SCHOLASTIC F.I.R.S.T. AND FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS
Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. (Foundations in Reading, Sounds & Text) was explicitly and purposefully created to help students become confident readers by utilizing the NRP’s five foundational skills. To be most effective, reading instruction must begin with basic and familiar oral language, which F.I.R.S.T. incorporates into its host of targeted activities and ebooks.
ORAL LANGUAGE When children read in F.I.R.S.T., they encounter typical childhood experiences, conversational language, and recurring characters, so it is accessible and engaging for young learners. Using direct speech and speech balloons, F.I.R.S.T. puts the learner right into the story, so that from the beginning the student’s existing language provides a framework for reading. This approach prepares young readers to make the connection between spoken and written language. In order to learn the relationship between language and text, it is vital to teach in an auditory manner. Hearing spoken words activates the student’s own internal sound system. In F.I.R.S.T.’s early ebooks, the student listens to accurate pronunciation while the story is read and follows the highlighted print. This builds awareness of how sounds and words are represented with letters. A student with good phonological awareness understands that spoken language can be broken down into sentences, individual words, and single sounds. These connections are reinforced through repeated exposure to F.I.R.S.T.’s ebooks and phonological activities.
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SCHOLASTIC F.I.R.S.T. FOUNDATION PAPER
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