Dear Terrace Road Families,
It is very important as educators that we consider ourselves as lifelong learners. Best practices in teaching and learning are continually evolving, and at the times the research reveals that things we “have always done" may not be as effective as what we once thought.
With this in mind, we wanted to let you know that we will not be renewing our current Raz Kids subscription. We know that this is a resource that families often use at home for reading practice. It will be expiring mid-March.
As a staff we have been listening to the 6-episode podcast called, “Sold a Story." If you haven't heard this podcase before, it is an investigative report on the evolution of reading instruction over the past several decades. This podcast is based on information from the U.S., however there are many similar themes in Canada as well. Themes include whole language approaches, guided reading, leveled readers (Raz Kids), predictive text, etc.
If you are interested in listening for yourself it is a very eye-opening listen: https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/
As a school, we are committed to finding research-based literacy materials that will more effectively meet the needs of our learners. After consulting with several experts in the field we have moved forward with purchasing more decodable books along with teacher resources that include an element of home practice if parents wish to still engage in additional practice at home with their child. You can watch for these in the coming weeks, particularly in our younger grades. We have also been fortunate to have Mrs. Robertson join our team in the past few months and she will be working on targeted literacy intervention with identified students to supplement this work. She will have contacted you already if your child is working directly with her.
We thank you for your support as we move forward in this ongoing learning journey. We will be exploring other options for digital resources as well that support our common vision of effective literacy instructions based on current research.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Austin
Principal, Terrace Road School
