• Kindergarten students will receive small group instruction using Cardiff School's Reading Advancement Development program (RAD) or Learning Lab (Response to Intervention) model.

    The RAD program uses guided reading techniques for students regardless of their reading levels.   Text is selected at the small group's target reading level.  RAD engages readers and provides support by building confidence, fluency, and comprehension.  Skills such as phonics, punctuation, and writing are embedded in the 30 minute time slot.

    Each guided reading RAD group starts by reading a familiar text (a book read the day before).  Then students move into reading something new (new book for the day).  Vocab. is taught based on needs of the groups.  Students read the book either individually or through choral reading.  After the new book is read, specific skills are taught and practiced.

    The Learning Lab program provides intensified and explicit instruction using the multi-modality approach.  In a thirty minute time lesson the instruction is provided in five key area:
    Phonemic Awareness: the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds (phonemens) in spoken words
    Phonics:  the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language
    Fluency: the ability to read accurately, with speed, expression, and understanding
    Vocabulary: the words students must know in order to comprehend
    Comprehension: the ability to understand and gain meaning from material read.

    Harcourt Brace Strategic Intervention kit, Signs for Sounds, and Linda-Mood Bell Seeing Stars are programs used by the Learning Lab kindergarten team.

    Both the RAD and Learning Lab groups are flexible and change as student's reading abilities change.  Students are consistently assessed to make sure the instruction is meeting their diverse needs.