Communication
Success with written language is related
to a child's skill with oral language. Reinforcement of all
oral skills is a goal at HRS.
Each HRS student participates in a weekly
classroom Communication Class. Basic communication skills
are taught: eye contact, correct tone of voice, listening
skills, observations skills and body language. Conversational
skills addressed include: starting and ending a conversation,
continuing a conversation, changing the topic and maintaining
a topic. In addition to these conversational and social skills,
other oral language skills are introduced. These include:
metalinguistic skills, or the ability to use language to analyze
and describe language defining words and sentences providing
synonyms and antonyms describing objects and concepts by several
attributes and narrative skills.
Math
Explorations and Applications, a language
based program from the SRA McGraw-Hill Company, is consistent
with the standards of the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics. It is organized in a way similar to Slingerland
language lessons – it is multi-sensory, sequential, integrated,
and provides for intense teacher instruction, moving from
small units to large, and building for success. An important
quality for HRS children is its incorporation of review, its
teaching of critical thinking and problem solving and its
relationship to every day life. Children are taught in groups
at their own instructional levels.
 Science
Dyslexic children learn about science
most readily through active involvement rather than from textbooks.
For them, information is not easily accessible from print,
though print materials do provide additional information after
the initial exploration. HRS provides a wide range of project
oriented experiences for the children covering a variety of
subjects.
In order to maximize learning and make
the best use of resources, science instruction involves the
entire school. Children study the aspects of a given subject
that are appropriate to their ages. A yearly health unit is
taught at each level also. Units are presented in a three-year
rotation:
Year I: Animals/Endangered
Species, Physics
Year II: Sea Life, Ecosystem, Weather/Climate, Space,
Plant Life
Year III: Insects/Spiders/Birds, Reptiles/Dinosaurs,
Geology
Library
The HRS library program is designed
to help children develop a love of books. Students participate
in a weekly class to enhance their experience with both literature
and non-fiction materials. They learn how to use the library
for fun as well as for research on topics for enrichment and
classroom assignments.
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