Beginning the week of September 21st, a weekly theme will be selected to reflect either a seasonal trend or a school-wide initiative (ex. recycling).
Three short videos featuring a story, a song selection and a sign will be made available to all students across all three learning tiers. While integrating stories, songs and sign language into daily activities is beneficial for all young learners, this practice can truly be a difference maker for children with speech and language needs.
In addition to the video series mentioned above, a weekly, theme-related, language activity will be designed for each learning tier. Language targets will primarily be based on the End of Year (EOY) Language Development & Communication goals set for each learning tier.
Beginning the week of October 5th, an additional weekly pre-literacy module will be made available to Pre-Kindergarten students. Students will spend the first several weeks exploring word awareness and phonological awareness skills, such as rhyming, clapping syllables, and listening for the initial sound in words. By the beginning November, students will be ready for the prekindergarten adaptation of Lively Letters, a research-based and clinically proven multisensory reading program. The program turns plain, abstract letters into lively characters, each with its own unique story. For Explorers and Treetoppers, one or two letters will be introduced each week with emphasis placed on the sound that each letter shows. The goal will be exposure to print and early sound-letter correspondence skills. It is not expected that students decode, or sound out, words in Pre-Kindergarten.
Students will access the speech and language enrichment activities via their Seesaw classrooms. All speech and language modules are designed to be self-paced so families can participate in as much (or as little) as they choose.