Literacy at Bridge
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
- Frederick Douglass
We are a “Science of Reading” school. That means we draw on the most current and cutting-edge evidence to guide our approach to developing critical literacy skills in all of our students. Some of the key elements of our literacy program include:
Reading Curriculum
We use EL Education curriculum for our ELA classes that leverages this rich reading curriculum to ensure that students are engaged with daily opportunities to read (both fiction and non-fiction), write, and discuss compelling content. Every EL Education module culminates in some kind of hands-on project as an authentic demonstration of learning. Our K2 students build their own toys, our 3rd graders write their own pourquoi tales, and our 7th graders engage in a service learning project to reduce our community’s reliance on plastic bottles and wrappers. These are just a few of the many examples of projects in the EL program that give students an opportunity to apply critical thinking skills and creativity as an extension of the texts that they read.
Universal Literacy Screenings
We use research-based tools to conduct a comprehensive assessment of our students’ reading progress at least three times per year. K1, K2, and 1st grade classes use the Heggerty assessment for phonemic awareness., and in K2-8th grade we use Dibels and iReady to monitor growth and gaps in critical literacy skills.
Library Access
We stock our classroom libraries with a broad range of high-interest texts for students to read independently and with their families. In our lower grades, we have a a wide range of decodable texts that allow students to practice developing phonics skills. We also have a beautiful school library with a variety of high-interest texts and authors that reflect the rich diversity of our students, staff and families.
Phonics Instruction
We know that building phonics skills is an essential foundation for learning to read fluently and comprehend complex texts. Therefore, in K1 through 3rd grade, our students participate in daily phonics instruction through the Fundations curriculum.
Small Group Reading Instruction
Students learn best when they have opportunities for practice and immediate feedback. We accomplish this through building time in our schedule for students to read everyday in small groups under the direction of a teacher, tutor or learning specialist. We use data from our literacy assessments to construct our small groups, identify focus areas, and monitor progress.
Intensive Reading Intervention
We have expert literacy intervention teachers in our school who are deployed to address a range of reading levels. We use research-based intervention programs such as Just Words, Read Naturally, Wilson, Flyleaf, Spire, and High Noon to ensure that every student has every opportunity to learn to read to their fullest potential.
To learn more about Literacy at Bridge, contact our Literary Specialist, Jodi Russell.