Literacy
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Literacy
There are five dimensions of early reading that we will focus on over the course of the year so that your child may become a proficient reader. This comprehensive and balanced literacy program includes phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
1) Phonemic Awareness-This is the understanding that spoken words are made up of individual sounds called phonemes. The area of emphasis is on phonemes/sounds, the spoken part of language, is mostly auditory, and students are asked to manipulate sounds.2) Phonics-The area of emphasis is on letters and their corresponding sounds, is the written part of language/print, is both visual and auditory, and students are asked to read and write letters using their sounds and what they know about spelling patterns.
3) Fluency-The ability to read a text or passage using phrasing, expression, accuracy, and rate. Increased fluency allows a student to make meaning and apply comprehension to what he/she reads.
4) Vocabulary- Knowing the names of things and concepts, feelings and ideas. Children who have heard a lot of different words and have a large vocabulary find it easier to learn to read. A child's vocabulary is dependent upon the amount of time parents and caregivers spend talking with him or her.
5. Comprehension- The process of deriving meaning text by connecting what you are learning to what you already know. Comprehension enables children to make sense of what they read. Children make meaning by assimilating new information into previous understanding.