Oral language includes speaking and listening. In the early grades, students will learn to participate in classroom discussion. Over the course of several grade levels, students will learn to prepare and to deliver presentations and to critique them in order to improve delivery. Therefore, daily speaking opportunities, both formal and informal, should be a part of every English program. Reading begins with an awareness of the concepts of print and the sounds and structure of language.
Students acquire a strong foundation in phonetic principles in the primary grades.
Students will use independent reading strategies to read fluently and with comprehension. Students study the structure of words and language throughout all grades. Frequent interaction with a broad array of quality literature will engage the reading skills of students and invite them to develop an appreciation for the power and beauty of the written word. Writing begins with letter formation. Students become increasingly aware of the structure of language and improve written communication through frequent opportunities to apply narrative, persuasive, and expository skills.