A Systematic Approach to Early Learning
For 31 years, one of our specific goals at Good Shepherd has been to “teach children to love reading before kindergarten.” As Aliesse Golladay, the Assistant Director at our Neff Avenue location in Harrisonburg, gives a video tour of her campus, she informs parents how we do this. And it starts even in the nursery!
Even though our students in the Nursery are newborns, we take their early learning very seriously. Engaging with individual students, singing to them, and reading to them are important building blocks for what will come. When they turn one and go to the Explorer Class, they enjoy their first brief lesson times, being introduced to letters and numbers and colors and shapes. They are read to, and get to spend time with books individually.
When they turn two, and transition to the Discovery Class, they continue to have age-appropriate lesson times and papers as they are being developed for pre-K. We use the two-year-old Abeka curriculum to promote this. And, of course, books continue to be an important part of their daily routine as they are read to and they enjoy library time. They often are able to start recognizing their letters and numbers before they turn three!
Once our students turn three, we place them in the Beginner Class, which is ideally suited to help our students soak up learning since their brains are so much like sponges at that age. The daily schedule includes times to learn about the calendar, number recognition, counting, letter recognition, and phonics. The Abeka curriculum is delightful and robust, and the teachers add creative touches to it to make learning fun. Multiple phonics and numbers lessons are combined with individual reading circle time. When combined with language development lessons, music instruction, Bible stories, and memorization, our students' brains are prepared for future kindergarten success. If a child shows in Reading Circle time that they can recognize all their letters by sight and sound, they are moved to our Advanced Class.
Using the Abeka K-4 curriculum, we introduced them to blends and started teaching them the ability to form words. With additional focus on higher counting and letter formation, many of our students have already attained kindergarten level skills before they transition there. Our desire is more than just imparting skill, however. By having these concepts taught by loving teachers and in a fun environment, we hope to lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning!
