At the beginning of the year, kindergarten student Thalia expresses excitement about learning to read, but remains unclear about the specific skills needed to read. When asked what reading entails, she responds, "You look at the pictures, maybe you'll know what the words say." This video follows Thalia's progress over the year as she engages in a variety of reading and writing activities that develop her awareness of letters, sounds, and words -- the details of reading and writing. Her English-language teacher, Jim St. Clair, uses poems, songs, predictable books, reports on classroom activities, and student journals to build on her emergent literacy skills and to promote a love of reading and writing.

Thalia's Progress: •  Left-to-right reading •  Understanding that print carries the meaning in texts •  One-to-one word matching •  Letter/sound relationships •  Writing to communicate Factors that contribute to Thalia's literacy development: Language-based activities Integration of language and literacy in daily routines Instruction based on student interests and needs Variety of texts appropriate to kindergarten Flexible grouping Parent involvement Collaboration between teachers

"[Thalia] has a very strong interest in learning to read. I think it's really a goal for her."
Jim St. Clair, kindergarten teacher.

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