Literacy Curriculum in the Lower Primary

Our literacy curriculum is based on best practices from the U.S. including research from Teacher’s College at Columbia University,National Standards of Teacher’s of English (NCTE), International Reading Association (IRA) and the work of Bonnie Campbell Hill, Ph.D., Matthew Glover and KathyCollins. During the 2014-15 school year, HKIS adopted the Common Core State Standards (US 2010) to ensure consistency across Grades and divisions. Reception 1 is guided by The Creative Curriculum for Preschool Literacy Components and the NAEYC Standards(National Association for the Education of Young Children.) We believe both the CCSS and the NAEYC standards, enriched by our HKIS curriculum, will prepare our students for their academic success wherever in the world they may be.

Reception 1: The Creative Curriculum for Preschool Literacy Components and NAEYC Standards

Literacy in R1 encompasses the development of oral language as well as early reading and writing behaviors, attitudes and skills.Literacy in R1 begins through play. A literacy-enriched play environment exposes children to valuable print experiences and lets them practice narrative skills. The specific literacy components, as suggested by The Creative Curriculum for Preschool are:

• Literacy as a source of enjoyment emphasizes that children should experience the power, pleasure and purpose of literacy.Children are motivated to read because they are naturally curious to learn about things that interest them, uncover the plot of stories and, simply, discover something that entertains them.
• Vocabulary and language reminds us that oral language, listening and speaking, is the foundation of literacy. Children need to have ample opportunities to develop their vocabularies by speaking and listening through frequent conversations with each other and adults.
• Phonological awareness involves distinguishing the various sounds of spoken language. It includes the different ways oral language can be broken down into parts such as words, syllables, and letter sounds. Playful songs, rhymes and word games can be used to expose children to phonological awareness. As students are able to manipulate sounds in words, they build a stronger connection to print (phonics).
• Knowledge of print involves connecting print with meaning. Children acquire this knowledge by seeing print in their environment and using it in their play. Through this exploration, children will understand that print carries meaning, spoken words can be written down, print follows conventions and books have common characteristics.
• Letters and words focuses on understanding that a letter stands for one or more sounds, that sounds come together to form words and that words are grouped in particular ways and that writing has meaning. This work begins with exploring the letters in a child’s name and noticing these letters out in the world.
• Comprehension refers to the understanding of spoken and written language. Children who comprehend what has been read aloud may ask questions, make comments about the story or act it out in their play. A child who comprehends, doesn’t just recall words but constructs understanding.
• Books and other texts teach children that written language serves many purposes. To increase children’s understanding of books and texts, they need extensive experiences with a variety of genres since they are read differently. For example, storybooks,recipes, signs, directions, diagrams, poetry, informational texts, chapter books, mysteries…

Reception 2 - Grade 12: Common Core State Standards’ Capacities of a Literate Individual

The description below offers a portrait of students who meet the Common Core Standards. As students advance through the Grades and master the standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, they are able to exhibit with increasing fullness and regularity these capacities of the literate individual.

• Literate Individuals demonstrate independence in their thinking, seeking of resources and pursuing their interests.
• Literate Individuals build strong content knowledge when they learn to read purposely and listen attentively to peers and experts.
• Literate Individuals respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose and discipline by adapting their written and spoken messages.
• Literate Individuals comprehend as well as critique when they are engaged and maintain open-mindedness.
• Literate Individuals value evidence when supporting their own viewpoints in writing and speaking.
• Literate Individuals use technology and digital media strategically and capably to best communicate their ideas.
• Literate Individuals come to understand other perspectives, cultures and have the opportunity to vicariously inhabit worlds different than their own.

Reception 2 - Grade 12: Common Core Literacy Standards

The Reading Literature and Informational Texts Standards focus on the need to expose our students to a variety of genres in our world. They also emphasize making connections across and comparing texts, being able to define and describe setting, characters and major events, using illustrations to deepen understanding of stories or content, and understanding author’s message.

The Reading Foundational Skills Standards focus on phonemic awareness and phonics, which are essential to the decoding process of reading. In addition, the Foundational Skills highlight the need for word recognition and define expectations for reading fluency in order to support comprehension.

The Writing Standards focus on exposing students to three different genres: narrative, opinion and informational. In addition, the standards emphasize the need for a writing process where revision and editing take place regularly as students take their writing pieces through the complete process. Students should also participate in research and share their learning in a variety of ways.

The Speaking and Listening Standards focus on providing ample opportunities for students to take part in a variety of rich and structured conversations - as part of a whole class, in small groups or with a partner. This standard highlights the importance of learning to be productive speakers by contributing to conversations and responding to partners’ ideas.

The Language Standards focus on conventions, mechanics and syntax of Standard English. They also highlight the importance of expanding a student’s vocabulary and exploring “shadings of meaning.”

Reception 1 Overview

Reception 1 is a time when students build their foundational skills in all areas of literacy development. The most critical aspect is the development of language skills which encompasses speaking and listening, reading, and writing through conversations, play, and authentic experiences.

Reception 1 Overview of Big Ideas

Reading Literature and Information
With prompting and support:

• Look at books
• Chant along during reading of familiar text
• Develop understanding of text sequence such as what happens first, next and last in a familiar text
• Basic retell of a text using illustrations of a book
• Enhance children’s ability to understand stories by asking and answering questions

Writing

• Participate in making books
• Create a print-rich environment in which children are explicitly helped to understand how and why print is used
• Writing for authentic reasons (project and play)

Speaking and Listening
Oral Language

• Expand conversation and play skills
• Follow directions and develop reciprocal language
• Increase sentence length and complexity
• Build phonological awareness
• Sound awareness
• Rhyming
• Segmenting syllables, words and sentences

Example of Possible Reception 1 Units

Reading:

• You Can Read Any Book, We Are All Readers

Writing:

• People Make Books and You Can Too

Reception 2 Overview

The most important goal for Reception 2 students is for them to see themselves as readers and writers. Students develop comprehension skills through shared reading and read alouds. This is coupled with beginning decoding strategies and developing independence in reading. Students not only retell stories, but begin to share their own thinking about books with partners. Reception 2 writers will be introduced to the writing process. Students begin to plan and share stories about their own lives and the world around them. Students publish their writing, seeing themselves as authors.

Reception 2 Overview of Big Ideas

Reading Foundational Skills

• Segment sounds in spoken words
• Connect sounds (phonemes) to print/alphabet
• Read words with short vowels, consonants, digraphs, and blends
• Read and learn high-frequency words by examining the parts of words
• Apply phonics knowledge to decodable books and authentic literature

Reading Literature and Information
With prompting and support:

• Ask and answer questions about texts
• Identify characters and retell familiar stories
• Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text
• Describe relationships between illustrations and the text
• Engage in activities and conversations about texts

Writing
Use a combination of drawing, dictating and writing to compose:

• Opinion statements about a topic
• Informational texts about a topic
• Narrative stories about a single event or series of loosely linked events
  With guidance and support:
• Add details to improve writing

Speaking and Listening

• Listen to others and take turns when speaking
• Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood
• Describe familiar people, places and events, with prompting to add additional details
• Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings and ideas clearly

Example of possible Reception 2 units

Reading:

• Thinking and talking about books
• Print strategies
• Bigger book, bigger reading muscles

Writing:

• How-to books
• Personal narratives
• Show and tell writing

Grade 1 Overview

Independence is a goal for Grade 1 readers and writers. Students build a toolbox of strategies to decode words while expanding their comprehension skills. Talking about books with other readers is a vital skill, sharing their own thinking about texts and adding onto the ideas of others. Grade 1 writers compose a wide variety of writing, and begin to elaborate more in order to provide more vivid mental images to their audience.

Grade 1 Overview of Big Idea

Reading Foundational Skills

• Segment sounds in spoken words
• Continue to connect sounds (phonemes) to print
• Read words with silent-e, long vowel, and r-controlled vowel patterns
• Start to apply phonics knowledge to multi-syllabic words
• Read and learn high-frequency words by examining the parts of words
• Apply phonics knowledge to decodable books and authentic literature

Reading Literature and Information

• Ask and answer questions about key details in a text
• Retell stories and demonstrate understanding of the author's message or lesson
• Identify the main topic, retell details of a text, and explain how two events are connected
• Use text features (headings, table of contents) to locate information within
• Distinguish between information given in an illustration versus given in words

Writing

• Write opinion pieces with evidence for the rationale
• Write informational texts about a topic, including facts
• Write narrative stories that are sequenced and include some details

With guidance and support:

• Collaborate with peers to strengthen writing
• Use digital tools to produce and publish writing
• Conduct shared research by gathering information to answer a question

Speaking and Listening

• Build on others’ ideas by responding to comments of others through multiple exchanges
• Ask and answer questions about information in a text, oral presentation, or media
• Describe people, places and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings

Example of possible Grade 1 units

Reading:

• Building powerful habits
• Word detectives
• Reading is making meaning
• Reading to learn about the world
• Meeting Character

Writing:

• Personal narratives
• Writing for readers
• Opinion writing
• Poetry
• Information chapter groups
• Fiction

Grade 2 Overview

Grade 2 readers are beginning to read longer, more complex texts. They honore their word solving skills while focusing on thinking deeply about their books. Grade 2 readers analyze characters, use text features in information books and consider the author’s lesson or purpose in writing the text. As their independence increases, second grade students read to ask and answer questions about the world around them and write to communicate opinions, stories and information.

Grade 2 Overview of Big Ideas

Reading Foundational Skills

• Segment sounds in spoken words
• Continue to connect sounds (phonemes) to print
• Complete phonics knowledge with the consonant-le syllable pattern
• Continue to apply phonics knowledge to multi-syllabic words
• Read and learn high-frequency words by examining the parts of words
• Apply phonics knowledge to decodable books and authentic literature

Reading Literature and Information

• Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text
• Retell a variety of stories and determine author's message, lesson or moral
• Describe how characters respond to events and challenges
• Notice different points of view of characters, such as using a different voice when reading dialogue
• Identify the main topic of paragraphs and longer texts
• Make connections between a series of events, ideas, or concepts
• Describe and use of text features (headings, table of contents) to locate information in texts efficiently

Writing

• Write opinion pieces stating and supporting an opinion with rationale
• Write informational texts introducing a topic and using facts and definitions to develop ideas
• Write narrative stories using details to describe actions, thoughts and feelings

With guidance and support:

• Revise and edit to strengthen writing

Speaking and Listening

• Build on other’s talk in conversations by connecting their comments to the remarks of others
• Ask questions to clarify understanding and gather more information on a topic

Example of possible Grade 2 units

Reading:

• Building a community of readers
• Readers build fluency
• Informational reading
• Holding onto meaning
• Characters go on journeys

Writing:

• Launching the writing workshop
• Personal narratives
• Opinion writing
• Poetry
• Informational writing
• Literacy non-fiction