Literacy
How ECCS Elementary Schools Teach Reading
At ECCS Elementary Schools, we are committed to equipping every child with the ability to read. We are learning more about what research and evidence say to do to help each child be successful in their personalized paths to reading achievement.
Decades of research have proven reading occurs in a specific way in the brains of all people. This process does not occur naturally and must be taught through a pathway in the brain which links sounds of speech to written symbols or letter patterns. This process is called orthographic mapping.
It is our goal to help students build a giant ‘letter box’ of retrievable words which will translate into fluent reading followed closely by comprehension.
What Evidence Tells Us About Teaching Reading
- Code Emphasis in Primary Grades: Grades K-2 will specifically focus on acquiring the skills to ‘crack the code’ of our alphabet to speech sounds.
- Early Intervention: If we see any signs your child may be struggling with the foundational skills of reading, we will immediately implement interventions and monitor their progress.
- Comprehension: The ultimate goal of all reading instruction is for students to understand what they read. The model of the The Simple View of Reading demonstrates the importance of having both decoding/word recognition skills and Language comprehension skills.
- Knowledge Building and Vocabulary: Evidence indicates that reading comprehension is tied to background knowledge and vocabulary and should be taught in every grade.
