Academics
NYC Reads
The goal is to ensure that all New York City students become strong readers, which is the single most important skill required for educational, career, and lifetime success. Based on extensive research, NYC Reads will ensure that pre-K and elementary school students receive the most effective reading instruction materials and methods.
- A strong early reading and writing program in kindergarten, first, and second grade that includes instruction in the five fundamentals of reading:
- Phonics: relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language.
- Phonemic awareness: the ability to understand that spoken words are made up of individual sounds.
- Vocabulary: the meaning or definition of words.
- Fluency: the ability to read accurately with reasonable speed and expression.
- Comprehension: the ability to understand and interpret what is read.
- A literacy program that has a predictable format so that students understand the goal of each lesson
- Teachers leading daily read-alouds using high-quality, culturally diverse, age-appropriate books
- Writing instruction that includes daily opportunities to practice skills such as handwriting, word choice, sentence structure, and punctuation in varied genres
- Classrooms with libraries offering a wide range of grade-appropriate books across many topics and reading levels
- A reading coach who supports early reading acquisition in kindergarten, first, and second grade
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Extra support in focused, small group settings for students who are struggling in reading and writing
