The literacy program at PCS aims to foster engaged readers, articulate speakers, active listeners and effective writers, skilled at finding and creating meaning from words and texts. We believe in the power and beauty of language and literature, and our foremost goal is for students tobuild a love of reading and to cultivate their unique voices.

Literacy curriculum coversconcepts of print, language convention, reading proficiency and comprehension, literary study, writing craft and structure, word study, and the presentation of knowledge and ideas. At PCS, readers and writers are encouraged to approach their literary study with a focus on finding and making meaning, gaining knowledge, sharing thinking, and connecting emotionally.

Through guided reading groups, shared reading, sustained independent reading, and daily read alouds, students learn to read across genres, make connections to texts, infer and analyze meaning, recognize story elements, and think critically about author intent. Literature for shared and guided reading often integrates with the thematic unit and is chosenwith careful attention to representing a diversity of genres, forms, perspectives, and authors.Students make their own independent reading selections.

Facilitators provide writing opportunities that offer exposure and practice with different genres, topics, forms and purposes.Writers work to express their thoughts and ideas with clarity and organization; to move through the writing process of planning, drafting, revising and editing; to support their ideas with evidence and examples, and to use compelling language to engage readers.

Public speaking is a crucial part of education at PCS, and students work to hone their expressive language skills: organizing their thoughts logically, conveying their ideas clearly, and choosing language that amplifies their message and resonates with their audience. Students have a variety of opportunities to practice oration in the classroom, during weekly all school Community Meetings, at the Celebrations of Learning, as well as in the wider community.

* Literacy curriculum at PCS aligns with Next Generation Learning Standards, and facilitators implement nationally recognized teaching tools and resources to support sequencing, lesson planning, and skill development. Resources vary from year to year, reflecting the needs of individual learners and current best practice.