Bayridge Elementary 25-26

Our Learners are developing their ability to decode words and improve their reading comprehension skills.

Decoding is the foundation of reading comprehension. Before a student can understand a text, they need to be able to read the words accurately.  For our early elementary (K–3) students and new English Language learners , there is a strong focus on decoding (phonics) as it is essential for later comprehension. As students progress into intermediate grades, instruction increasingly emphasizes comprehension strategies, but decoding still remains important—especially for new or complex texts.

Our Learners are engaged in a variety of rich literacy activities in every classroom. They are exploring new decodable books,  technology apps, hands on activities and literacy programs.

This year, one of our students told his teacher that the “favourite part of his day is Literacy Centres!” It’s easy to see why—students are actively engaged in a variety of hands-on, interactive activities that make learning both fun and meaningful. Through these centres, they explore letters, sounds, and words in creative ways that help strengthen their understanding of letter–word relationships. By collaborating with peers and participating in purposeful play, students are building essential literacy skills while fostering a love of reading and learning.

Our Learners have the opportunity to share books with friends, families and big buddies

Sharing books together teaches students to:

• Think while reading
• Understand vocabulary in context
• Engage deeply with ideas
• Make connections and meaning

All of these are essential skills for becoming strong, independent readers.

Choral Reading: 

When a group reads a text aloud together it supports both reading fluency and reading comprehension.   Check out our early Primary Class reading together below:

• When students become more fluent, they spend less effort decoding words.
• This allows them to focus more on meaning and ideas in the text.
• Hearing fluent reading helps students understand how sentences are organized.
• Students hear unfamiliar words used correctly in context.
• Promotes a sense of community and collaboration
• Gains practice with expression, pacing, and meaning—all at once

Public Speaking:

Our learners are provided with opportunities to practice public speaking. Oral public speaking can support both reading fluency and comprehension, especially when it’s structured and connected to literacy instruction. It reinforces fluency through expressive reading and strengthens comprehension by requiring deeper understanding and communication of ideas.

Connection to First Peoples Principles of Learning:

Our students are continuing to build the skills to make meaning from stories, connect ideas, and express their thinking through writing. As students move from decoding to comprehension and communication, they develop their voice, identity, and ability to contribute as confident learners.

“Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story.”
— First Peoples Principles of Learning (FNESC)

Social Emotional Learning

Our focus on building foundational reading skills supports students’ social-emotional development by increasing confidence, strengthening identity, and enabling students to express their thinking. As students become more fluent readers, they engage more fully in learning, develop empathy through story, and build the communication skills necessary to connect with others and contribute to their learning community.

“When students see themselves as capable readers and writers, they develop the confidence to express their ideas and connect with others.”

Reading Resources:

Our learners have access to new decodable books and morphology-based texts.  These resources play a powerful role in building reading comprehension because they strengthen the foundational skills students need to understand what they read.

Decodable books:
Decodable books are texts specifically designed to align with the phonics skills students are learning. They use controlled vocabulary and spelling patterns so that learners can apply their knowledge of letter–sound relationships to read words accurately and independently.

Morphology:
Morphology is the study of word structure, including prefixes, suffixes, and root words. It focuses on how these meaningful parts combine to form words and how understanding them helps readers determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Decodable books build the bridge to fluent reading, while morphology strengthens vocabulary and meaning-making—together, they create the strong foundation necessary for deep reading comprehension.