Flemington-Raritan Schools Launching New Literacy Program

FLEMINGTON, NJ – Flemington-Raritan Regional Schools are launching a new literacy program in grades kindergarten through two.

Dr. Michelle Cook, supervisor of language arts and social studies, presented the program at a recent school board meeting.

“Language changes out of need and ease, and the term literacy is no different,” Cook said, noting literacy “reduces poverty and expands life opportunities.”

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“New Jersey has rich academic standards,” she added. “Our goal at Flemington-Raritan is to motivate and challenge them to engage in meaningful learning.”

Cook said the district will be turning to the new literacy program, Fountas and Pinnell Classroom.

Through the Fountas and Pinnell Classroom initiative, students will engage in interactive read aloud, book clubs, guided reading and individual reading.

“It’s one of the only comprehensive programs that’s designed to lift students’ learning beyond the walls of the classroom,” Cook said.

Fountas and Pinnell features an instructional blueprint for teaching to create experiences in reading, thinking, talking, writing and reflecting.

Whole-group experiences include interactive read-aloud; shared reading; words that sing; reading mini-lessons; small-group experiences that include guided reading book clubs and strategy groups; and independent experiences that include independent reading through classroom libraries.

The program goes beyond academic goals “to harness children’s natural curiosity to motivate and challenge our children to engage in meaningful learning,” Cook said.