K-2 Literacy Information

Literacy Instruction at the Primary Level

In District 7, we strive to provide every child with high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction. This begins in our classrooms, specifically by making every effort to ensure our students attain the foundational skills necessary to become lifelong learners. Decades of research called "The Science of Reading" is guiding us on this journey, and we continue to refine our practice through professional development and classroom coaching. 

Scarborough’s Reading Rope is a visual representation of the complexity of skills necessary for one to become a proficient reader. The reading rope consists of both a lower and upper strand. At the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, we implemented new programs in grades K-5 which were chosen based on their alignment with the skills in Language Comprehension and Word Recognition. 

The information below gives detailed information about literacy instruction in our district. 

Intervention Groups: Should students qualify for additional support outside of our core instruction, you will be notified with a letter from your child’s principal. There are several levels of service available to students who may have some areas in literacy needing improvement. Using FastBridge universal screening data and classroom data, teachers and support staff meet to discuss a plan for interventions including who, what, when and where these supports will take place. The goal is to provide students with high-quality, research-based, targeted, small group lessons to fill gaps in literacy skills as quickly as possible. 

Phonemic Awareness: A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in our language. The word “cat” has three phonemes /c/ /a/ /t/. The word “chat” also has three phonemes /ch/ /a/ /t/. Explicit teaching of phonemic awareness during the early years of school can help to prevent future reading problems for many students. However, struggling decoders of any age can work on phonological awareness, especially if they struggle to blend or segment phonemes. Students in our K-2nd grade classrooms have daily Phonemic Awareness lessons which focus on listening to and manipulating the individual sounds in our language.  

Explicit and Systematic Phonics: Phonics instruction helps children learn the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. Children are taught, for example, that the letter n represents the sound /n/ and that it is the first letter in words such as nose, nice, and new. Learning that there are predictable relationships between sounds and letters allows children to apply these relationships to both familiar and unfamiliar words and to begin to read with fluency.  

Students in grades K-2 receive daily phonics instruction using materials from the Open Court Reading program and/or UFLI Foundations. In our classrooms, phonics skills are taught explicitly and systematically. Teachers provide frequent opportunities for children to apply what they are learning about letters and sounds to the reading of words, sentences, and stories. Research has shown that when students are taught phonics in a structured way, it significantly improves word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension.  

Decodable books and passages are strategically used in grades K-2. These materials are used intentionally to practice the phonics skills learned in class. To build a strong foundation in phonics, it is essential that students have multiple opportunities to strengthen newly taught skills.  

High Frequency Words/Heart Words: High Frequency Words are introduced and practiced throughout many lessons in your child’s classroom.  High-frequency words are the most used words in printed text. Since over 50 percent of all text is composed of these types of words, books are a great opportunity for readers to learn them in context. Repeated practice is important for students to learn to read high-frequency words quickly and fluently. 

Your child’s teacher may teach irregular High Frequency Sight Words a new way using the Heart Word Method. These words are unique because they have tricky parts that students must be explicitly taught. Of the 220 Dolch sight words, 37% of them are heart words. An example of a heart word is “said”. Students can usually identify the beginning and ending sounds in this word, but the middle sound they hear is /e/ which they may spell with the letter e. The “heart letters” or the tricky part in this word are “ai”. Using the Heart Word Method, students are directly taught to spell the sound /e/ with the letters “ai”- this is the part of the word “said” that they must learn by heart. 

Writing: Evidence-based practices are used to teach students to write skillfully. Students are explicitly taught strategies for the writing process.  Effective writing strategies are modeled by the teacher and goals for writing assignments are clear and specific.  

Grammar, Usage and Mechanics lessons in Open Court Reading are structured to focus on skills presented in a logical sequence. Skills are modeled by the teacher and practiced by the students in both reading and writing.  

Spelling: Word study is an approach to spelling instruction that moves away from a focus on memorization. The approach reflects what researchers have discovered about the alphabetic, pattern, and meaning layers of the spelling system of our language. During Open Court and/or UFLI Foundations lessons, students are explicitly taught sound-spelling relationships utilizing Sound/Spelling cards or a sound wall as a resource. 

Traditionally, many teachers have given pre-tests at the beginning of the week along with activities to practice spelling words throughout the week with a post-test on Friday. The “why” behind spelling instruction in District 7 is to explicitly teach the way words work in our English language rather than rote memorization of patterns. One strategy, called “Pound and Sound,” helps students connect the sounds they hear in words to the letters that represent those sounds. Through explicit instruction and guided practice, teachers will model how to “pound” out each sound and match it to its correct letter or letter pattern, strengthening students’ understanding of the sound–symbol relationship in spelling. 

Assessments will begin to shift to focus on a more diagnostic analysis of student spelling errors to inform instructional decisions in the classroom. 

Language Comprehension: Students in grades K-2 will grow in many areas of their language comprehension skills. Each skill listed above in Scarborough’s Reading Rope will be explicitly taught, reinforced and practiced in our K-2 classrooms.  

Assessment: Teachers will use assessment data to help differentiate instruction within their classrooms. Teachers, support staff and administrators will meet to review the data collected and make decisions regarding levels of support for students. 

For more information and tips on helping your child with literacy skills at home: 

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-topics/phonological-and-phonemic-awareness 

Phonemic Awareness: https://www.readingrockets.org/article/tips-teaching-your-child-about-phonemes 

Reading 101: https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101-guide-parents