Language Arts

At WSL, the curriculum is carefully designed to optimize each developmental phase of childhood. We do not begin formal reading instruction until first grade. The benefits of this are two-fold. One, children are free to spend their preschool and kindergarten years engaged in creative, self-directed play, which is crucial for every aspect of their development. Two, when we begin teaching reading, students are ready, eager, and learn quickly and with confidence. This approach is used in other countries with highly successful academic programs, notably Finland. (See “The Joyful, Illiterate Kindergarteners of Finland” in The Atlantic.)

Reading and writing instruction in the early elementary grades is based on oral storytelling by the teacher—a timeless tradition that engages students and helps them build a bridge from mental pictures to the abstract world of letters and words. The class teacher recounts classic fairy tales, illustrates the stories on the chalkboard, and writes out familiar passages on the board. The teacher also introduces writing (before reading), starting with capital letters. As their writing ability grows, students begin to copy into their lesson books what the teacher has written on the board. These writing exercises support students’ emerging reading skills.

As reading instruction progresses, students are introduced to consonant and short vowel sounds, sight words, and word families. A reading specialist joins the class in second grade to continue the teaching of reading and begin teaching spelling. Reading skills taught include phonemic awareness, word families, and strategies for reading, decoding, and spelling. Teachers use graded beginning readers that increase in difficulty as students’ skill level increases.

In later years, emphasis is placed on developing skill in research, composition, creative writing, and self-expression. In addition to language arts blocks, students in grades 6–8 develop and refine their capacity for written work, reading comprehension, other essential language arts skills.

Writing, poetry, and illustration are combined in a second grade main lesson book. Writing exercises often follow the presentation of an engaging story by the teacher.

Writing, poetry, and illustration are combined in a second grade main lesson book. Writing exercises often follow the presentation of an engaging story by the teacher.