The Road to Reading

Best Practices: The Road to Reading


What does it mean to read? What strategies and skills do good readers possess, and how do we teach them to children in a meaningful way? How do we respond to differences in children’s development, their interests, their cognitive approaches to text? How do the various elements of language arts: reading, writing, listening, and speaking, come together as children gain competence?

These questions are at the heart of our literacy curriculum, and they drive our decisions and choices about teaching strategies, materials, and literature selections. In 2008-2009, the “Best Practices” column of our weekly newsletter presented brief descriptions of ongoing learning throughout the school. Of course, a few dozen anecdotes cannot possibly convey the entirety of teaching and learning that occurred between fall and spring, but each story represents one small step on our children’s literacy journey.

I have organized the columns into seven categories of literacy, although there are obvious overlaps and cross-references. Each collection is posted as a separate blog entry.

Decoding and Phonemic Skills

Fluency and Oral Reading

Comprehension and Vocabulary Building

Content Area Reading and Media Literacy

Genre Studies

Writing

Independent and Joyful Reading