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Miss Kim

Kimberly brings her experience of over 20 years in the classroom to manage our Young Learners program!  Her personal philosophy about learning especially at the TK/K level is that every moment is a learning opportunity. She uses open ended questions with her students to get them talking without giving too much of her  own input. This helps all students, especially the ones that may be timid about sharing their ideas, to feel confident. She also brings  being a good listener to this program too, because everyone wants to be heard and validated. Children are sponges and absorb it all!  Miss Kim loves doing art activities and making songs to help reinforce whatever we may be learning at that time.


Emerging Learners: Readers & Writers - Beginning

Prerequisites:  Students should already know all of the letter sounds and be able to identify the beginning and ending sounds of a CVC word.  


This class will target 1st grade standards with a review to help everyone remember their previous reading lessons.


Homework:  Yes!  Students will need to practice their blending at home!  Blending flip books and homework pages will be provided.  10-20 minutes of homework on a DAILY basis will be needed to remember and reinforce our lessons!  Families that do not have time to do daily homework should not consider this class as the child could fall behind and develop a negative association with reading!  We don't want that!



What we'll be learning in this class!


Phonics & Word Study

We'll progress from basic to more complex patterns. Instruction includes:

  • Short and long vowel sounds

  • Consonant blends and digraphs (e.g., sh, ch, th)

  • Silent-e patterns and vowel teams

  • R-controlled vowels (ar, er, ir, or, ur)

  • Decoding multi-syllable words

  • High-frequency (sight) words

Students practice decoding and encoding (spelling) to strengthen reading accuracy and confidence.


Reading Fluency Development
Fluency is developed through repeated reading, guided practice, and engaging texts. Students practice in class AND AT HOME!

  • Read with appropriate speed, accuracy, and expression

  • Recognize punctuation cues

  • Build stamina through independent and partner reading

Vocabulary Building
Vocabulary is taught both explicitly and through context within stories. Students will:

  • Learn new words connected to Superkids stories

  • Explore word meanings, synonyms, and categories

  • Develop oral language through discussion and storytelling

Reading Comprehension Skills
Students are guided to think deeply about what they read. Skills include:

  • Identifying main idea and key details

  • Making predictions and inferences

  • Retelling stories with sequence and structure

  • Understanding characters, setting, and plot

  • Asking and answering questions about text

Both fiction and informational texts are used to broaden understanding.


Writing and Language Development
Writing is integrated with reading instruction to reinforce skills. Students will:

  • Practice sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation

  • Write responses to reading

  • Compose simple narratives and informational pieces

  • Develop spelling skills aligned with phonics instruction


Character Connections
Through stories, students explore themes such as:

  • Friendship and teamwork

  • Responsibility and perseverance

  • Problem-solving and empathY

Fall:


We'll send out review work for you to play with in August, before classes start!  Letter sounds and the beginning, middle and ending sound for CVC words should be known prior to starting this class!


We will work to cover 5 units per trimester, so we'll cover a unit every 2-3 weeks.  Units 1-5 include:


Focus: Digraphs & Early Complexity
Word Work

  • Consonant digraphs: sh, ch, th, wh

  • Final blends (e.g., -nd, -mp)

  • Continued high-frequency word practice

Reading

  • More complex decodable texts

  • Increased sentence length and vocabulary

Comprehension

  • Making predictions

  • Identifying main idea and key details

  • Asking and answering questions

Writing

  • Expanding sentences with details

  • Responding to reading in writing


Focus: Vowel Patterns & Word Building
Word Work

  • Silent-e (VCe) long vowel patterns (cake, bike, home)

  • Introduction to syllable awareness

  • Encoding (spelling) longer words

Reading

  • Decodable texts with long vowel patterns

  • Increased emphasis on reading fluency and phrasing

Comprehension

  • Comparing characters or animals

  • Making simple inferences

Writing

  • Narrative writing (short stories)

  • Using phonics knowledge in spelling


Focus: More Complex Vowel Patterns
Word Work

  • Vowel teams (ai, ea, oa)

  • Continued work with long vowels

  • Multi-syllable word decoding begins

Reading

  • Longer decodable and semi-decodable texts

  • Focus on automaticity and expression

Comprehension

  • Sequencing events

  • Understanding cause and effect

  • Deeper discussion of texts

Writing

  • Informational writing (facts about animals)

  • Organizing ideas into simple paragraphs



Focus: Applying Skills to New Topic 
Word Work

  • R-controlled vowels (ar, or)

  • Continued multi-syllable decoding

  • More advanced spelling patterns

Reading

  • More complex texts tied to real-world topics

  • Continued fluency development

Comprehension

  • Identifying text purpose (informational vs. story)

  • Asking deeper “why” and “how” questions

Writing

  • Informational writing about tools/technology

  • Using facts and details to explain ideas


Across these first five units, students:
  • Move from basic decoding → complex phonics patterns

  • Transition from simple sentences → multi-syllable words

  • Grow from basic comprehension → deeper thinking and discussion

  • Shift from learning to read → beginning to read to learn

Winter:


Focus: Continued practice with R-Controlled Vowels & Word Complexity
Word Work (Phonics & Spelling)

  • R-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur)

  • Continued multi-syllable decoding

  • Spelling patterns tied to vowel-controlled sounds

Reading

  • Decodable texts with more challenging patterns

  • Increased independence in reading longer passages

Comprehension

  • Identifying main idea and supporting details

  • Asking and answering deeper questions

Writing

  • Informational writing (how tools are used)

  • Expanding sentences with descriptive language


Focus: Vowel Teams and Structural Analysis
Word Work

  • Vowel teams (ee, ea, oa, ai, ay)

  • Word families and pattern recognition

  • Continued multi-syllable word work

Reading

  • Longer decodable and semi-decodable texts

  • Emphasis on fluency, phrasing, and expression

Comprehension

  • Comparing and contrasting ideas

  • Making inferences using text evidence

Writing

  • Explanatory writing (how something works)

  • Organizing ideas logically


Mixed Vowel Patterns & Automaticity
Word Work

  • Review and integration of:Long vowels
    Vowel teams
    R-controlled vowels

  • Decoding longer, more complex words

Reading

  • More complex texts (less controlled for phonics)

  • Increased reading stamina and independence

Comprehension

  • Understanding text structure

  • Identifying cause and effect relationships

Writing

  • Informational paragraphs

  • Using facts and examples to explain ideas


👉 At this point, students start to apply phonics automatically while focusing more on meaning, reflecting the program’s shift toward fluent reading .


Focus: New Knowledge Theme + Deeper Comprehension
Word Work

  • Introduction to more complex spelling patterns

  • Continued multi-syllable decoding strategies

Reading

  • Greater exposure to authentic literature and informational texts

  • Less reliance on strictly decodable text

Comprehension

  • Story structure (beginning, problem, solution)

  • Character analysis

Writing

  • Narrative writing (stories with beginning, middle, end)

  • Adding details and dialogue


Focus: Morphology & Deeper Thinking
Word Work

  • Inflectional endings (-ed, -ing)

  • Continued multi-syllable word reading

  • Word meaning and structure (early morphology)

Reading

  • More complex texts with richer vocabulary

  • Focus on understanding language and meaning

Comprehension

  • Drawing conclusions

  • Understanding themes and messages

Writing

  • Opinion writing (expressing preferences about stories or art)

  • Supporting ideas with reasons


Focus: Fluency, Comprehension, and Application
Word Work

  • Continued review and application of all phonics patterns

  • Increasing automaticity with decoding

Reading

  • Fluent reading of longer, more complex texts

  • Blending decoding and comprehension seamlessly

Comprehension

  • Comparing texts across genres

  • Synthesizing information from multiple sources

Writing

  • Multi-sentence compositions (narrative, informational, or opinion)

  • Stronger organization and detail

Content

  • Deeper exploration of arts and entertainment

  • Understanding audience and purpose


By the end of Winter, students are approaching independent, fluent reading, with the ability to think critically about what they read and express ideas clearly in writing



Spring:


Focus: Deep Comprehension + Expressive Language
Word Work (Phonics & Spelling)

  • Mastery and automaticity of:Long vowels, vowel teams, r-controlled vowels

  • Continued multi-syllable decoding

  • Spelling patterns applied in writing

Reading
  • Continued Transition to less-controlled, more authentic texts

  • Exposure to:Stories, poems, simple plays

  • Emphasis on reading for meaning rather than decoding effort

Comprehension

  • Identifying theme or message

  • Understanding story structure (problem/solution)

  • Comparing different types of texts (story vs. poem)

Writing

  • Narrative writing with clear structure

  • Opinion writing (favorite story, performance, etc.)

  • Use of details and reasons


Focus: Applying Skills to Informational Content
Word Work

  • Continued multi-syllable decoding

  • Word meaning strategies (context clues, word parts)

  • Increasing spelling independence

Reading
  • More informational texts alongside stories

  • Longer passages requiring sustained attention

Comprehension
  • Identifying main idea and supporting details

  • Asking and answering deeper questions

  • Beginning synthesis of ideas

Writing
  • Informational writing (explaining how the body works)

  • Organizing ideas into logical order


Focus: Vocabulary + Text Structure
Word Work

  • Reinforcement of all phonics patterns

  • Fluent decoding of longer words

Reading

  • Increased exposure to complex informational text

  • Integration of vocabulary learning within reading

Comprehension

  • Understanding text features (headings, diagrams, etc.)

  • Cause and effect relationships

  • Making connections across texts

Writing
  • Informational paragraphs with facts and details

  • Clear sentence structure and organization

Focus: Analysis + Cross-Text Thinking
Word Work

  • Integration of phonics and spelling knowledge

  • Automatic recognition of patterns

Reading
  • Fluent reading of longer literary and informational texts

  • Independent reading becomes more central

Comprehension
  • Comparing and contrasting texts

  • Drawing conclusions and making inferences

  • Supporting ideas with evidence

Writing

  • Opinion writing with reasons and examples

  • Multi-sentence structured responses


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