Our Reading Emphasis
Reading is the gateway to all learning. Excellence in history, literature, science and even mathematics hinges on a strong reading aptitude.
But reading is more than a skill. It is the central driving vehicle toward wisdom and virtue. For as Descartes once put it: “The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest minds of the past.”
So at the Academy we have two pivotal emphases related to reading. Those emphases are that we (1) form highly skilled readers, and that we (2) foster an abiding, life-long love for reading.
Excellence in Reading
At Whitefish Christian Academy we train excellence in reading by holding to the proven teaching methods that have shaped the world’s best readers for centuries past.
Our youngest students learn to read via a robust phonics program, which cultivates mastery, not guess-work, in reading. Our program relies on the longtime expertise of UFLI, the nation’s leading literacy institute.
Through a varied and rich reading program, Academy students likewise build strong vocabularies and grammar skills. The importance of these two things - a constantly expanding vocabulary and a tight grasp of grammar - cannot be overstated. The fruits of those labors are especially apparent as students delve into more challenging literature.
And importantly, our students read often.
Their reading takes two key forms. First, our students listen to their teachers who read great books aloud. From that they learn proper pacing, pronunciation and of course learn from the story directly, too.
And moreover, our students read individually, both in class and at home, using the techniques and example of their teachers. Narration - the practice of reciting what one has read, popularized by Charlotte Mason - is used often in our classes, and builds strong reading retention.
What We Read
What we read matters. The best books change us. They move us. They call us to lives of wisdom and virtue.
Therefore it is through a thoughtfully curated reading list that our students learn to love reading. Their imaginations are invited to fly to Narnia, to meet a good friend in The Wind in the Willows, and to conquer evil in Beowulf. A well written book like those takes our minds and souls to places worth traveling. And when we return from those travels, we return as better readers and as better people, too.
We invite you to take a look at examples of some of the books we read, here and here. Our reading selections incorporate The Great Books, the most important works of western civilization; and they’re influenced by lists gathered by trusted education pioneers like Charlotte Mason and Susan Weiss Bauer as well.
Our Reading Specialist
To ensure our reading emphasis is made reality, Mrs. Jessica Sliman serves as our Academy’s Department Chair of Reading & Literature.
Mrs. Sliman is passionate about our Academy’s rich reading program, and is a wonderful resource for teachers, students and parents who wish to strengthen both an aptitude and love for reading.
Questions about our reading program may be directed to Mrs. Sliman. You may write her here.