Harcourt Storytown

    Storytown includes a variety of components to enhance your child's language and reading skills.  Students will be exposed to phonics, vocabulary, comprehension skills and given opportunities to practice reading fluently as these are the most important pieces to develop competent readers. 

• Spelling/ Phonics
• Students will have a new spelling list each week.  The spelling list is built around an important phonics topic.  For example when learning the consonant, vowel, consonant rule, students learn that the vowel is short when enclosed by consonants. The spelling list reflects this rule and gives students practice with the rule.

• Robust Vocabulary
• Each week, students will be exposed to eight new "robust vocabulary" words.  Students will be exposed to these words numerous times throughout the week and the program.  They are also encouraged to use these new words in their writing!

• Focus Skill
• Each focus skill we practice will be explored for two weeks using various stories including independent books, shared reading and read alouds.  Focus skills are imperative for true reading comprehension.  Check the class newsletter to know the current focus skill we are practicing!

• Flexible Reading Groups/Centers
• Our class will be engaged in centers three days out of the week, most weeks.  During center time, I will be meeting with small groups of students and reading short stories to help practice vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.  Flexible groups allow for groups to be changed weekly if needed based on learning styles, difficulty of texts, or even interests.

• Grammar
• Grammar is important as readers and writers!  Each week we will focus on a different grammar topic.  We will use Harcourt materials and our own writing many times to make grammar more meaningful in second grade.