Language and reading are the foundation
of academic success, so at CID we start
early to foster children's emerging literacy
skills.
Commitment to Literacy
Hearing impairment affects language development and language deficits affect the development of reading ability. Thus, the task of reading is often a challenge for children who are deaf.
Literacy may be the most important skill for children with hearing loss. Literacy provides the foundation for academic success and helps children with science, social studies and math. Teachers in the CID pre-k use best practices from the mainstream and from auditory-oral deaf education to
foster the development of emerging literacy skills in deaf children.
At CID, daily pre-reading activities are introduced at age 3 - and sooner. Daily reading instruction starts by age 5. Teachers build skills in phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, print awareness and comprehension. Our creative staff also makes a wide variety of reading-related materials designed to meet the needs of children who are hearing-impaired. We also have teachers trained in using the SPIRE program to help at-risk readers.
Reading and literature are also incorporated into the children's language arts period. The focus is on comprehension, skills instruction and high-quality children's literature. Literature helps stimulate language comprehension, listening ability, literacy and cultural awareness. Selections of fiction and nonfiction provide exposure to fables, folk tales, adventure stories, fantasy, science fiction, biography and more.
CID teachers read to the children regularly and encourage parents to do the same. We have exciting, language-rich learning activities and storytellers and guests related to children's literature. We have a great children's library. We have reading incentive programs and offer books to loan, books to buy, books for school and books for home.
CID kids select reading as a free time activity at home and at school. Their parents tell us how the literature program has increased their child's interest in reading and has increased the quantity of time their child spends reading.