Reading instruction and practice lasts 90 minutes or more a day in first, second and third grades and 60 minutes a day in Kindergarten. All students in first, second and third grades that are behind in reading get special instruction and practice. These students receive, throughout the day, a total of 60 extra minutes of instruction. Summer school is available for students who are behind at the end of the year. Reading instruction and practice includes work on letters, sounds and blending sounds.
Students learn to blend letters and sounds to form new words.
Learning new words and their meaning is an important part of instruction. Students have daily spelling practice and weekly spelling tests. The connection between reading and writing is taught on a daily basis. Students write daily. Papers are corrected and returned to the students.