Literacy Starts in school
All children can learn to read and write in school. But literacy doesn’t come naturally. Children need to be taught explicitly and systematically how to read and write. But even with great teaching, some kids will still need extra help in school. We know that if they have the right curriculum, instruction, and intervention, our students can achieve literacy.
Literacy Starts in school
All children can learn to read and write in school. But literacy doesn’t come naturally. Children need to be taught explicitly and systematically how to read and write.
But even with great teaching, some kids will still need extra help in school. We know that if they have the right curriculum, instruction, and intervention, our students can achieve literacy.
Here's what Chattanooga 2.0 and community organizations are doing to support literacy in school.
Strategy
Pre-k Curriculum
Lead Organizations: City of Chattanooga and Hamilton county schools
Pre-K can help lay the foundation for learning to read and write in elementary school—if teachers have access to high-quality instructional materials. Hamilton County Schools and the City of Chattanooga continue to invest in curriculum for their pre-K classrooms to prepare their learners for literacy. Learn more online about how to enroll your child in pre-K programs available from the City of Chattanooga or Hamilton County Schools.
Strategy
Elementary Curriculum
Lead Organization: hamilton county schools
Every child can learn to read and write in elementary school when their teachers have access to high-quality instructional materials and training to go along them. Hamilton County Schools has adopted a literacy curriculum that is based on the Science of Reading and supports students as they learn to decode and comprehend—and invested in ongoing training and coaching for teachers to use the curriculum. Learn more about the importance of curriculum in ensuring our students learn to read and write.
Strategy
summer reach
Lead Organization: Hamilton County Schools
Many students experience literacy learning loss or stagnation over the summer. Summer Reach provides students with the chance to extend and accelerate their learning for four-weeks in June and includes time for English language arts, math, physical education, and RTI². Register your child for Summer Reach on Hamilton County Schools’ website.
Strategy
lena literacy professional development
Lead Organization: university of tennessee at chattanooga
Frequent and effective communication between teachers and their pre-K students is crucial for language and literacy development. LENA literacy professional development uses LENA Grow “talk pedometers” to measure and promote more conversational turns between teachers and their students. Learn more from LENA about this novel technology and approach to professional development for early childhood educators.
Strategy
kindergarten READINESS messaging
Lead Organization: chattanooga 2.0
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS: CITY OF CHATTANOOGA, CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM, CHATTANOOGA PUBLIC LIBRARY, CHATTANOOGA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, CHAMBLISS CENTER FOR CHILDREN, HAMILTON COUNTY SCHOOLS, TENNESSEE CHILD-CARE RESOURCE AND REFFERAL, WTCI-PBS
Kindergarten readiness is a crucial benchmark on the path to literacy; however, many parents and caregivers aren’t sure what it means for their children to be “kindergarten ready.” With a new, locally developed definition and skills list, Chattanooga 2.0 is collaborating with community partners to educate families and early childhood educators how to prepare preschoolers for kindergarten. Use the definition and skills list to support your child or reach out if your organization would like to join the effort to promote kindergarten readiness for children across Hamilton County.
Strategy
student planning success
Lead Organizations: hamilton county schools
Partner Organization: Chattanooga 2.0
For a long time, it’s been too easy for some students to slip through the cracks. Student Success Planning does away with the one-size-fits-all model of education and intentionally addresses every child’s comprehensive and personalized needs, including literacy. Chattanooga 2.0 works with Hamilton County Schools to support the identification, recruitment, enrollment, and coordination of participating community partners providing wrap-around services. If you are a parent or caregiver, don’t forget to complete your Student Success Planning Family Questionnaire on PowerSchool.
Strategy
literacy first tutoring model
Lead Organization: chattanooga 2.0
Even with great teaching, some children will still struggle to learn to read in elementary school. The Literacy First tutoring model provides children from kindergarten through second grade with daily tutoring during the school day focused on phonics and fluency to ensure they master foundational literacy in the primary grades. Learn more about how Chattanooga 2.0 is seeking to pilot this promising model across Hamilton County Schools by reading Chattanooga Times Free Press’s profile of our program.
Chattanooga 2.0 has an Early Childhood Action Plan that outlines strategies from birth to age 8 that will impact literacy and child brain development. Some of those strategies are listed above because of their explicit tie to early literacy skills. To learn more about the plan, visit www.chatt2.org/brightstart.