The Aquinas College School of Education Literacy Center recently participated in literacy events at Saint Henry School and Saint Matthew School.
The Literacy morning at St. Matthew was on April 14th. There were 70 Pre-K and Kindergarten students who attended, along with their 7th grade prayer buddies, and they enjoyed rotating through a variety of stations with an Eric Carle theme. Each child received a tote bag to carry their materials and bring them home to enjoy with their families. The Literacy morning at St. Henry was on April 18th. Their literacy event was with a focus on the author/illustrator Lois Ehlert. 60 Pre-K students attended the event along with their 8th grade buddies, and some parents were able to attend as well. Students participated in several hands-on activities, exploring the illustrator’s style of collage in picture books.
The Aquinas College School of Education Literacy Center was first established in 2020 with the mission to engage teacher candidates in literacy instruction best practices. The objectives of the Literacy Center include:
- To improve the involvement of students’ families in their child’s literacy development by providing reading resources for families and hosting family literacy nights
- To enhance elementary students’ literacy development through individual tutoring, leading to improvements on reading assessments and increased motivation to read
The Literacy Center offers programs for K-5 students, their parents, and the broader community. The programs include:
- Family Literacy Night – This is hosted in the Fall at Aquinas College in which K-5 students and their parents are invited to come learn about literacy resources and tips for engaging students in reading at home and school.
- Literacy Tutoring and Assessment – In connection with the course EDU 418/518 Reading Assessment and Remediation, teacher candidates work individually each week during the spring semester with 1st and 2nd grade students with the goal of identifying students’ strengths and needs and differentiating instruction to meet those needs.
- Literacy Events at Local Schools – The Literacy Center partners with local schools to offer literacy events for students to dive deeper into reading and reading activities through a variety of literacy stations. We participated in a literacy morning at St. Ann in spring 2022, St. Matthew in spring 2023, and St. Henry in spring 2023.
