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Literacy development centers around a Balanced Approach to Literacy, which incorporates several specific areas:
1. Shared Reading. This involves small group reading instruction where the teacher reads stories with the children, modeling literate behaviors and skills.
2. Guided Reading. This involves small group reading instruction at the appropriate instructional level of the student. While the teacher does provide some guidance, it provides an opportunity for students to practice/apply the reading skills learned on a more independent basis.
3. Read Alouds. Students are read to at least once a day from stories which they normally would not be able access themselves. Again, literate behaviors and skills are demonstrated during this time, as well as how to translate from English to ASL and vice versa.
4. Independent Reading. Students are involved with independent or buddy-type of reading activities on a daily basis. This provides students with an opportunity to explore new books as well as develop a love for reading.
5. Shared Writing. This involves writing activities in which the teacher writes with the children on a collaborative basis. It provides an opportunity for children to see how ASL gets translated into English as teachers model/demonstrate writing to children.
6. Guided Writing. This involves collaboration with the teacher and the student, but on a more individualized basis, with the children taking up more of the responsibility for using written language to express themselves. The teacher may model the writing/editing process, but the children are expected to move towards independent writing.
7. Independent Writing. Students are provided with multiple opportunities to write independently. These may involve journal writing, essay writing, or reports or other forms of writing.
As part of the accountability system in place at RMDS, each student's progress in ASL and English is tracked via the use of our ASL Literacy Profiles and our English Literacy Profiles. These assessment profiles include specific benchmarks which are based on the Colorado state standards as well as the Jefferson County School District standards. Teachers utilize the information on the profiles not only to chart individual student progress, but also to guide curricular decision making. The skills listed in the profiles are incorporated into the thematic integrated teaching units, as well as incorporated into our deaf studies program with students.
The preschool and kindergarten curriculum incorporates elements of the Reggio Emilia approach. This is an inquiry-based, student-centered program that originated in Italy and which fosters critical thinking skills and decision making skills in very young children. The teachers in our program, in collaboration with other schools in the area which are utilizing the Reggio Emilia approach, are working on how to adapt the program so that it meets the specific needs of deaf children who may have limited language experience upon entry into our school.
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