Literacy Program | Mission Dolores Academy

READING

Reading is an essential form of work for students. Through reading, students encounter a wider variety of vocabulary than they would hear in daily conversation. The amount of time a child spends reading is a strong predictor of academic success.  The most successful students are those who read daily.

The goal of the Reading Intervention Program is to meet students exactly where they are in their current reading abilities, providing them with the skills to move towards grade-level proficiency. Entry into the program is determined by assessments targeting phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, and comprehension. All of these areas play essential roles in overall reading ability. An assessment enables us to build a targeted, bespoke intervention program for each child.

Teaching takes place one-on-one or in small groups. Through multi-sensory methods- and a significant amount of reading- we work with all ages to rebuild fluency, spelling, comprehension, and phonemic awareness. As we build these skills, students begin to gain confidence in reading, often for the first time in their young lives. And, with this newfound confidence, students who participate in the program both fall in love with books and experience more success in school overall.

 

Reading Resources:

Below are a number of reading-related resources that might be helpful to you and the readers in your life:

Super Summary - Children's Literature Resource Guide

American Library Association - The Coretta Scott King Book Awards

Great Websites for Kids Recommended by the American Library Association

Award-Winning Children's Books

Graphic Novels for Reluctant Readers and Bookworms

These Books Will Be Hard to Put Down!

The Yale Center for Dyslexia

Books Recommended by Kids at the Center for Teaching and Learning

Use this free app to ensure your child is reading books at the right reading level

Want access to THOUSANDS of FREE ebooks?  Download this app and contact Ms. Elizabeth for a log-in code!

Grants for Funding for Families seeking Speech pathology, audiology, vision therapy, occupational therapy, etc.

 

MATH

Math Lab is here to debunk the myth that we are born either a math person or not. Here, we believe all people are math people if given the right tools and the freedom to find their own way to the answer.

For many students the idea that there is “only one right answer” is paralyzing--they’ve tried and failed so many times they simply don’t want to try anymore, or they are so afraid of failing they are constantly doubting themselves. These students become cautious to experiment and learn, resulting in poor number sense and maladaptive response patterns. Some students may have missed a few key lessons years ago, and they have been working to fill the gap themselves without success. We are here to change that.

We designed Math Lab to be an inclusive environment, where small group instruction prioritizes individual needs of students. By uncovering their interests and deciphering what drives each student to learn, we build a relationship-based learning environment that prizes risk-taking, fortifying brave problem-solvers who are comfortable making mistakes.

We talk with teachers and analyze data to assess potential candidates and what they need. We group students by their shared learning goals. We pull out students several times a week to work on goals like strengthening basic number sense and requisite skills essential to success with grade-level content. We talk about the many ways to solve problems and listen to how others chose to solve them.  Together, we set benchmark goals and monitor growth on a weekly basis. Weekly push-in allows the Math Lab to support students in applying learned strategies in the classroom.

Once achieved, students exit the program and return to the classroom empowered to use tools that work for them, strengthened by a deeper understanding of math. The myth is debunked, and a growth mindset is forged.

Math Resources:

Reflex Math

Greg Tang Math Games

Prodigy Math