trevordayschool

lower school learning to read–reading to learn T R E V O R T R A N S L AT E S : In its rich Lower School language arts curriculum, Trevor makes no formal distinction between the processes of learning to read and reading to learn. require additional decoding strategies. In the spring, 1st graders use what they have learned from reading to embark on a study of birds found in Central Park. Building on research skills from Kindergarten, each student researches and writes an informational book about a specific bird. Students work individually and in reading groups based on reading level and interest. ey also begin to discuss the literature that they are reading. A more intense focus on literature begins the following year, when students embrace the concept of character development in stories. In small guided reading groups, they discuss books and begin to write about what they are reading. Each 2nd-grade class also has a focused nonfiction study, though the three homerooms study different topics. A common thread to these units of study is an essential question: What is fair? is year, one section read about the importance of the wolf as a top North American predator; another studied U.S. history via Harriet Tubman's biography and her rescue of slaves through the Underground Railroad; the third focused on Our World, Our Rights, a study of universal human rights and its meaning for all of us. With library books and iPads, students learn how to use informational books and discover features of nonfiction texts, including glossaries and indexes. ere, too, they encounter relevant language, which expands understanding and vocabulary. Students also begin to read Lower School students in all grades develop reading skills and strategies that they simultaneously put to use for interdisciplinary learning—a continuum that is refined throughout all grades, including at the Upper School. Even in Pre-Kindergarten, students are developing a sense of themselves as readers and are recognizing that books will show them endless possibilities: Fiction will introduce new worlds even their rich imaginations could not conjure; nonfiction books will become a valuable source of information (the first step in learning how to research). Each day, students have a Look at a Book period that serves as an introduction to the independent reading in which they will shortly engage. In Kindergarten, students tackle the first of many in-depth studies: An entire unit focuses on polar animals; students delve into informational texts—in the classroom and library—to learn all they can about them. is dynamic project exposes them to reading comprehension strategies (such as sequencing and summarizing) and decoding skills, all at the level that best suits the individual child. To add to the excitement, 3rd graders periodically visit a Kindergarten class to team up with students for a session of communal reading. Students learn to appreciate that while reading is often a solitary experience, it can also be a hugely enriching and special activity when shared. ey learn that sharing a favorite book is a powerful gift. is Reading Buddies program is a treasured Trevor tradition. It continues the following year, when 1st graders partner with 4th graders (pictured below). In-depth nonfiction studies also continue in the 1st grade, as students embark on a yearlong study of Central Park and its rich habitat. Beginning with short books, students "graduate" to longer, more complex texts that

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