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Main > ps15
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Literacy Programs at PS # 15 Primary
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Our early literacy program is quite intensive. We are a “Read First School” which is part of a state awarded grant. This grant allows us to host several literacy components to create “A Balance Block Literacy Program”. |
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Breakthrough to Literacy
Breakthrough to Literacy is designed to significantly improve reading instruction for our students in kindergarten. Students become engaged in language and print, learn letter names and sounds, develop the ability to sound out words, and build vocabulary. Most importantly, children learn to comprehend what they read—and to enjoy reading. BTL helps teachers guide students to read for comprehension, not just to decode words and pass state tests.
BTL's interactive software lessons provide customized, individualized instruction, with instant feedback for the student. Teachers can check each child's progress at any time; tailor instruction in phonemic awareness, alphabet and phonics to individual needs, and print out records to share with parents. Children can listen to each Breakthrough book as often as they wish, or record themselves reading or telling stories. The kindergarten software contains activities in phonological/phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge and word recognition.
Breakthrough's enticing stories and lively illustrations capture children's imaginations and attention. Each story set includes a Big Book, six full-color pupil books, and 30 black-and-white Take-Me-Home books for the children to add to—or create—their own home libraries.
Parents are essential to the BTL program. The booklet, Home Connections, and its accompanying videotape (both available in English or Spanish) help parents understand the development of early literacy. This video contains the vital role parents play in their children's reading and writing success. At a preliminary introductory meeting, parents learn about the Breakthrough program and are shown how to participate in the shared-book experience with their children. At conferences during the year, computer-generated reports show parents exactly what their children are learning and accomplishing in the software program.
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Developmental Reading Assessment
Developmental Reading Assessments allow teacher to determine each reader’s independent reading level, confirm or redirect ongoing instruction, group students effectively for reading experiences and instruction, document changes in students’ reading over time, and identify student’s who may be working below proficiency and need further assessments.
DRA Online Management System help teachers to keep records and archives, track student scores over a period of time and throughout a class, grade, school, district or state. Teachers can organize data in automated graphical charts, and utilize reports on each student, class, school, or other groupings to compare with other reports.
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Guided Reading
Guided Reading is the heart of a balanced literacy program and the key to effective reading instruction. It gives a teacher and a group of students the opportunity to think, read and talk their way purposefully through a previously unseen text. It is the approach that helps students become strategic, fluent and independent readers.
During guided reading, the teacher works with a small group of students. Groups are formed based on the student’s experience and reading development. From time to time, as students develop and learn at different rates, the teacher identifies their individual needs and the groups are reformed. The teacher generally selects the “just right” book that will provide the appropriate balance of challenge and support to enable the children to use and strengthen their reading strategies.
In the primary grades when the text is short, the goal is for each child to read the whole book as independently as possibly; emergent and early readers usually read in a “whisper voice.” Eventually, teachers will encourage a transition to silent reading.
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Reading Recovery
The goal of READING RECOVERY is to dramatically reduce the number of first-grade students who have extreme difficulty learning to read and write and to reduce the cost of these learners to educational systems. It is a highly effective short-term intervention of one-to-one tutoring for low-achieving first graders. The intervention is most effective when it is available to all students who need it and is used as a supplement to good classroom teaching. Reading Recovery serves the lowest-achieving first graders – the students who are not catching on to the complex set of concepts that make reading and writing possible. Individual students receive a half-hour lesson each school day for 12 to 20 weeks with a specially trained Reading Recovery teacher. As soon as students can read within the average range of their class and demonstrate that they can continue to achieve, their lessons are discontinued and new students begin individual instruction. |
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100 Book Challenge
100 Book Challenge™ is used for inspiring, monitoring and rewarding students in reading achievement. It was designed to provide social and instructional supports which children require to develop successful reading (learning) lifestyles.
In order to ensure that every student develops an academically successful literacy lifestyle, we must fundamentally re-think existing systems for book access, student engagement, parent involvement and teacher learning.
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Read 180
Most of our 4th graders utilize SCHOLASTIC READ 180 reading program in conjunction with their regular literacy program. READ 180 is an effective intervention for elementary students that provides a powerful response to this urgent need. By bringing together the essential building blocks of effective intervention, READ 180 breaks the cycle of failure and allows struggling readers to experience and achieve success.
READ 180 is a comprehensive reading intervention program designed to meet the needs of students in our 4th grade whose reading achievement is below the proficient level.
Struggling readers have deficits in their understanding of the reading process and gaps in their foundational skills. READ 180 is built to address those deficit gaps at every step.
READ 180 instructional model provides a simple way to organize instruction and classroom activity. Research has conclusively shown that schools who implement and follow the instructional model, can expect significant gains after one to two years of program participation.
The instructional model includes several components. In Whole-Group Instruction the teacher begins the class by providing direct instruction in word analysis, systematic vocabulary development, and reading comprehension. Small-Group Direct Instruction students get diagnostically informed instruction in a small group where individual needs can be met. Students use the computer independently accessing the READ 180 Software, providing them with intensive, individualized skills practice. Students read the READ 180 Paperbacks and use Audiobooks (books on tape) independently in the Reading and Writing Skills Practice component. READ 180 Audiobooks offer struggling readers the opportunity to develop good reading skills and habits while enjoying authentic grade-level literature. READ 180 paperbacks present students with age-appropriate, relevant books they can read with success. And finally, the last component is the Whole-Group Direct Instruction where the teacher ends the period with instruction writing and written and oral English language conventions.
Together all of these components will help build the skills to become a successful reader. Additionally, studies show that the program also improves a student’s motivation and desire to succeed.
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