Literacy in Grades K - 2
The first daily literacy block includes reading comprehension,
modeling reading instruction, and the development of vocabulary using a reading
program such as Imagine It![1]
The Imagine It! program focuses on:
·
phonological
and phonemic awareness
·
print
and book awareness
·
comprehension
skills and strategies
·
writing,
grammar, usage, mechanics, and story crafting
·
language
development and
·
vocabulary[2]
During this first block, teachers focus on activities that
build comprehension strategies. Teachers also model reading instruction, and
may select a text to analyze and decipher meanings such as the author’s
purpose, main idea, writing style, etc. Further, teachers use this time to provide
vocabulary building activities.
As noted previously, increasing Cornerstone
Prep students’ vocabulary is a critical part of the literacy program. In the
words of Beck, McKeown, and Kucan, it is clear that large vocabulary is the
hallmark of an educated person and also that a “large vocabulary repertoire
facilitates becoming an educated person to the extent that vocabulary knowledge
is strongly related to reading proficiency in particular and school achievement
in general.”[3]
Beck et al. note that high-knowledge third graders had vocabularies about equal
to the lowest performing twelfth-graders[4].Cornerstone
Prep’s focus on building students’ vocabulary bridges the gap between children
in low socioeconomic status areas and their suburban counterparts.
The second literacy block lesson directly follows the first. In
literacy block II, Cornerstone Prep teachers focus on phonemic awareness,
phonics, and decoding. Teachers provide instruction on sound-symbol
relationships using a reading program such as Imagine It![5]
As explained earlier, phonemic awareness and phonics are necessary building
blocks to creating excellent readers and must incorporate decoding. Decoding is
the process by which students translate written words into speech through
incorporating graphemes, syllables, and morphemes quickly to decipher words.
The third literacy block reinforces phonemic awareness,
phonics, vocabulary, decoding, skill mastery and choral reading. During
literacy block III, students are engaged in independent work where teachers
provide direction, guidance, and one-to-one instruction. Students are separated
into skill-level groups to receive direct instruction as needed.
The Cornerstone Prep balanced literacy program also includes a
writing component. Research has shown that reading well and writing well are
reciprocal. Writing plays a critical role in learning to read. According to
Braunger and Lewis, improved reading achievement is directly related to the
influence of writing[6].
In literacy block IV, students develop the ability to create grammatically
correct sentences, to respond (orally and written) with complete sentences, to
write sentences, paragraphs, and essays that exhibit breadth and depth of
knowledge while being sound in their structure, context, and meaning.
Cornerstone Prep students receive extensive instruction in prewriting,
drafting, revising, and editing written material. Also, students develop the
skill and ability to create excellent essays, narratives, expository pieces, research
papers, literary analyses, and to pose an effective, written argument.
Cornerstone Prep students are also groomed to write speeches and present them
to parents and others as part of the school’s leadership development process.
[1] 2009
Copyright held by McGraw Hill-SRA.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Beck, I.L.,
McKeown, M.G., & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing words to live: Robust
vocabulary instruction. New York: The Guilford Press.
[4] 2009
Copyright held by McGraw Hill-SRA.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Braunger, J.
& Lewis, J. (1997). Building a knowledge base in reading. Urbana, IL:
National Council on Teaching English.