Proper mechanical and structural skills
Spelling
Fluency
Reading for pleasure
Research & study skills
Cooperative Group Strategies
The Reading and Language Arts curriculum for Grade
Four will include:
Appreciation & Understanding of literature
through thematic units
Reading for inferences
Development of sight words
Developmental written expression
Oral reading
Vocabulary
Interpretation of charts, maps, graphs, diagrams, cartoons,
pictures and timelines
Use of proper mechanical and structural skills
Comprehension
Decoding
Whole language
Clear oral presentation
Word analysis
Research & study skills
Cursive Handwriting
Grammar
The Reading and Language Arts curriculum
for Grade Five will include:
Students will be responsible for writing one composition a
week. The topics will include reactions from our Literature
Work books as well as creative writing. Students will also
write compositions from their free reading books.
The students will be taught language skills and spelling through
our Literature Works series. They will improve upon their
reading comprehension and complete a workbook which coincides
with the Basil Reading Book.
The Reading and Language Arts curriculum for
Grade Six will include:
Children will write one major composition a week. Compositions
will often be of a serious nature such as reacting to a literature
book or something read in their news periodical. There also
will be creative stories, which will be introduced by the
teacher.
Literature books will also be part of the
language arts curriculum. Whole sets of books such as Where
the Red Fern Grows and Bridge to Tarabithis have been purchased.
Children will read, discuss, and write about these.
A special effort will be made to balance the acquisition of
science concepts through reading and discussing a textbook,
and carrying out experiments and demonstrations that enhance
understanding of the knowledge gained from the reading materials.
Materials for all units have been purchased.
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