High/Scope teachers do not directly teach reading through rote, sequenced activities that are closed-ended. Instead, the Teaching Team provides rich verbal experiences in numerous modalities—reading aloud, creating and dramatizing stories, labeling children’s work with their own words. Teachers also provide many kinds of print materials and de-coding opportunities that help children develop broad language skills that are the foundation for later academic learning.

The classroom environment is filled with pictorial and word labeling of room areas and learning materials to facilitate these activities. Preschool classes have thematic language-use activities that further encourage reading and writing through play, such as an “office” within the dramatic play area, word boxes for newspaper creation and letter-writing, and various types of matching and de-coding games.

The High/Scope approach encourages children to talk with others about their experiences, to build vocabulary by describing events, to enjoy stories and songs and to have fun with language. The curriculum also helps children with phonemic awareness by speaking and listening, experimenting with sounds that make up words and learning to use rhyme and alliteration. They are made aware of letters and words through charts that they use to describe events that have occurred in the classroom.

Our curriculum ensures that children take part in meaningful activities that involve reading on a daily basis by creating a classroom that has a verbal and print rich environment. Children are thus naturally exposed to the alphabet, whole language, simple phonics, and sight-and-sound approaches to learning, but only open-ended, creative, and active learning processes are used. As a result, reading takes on a great meaning to children and is a source of immense happiness that will last a lifetime.