• Overview
• Goals
  Absorption & Identification

  Age Appropriate Skills

  Parent Education & Support
• Curriculum & Instruction
  Curriculum Design

  Class

  Home Practice
• Program Level Details & Student Testimonials
  Level R

  Level 1

  Level 2

  Level 3

  Level 4

  Level 5

  Level 6

  Level 7

  Class Sizes and Lengths

Level 1: Beginning to Read

The Level 1 program is designed for entering first graders and their parents. Children at this age are just beginning to read, and need support, encouragement, and direction as they develop their skills. Class meets once a week for five weeks, and each class is 2 hours long; parents attend the first hour of each class with their child.

Program Goals

1. Teach the phonics skills students need in order to successfully learn to read.
2. Instill the habit of independent reading in books at the appropriate level of difficulty.
3. Give students positive experiences with books.
4. Educate parents on how to support their child's reading practice at home.

Activities

Students are taught the phonics skills they need to be successful independent readers. The teacher provides direct instruction in the skills students need to sound out words: beginning sounds and blending with word families. Students are then engaged in energizing phonics games to help them master the skills. The phonics program includes a card game that students play in class and at home. The card game reinforces the skills learned in class while allowing parents to adjust the level of difficulty according to the skill level of their child. Parents receive instructions for continuing to use the card game after the class is over.

Building on phonics instruction, the program helps students practice their decoding skills in developmentally appropriate books. The teacher first reads the class book aloud, allowing students to become absorbed in the story. Students are then given time to practice reading the book with the level of support they need to be successful. Reading is hard, often messy work at this age, so teachers give students a lot of praise and show parents how to do the same. Parents attend the first half of every class session so that the teacher can address their concerns and teach them to provide the right level of support for their child.

Instruction and practice is done in excellent children's books, which are full of humor and excitement, and teachers engage students in lively discussions about stories and characters. Teachers also lead fun enrichment activities such as acting out the stories. Through these experiences, students form positive emotional attachments to books that will become the foundation of a lifetime of reading success.

Teachers also work individually with every student in class to provide a Book Level Recommendation that will help parents choose books at the right level of difficulty for independent practice. The recommendation corresponds with the Reading Development Booklist, provided as part of the course materials, which lists the best books for first graders to read both during and after the program. After the program ends, parents have the opportunity to sign up for a book club that provides their child with books at the right level of difficulty as well as other materials. Teachers describe the book club and distribute flyers to parents in a five-minute meeting during the fourth lesson.

Apply Now Who We Are Looking For

Dylan started the class approaching reading as a chore. With the class, he has started to view reading as a fun thing to do. My husband and I have learned different techniques to improve our approach and gain different ideas to bring reading into Dylan's day.

— Level 1 parent