Acting on its long-standing commitment to child enrichment and encouraged by recent federal early childhood literacy initiatives, Criterion Child Enrichment is pleased to introduce you to the Rise and Shine Academy Early Literacy Focus (“ELF”).
The Early Literacy Focus includes three literacy programs that have been added to the Rise and Shine Academy curriculum; Language for Learning, Reading Mastery Plus and Reading Mastery.
- Language for Learning emphasizes language as a means of describing the world and as a tool for thinking and problem solving. The program also provides the basis for early reading comprehension skills and for understanding books and other written materials.
- Reading Mastery teaches children basic, beginning decoding and reading comprehension skills through an explicit phonics approach that stresses mastery of letter sounds and sound-blending strategies. A unique reading alphabet is utilized to minimize confusion for the novice reader, and as in the Language for Learning program, teachers lead and monitor research verified activities delivered through scripted lessons. Children participate in fast-paced, small group instruction designed to give them continuous feedback that confirms or corrects their responses. The program is also designed to give children continual practice using all skills and strategies taught throughout the program. Reading Mastery is designed to assure children's success with reading decoding and comprehension skills.
- Reading Mastery Plus combines the objectives taught in both Language for Learning and Reading Mastery.
All three of these programs are components of an approach to literacy development called “Direct Instruction”. Direct Instruction teaches reading and comprehension skills using scripted instruction that is designed to teach phonics and decoding skills in an environment that encourages repeated practice. In some cases, research has shown that Direct Instruction programs are able to produce as much as one year's growth in reading skills in just six months of instruction.
