Developing a Lifelong Love of Literature

....... The process of learning how to read should be as painless and simple as learning how to speak.

We begin by placing our youngest students in classes in which the older students are already reading. All children want to “do what the big kids can do,” and as the intriguing work that absorbs the older students involves reading, there is a natural lure for the young child.

The process of learning to read and write at Hudson comes naturally and begins with a child’s first interest.

She begins by learning the phonetic sounds of the alphabet, using her growing knowledge to read and write increasingly complex words and sentences. Mastery of basic skills normally develops so smoothly that students tend to exhibit a sudden “explosion into reading,” which leaves our young students, not to mention their families, beaming with pride.

Once our young students have made their first breakthroughs into reading, they tend to proceed rapidly.

There is typically a quick jump from reading and writing single words to sentences and stories. At this point, we begin a systematic study of the English language: vocabulary, spelling rules, and linguistics.

We begin to teach the functions of grammar and sentence structure to students as young as first grade, just as they are first learning how to put words together to express themselves. This leads them to master these vital skills during a time in their lives when it is a delight, rather than a chore. Before long, they learn to write naturally and well.

During the Elementary years, we increasingly focus on the development of research and composition skills. Our students write every day, learning to organize increasingly complex ideas and information into well written stories, poems, reports, plays and student publications.

Finally, and most importantly, the key to our language arts curriculum is the quality of the things we give our children to read. From an early age, children are given first-rate children’s books and fascinating works on science, history, geography and the arts. Literary studies continue every year thereafter.