• Curriculum Overview
• Afternoons
• Events and Celebrations
• Service Learning and Partnerships
• Special Assemblies
• Mini Courses

by Jane White

"We read to laugh out loud, to get advice, to feel less alone, to learn about new places, to walk in the shoes of people who are different from ourselves, to be reminded of other lives, to take pleasure in something lovely, and yes, to get the tears out. How good it is for children to learn, right from the start, that literacy and life go together." Lucy Calkins, The Art of Teaching Reading.

Lucy Calkins is widely regarded as a leading expert in teaching reading and writing. She is the founding director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University. Her books have informed much of my thinking about teaching language arts. Recently, I had the good fortune (because of SRV's commitment to professional development) to go to a seminar she led.

I'd like to share with you some of what she said:

-- Words matter. Reading and writing are more than marks on the page. We teach with the aim of children initiating reading and writing in their own lives, that they will see reading and writing as something worth doing. Helping children to choose "just right" books is not a just a matter of choosing the right level, but helping children to find a fit for the contours of the person. Ask them: What books have mattered to you? What books have been the pits for you?

-- Reading as community. It's said that a good book is one you can't put down. Lucy Calkins maintains it's one you must put down in order to talk about it. Reading goes beyond the personal to the interpersonal.

-- Curriculum. She talked about making systemic changes in educational systems and creating enduring structures in reading and writing instruction that cross grade levels and influence all subject areas -- sustained, scaffolded teaching versus teaching by mention. She asked us to think about what is essential in teaching reading and writing, and then to translate that into curriculum.

Lucy Calkins has clearly articulated her bottom-line beliefs about teaching reading in her books. She calls them opportunities that are non-negotiable! These non-negotiable opportunities are a lot to aspire to, but they are beliefs already strongly supported at SRV. Parents who are interested in Lucy's books can find them on our parent shelf in the library.