Supporting Children's Literacy Development in the Primary Grades

Goal 1. Motivation to Read and Write
The child will develop the belief that reading and writing are enjoyable and informative activities which are not beyond his/her capabilities.

Goal 2. Phonological Awareness
the child will have a conceptual grasp of the fact that words are made up of somewhat separable sound segments. Further, the child will be able to say individual sounds in simple words spoken by the tutor and to blend separate sounds to form whole words.

Goal 3. Letter Identification
the child will be able to name, rapidly and accurately, all 26 letters of the alphabet, both upper and lower case versions.

Goal 4. Letter-Sound Association
the child will be able to associate the sounds of the majority of consonants with their printed representations.

Goal 5. The Alphabetic Principle
The child will understand that the letters in printed words represent the sounds in spoken words. Further, the child be able to change single consonants at the beginning or end of one-syllable words in accord with requests made by the tutor (e.g., "change mat to bat").

Goal 6. Print Awareness
The child will understand that the purpose of print is to communicate.

Goal 7. Print Conventions
The child will understand some of the most basic print conventions, such as the left to right and top to bottom sequencing of print, where to begin reading a book, the concepts of letter and word, etc.

Goal 8. Whole Word Identification
The child will learn to recognize, at sight, a small set of high frequency words.

Goal 9. Comprehension
The child will develop comprehension skills and strategies that will enhance his/her ability to construct the meaning of texts heard or read.

Goal 10. Vocabulary and Oral Language Development
The child will learn the meanings of new words encountered in instructional interactions and be able to use those words conversationally. Further, the child's ability to understand and use more complex grammatical structures will improve.