Luther Conant School Where the Whole Child is the Whole Idea

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Conant's Reading Program

Bradley Reading & Language Arts Program (K-3)

Balanced Literacy Chart (in PDF format)

The goal of Conant's reading program is to foster a love of reading and to enable children to become independent and enthusiastic readers. Kindergarten and first grade classrooms are child-centered areas where the children learn to read naturally. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are developed simultaneously, and a multi-sensory, systematic approach to teaching and presenting skills is employed. The students are immersed in print during teacher read aloud, shared, guided and independent reading sessions. Skills and phonics are directly taught using the Bradley Reading & Language Arts Program in grades K-3. Step into a classroom and you will be surrounded by print. Hanging from the walls are many favorite books, charts of poems and songs, posters, signs, labels, murals, and stories of different shapes and sizes. Children are "reading the walls," sharing ideas, illustrating, reading, and often, rereading books. They are actively engaged, happy working together, and learning to read by sharing predictable literature selections (containing repeated patterns, rhythm, rhyme, logical sequence, or refrains) that have been enlarged into big books made commercially, by teachers, or by other children. The environment is stimulating and provides a variety and wide range of materials to meet students' needs and interests (e.g. the Rigby Literacy program, Wright's Story Box and Sunshine Books, big books, classroom libraries, and multiple copies of trade books).

In grades two through six, reading is viewed as a holistic process rather than as a set of discrete and separate skills, although the Bradley Reading & Language Arts program continues through grade 3. Traditional and contemporary literature is used as the core component of the literacy program and provides the common thread woven into all other areas of the curriculum. The literature is utilized in three ways. It is used to teach reading, to be a model for writing, and to help students cultivate a greater appreciation for, and deeper understanding of, the texts they read. The development of phonetic analysis and basic language structures are a critical part of the program. Thus, the acquisition of skills becomes a part of the understanding and enjoyment of stories, and students continue to develop conventional reading skills as they read, think and write. Depending on the unit being studied, many models of instruction (e.g., whole class, small group, ability, and individual) are used. Classroom activities include shared and paired reading, process reading, student publishing, journal writing, hands-on activities, integration of reading and writing across the curriculum, and self-expression through the arts. Children are given opportunities for choices, making decisions, and accepting responsibility for their learning. Each grade level has a range and variety of commercial or teacher-prepared materials (e.g., multiple copies of trade books, Learning Activities for Paperbacks (LAP) packets, and classroom libraries) that support the teaching of several types of literature. As in the kindergarten and first grade programs, listening, speaking, reading, and writing help build individual strengths and guide each child toward success.

In addition to classroom instruction, Conant's literacy specialist or classroom assistants provide support service in the areas of reading, written language, and phonics to students who would benefit from it.

From the kindergarten through the sixth grade, Conant's balanced literacy program provides students with the explicit skills and strategies that will allow them to become motivated, literate learners.

Bradley Reading & Language Arts Program—Kindergarten Through Grade Three

The Bradley Reading and Language Arts Program is a phonics-based approach that teaches basic skills through repetition, exposure, and modeling. The four communication skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—are mutually reinforced by its lessons. The program is characterized as systematic, direct instruction of word analysis and language skills. Students learn the phonics, structural analysis, and language skills necessary to be independent readers and confident writers because they are exposed daily to letter-sound correspondences of 74 letters and letter combinations. A multi-sensory approach is used where children are asked to hear and see letter sounds, and then they say and write the letters. These phonetic skills are immediately applied to whole words by blending the letter sounds into correctly spelled words. This practice reinforces spelling as well as phonological awareness—the ability to hear the distinct sounds and syllables within a word. Daily instruction also includes the dictation of sentences that reinforce the learned phonics skills, while modeling meaningful, grammatically correct sentences. Students are given the opportunity to self-correct from the teacher's model. Finally, the opportunity to read books at the appropriate level is an important daily activity for these young students. This Bradley Program offers a foundation of skills that is built upon the literature used in grades one through three.

Updated: October 2006