“Literacy is…the ability to use language and images in rich and varied forms, to read, to write, listen, speak, view, represent, discuss and think critically about ideas. Literacy enables us to share information and to interact with others. Literacy is an essential tool for personal growth and active participation in a democratic society.”
Literacy involves the capacity to:

• Access, manage, create and evaluate information
• Think imaginatively and analytically
• Communicate thoughts and ideas effectively
• Apply metacognitive knowledge and skills
• Develop a sense of self-efficacy and an interest in life-long learning.

(Paying Attention to Literacy, Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013)
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At Richland we have a balanced literacy program that includes a well rounded reading program. In Junior Kindergarten students explore and identify letter names and sounds and participate in poems, rhymes and shared reading. This knowledge is used in different ways, and is reinforced when the learning is named and noticed. In Senior Kindergarten, we use our knowledge to build on and progress through literacy conventions that are essential for reading and writing and transcend to other curriculum areas and disciplines.

Here is SK I like to do a book of the week. This means that every week we are reading a book as a group, using our smartboard screen to interact with it. We also reading our books with our Thinking Partners. This gives students opportunities to work with people they don’t usually choose to work with, but as we know, learning from collaboration is key.

Stories and storytelling invite students to make connections and further develop their literacy skills.