Reading

Reading is so important to us here at Quest.   We focus on the five areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. During our Reading Blocks here at Quest K-4, students are working in Literacy Centers while the teacher is working with students in small groups that are individualized to fit their learning needs: Focussing in all of the above five areas of Reading Instruction. In addition, our struggling readers receive additional small group intervention help daily. Fluency is a big part of our focus.  We Progress Monitor our students, weekly, bimonthly or monthly depending on their level to insure that they are receiving the instruction they need and make sure they are progressing with their Fluency. Comprehension is the heart of reading.  We use the strategies that reading Guru Stephanie Harvey, along with many others use.   By teaching Reading Comprehension we want the students to understand content and become engaged thinkers and learners.  Good readers connect to prior knowledge, think about new learning, ask questions before, during and after reading, read to answer questions, make inferences, recognize and use text features, synthesize and summarize.Our teachers have had monthly training on integrating these strategies in their classroom.

Quotes by Stephanie Harvey

“To become a proficient reader, direct instruction and practice in reading comprehension strategies is critical. “

“Writers write best about things they know and care about.”

When readers pay attention to their thinking, they are more apt to learn, understand, and remember what they read.  The next time you read, notice your own inner conversation, then “Turn and Talk”.