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3435 E. Sunrise Drive | Tucson, Az 85718
Phone: 520-209-7650 | Fax: 520-209-7664
School Hours: 7:00am - 5:30pm
AM CARE: 7:00am - 9:00am
PM CARE: 2:30pm - 5:30pm

Jennifer Dooley
Principal

Blue Bar

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Language and Literacy

Daily exposure to verbal and written language provides young children with the opportunities to begin acquiring understanding of the concepts of literacy and its functions. Through play and intentional activities, children learn to create meaning from language and communicate with others using verbal and non-verbal language, pictures, symbols and print.

Environments rich with print, language, storytelling, books and writing materials allow children to experience the joy and power associated with reading and writing, while mastering basic concepts about print. The preschool environment is respectful and supportive of children’s cultural heritages and home languages while encouraging English language acquisition. The abilities to listen, speak, read, and write emerge interdependently in environments designed to meet each child’s unique skills, abilities, interests, and needs. (Arizona Department of Education, Early Learning Standards, 4th ed., May 2018)

Valley View Teachers teach emergent reading and writing skills. We first strive to provide a print rich environment of books and easily accessible tools for writing. Teachers listen intently to students for topics of interest to introduce meaningful vocabulary through read alouds, songs and printed words, sometimes accompanied by pictures for students to use in their own writing. Teachers will introduce students to journal writing beginning with the drawing of ideas and messages and Scaffolded Writing, which is the introduction to sentence structure and the idea that writing has meaning. Scaffolded Writing is used every day with the question of the day. Emergent reading skills that are taught and encouraged are recognizing names, book handling skills, making connections to stories, pretending to read, using pictures as clues, and recalling sequential events in a story.

 

Two preschool students

Two preschool students reading

Preschool students practicing letters