Ash Fork School District

Arizona is requiring K-5 teachers to have a new literacy endorsement that focuses on
the Science of Reading by 2028. Many of our Ash Fork teachers have been working
hard to complete this endorsement ahead of time through the LETRS (Language
Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training. Science of Reading focuses
on five pillars to help students become strong readers, which include phonemic
awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.
In our K-2 classrooms, we have already been using numerous tools that align with the
Science of Reading. If you have heard your students talk about Lexia, this great tool
reinforces the pillars in a fun online game. Our reading curriculum, Fundations, breaks
down learning to read into a variety of phonics skills. This year we have also introduced
Heggerty to our K-2 students. Heggerty focuses on phonemic awareness, which is the
sounds that we hear in words and reading. Questions like, “Which sound do you hear at
the beginning of the word,” “Which two words sound like they rhyme,” “If you change the
middle sound from /u/ to /a/, what is the new word,” are all questions focused on
phonemic awareness.
We have loved watching the growth all of our students are making and can’t wait to see
what 2024 brings!
For additional information on reading:

Check out the article here