Children at A Child’s Place are talked to, read to, listened to, and encouraged to express themselves with words; this makes up the four components of literacy. They are encouraged to create their own stories and communicate their perceptions of the world. Children are also guided towards a conceptual understanding of written language and reading. Various signs and messages are used in the classroom at an early age by the teachers and the children, such as Open/Closed; Stop, etc. As our students are exposed to the power of the written word and encouraged to write by themselves, they become eager and interested in gaining new skills in order to read. When children are ready, we encourage them to use their knowledge of print to write according to their individual stages of development. This is an important phase in the child’s literacy development and helps each student build a sense of competency. Whatever the child needs to move them towards literacy is available and offered according to their own timetable. This will include opportunity to hear and see written language, to dictate language, to gain mastery of drawing and writing tools, and in time to write on their own.
At A Child’s Place children will have the opportunity to analyze and explore print and letter-sound relationships in a meaningful way and to enjoy the pleasures of literature. This sequence applies to all ages and in greater depth in our Primary Class. Children participate in Literacy Workshop and Writer’s Workshop where they engage in print in a plethora of ways that include small group and individual instruction.