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Without question, Reading is the cornerstone of the Lower School curriculum. After all, good readers make good writers, speakers, thinkers, and analyzers. Using a phonetics-based approach, students learn to decode, analyze, read expressively, and comprehend on a literal as well as inferential level. Literary appreciation is taught through exposure to a wide range of literary styles, including fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, mystery and suspense. Beginning in pre-kindergarten, students begin the reading process by focusing on a letter of the week and by the end of the year can combine those sounds and read a few words. By the time a student enters first grade, he is a competent reader. Early years of instruction stress learning to read, while older Lower School students read to learn through emphasis in the content areas. During the fourth and fifth grade years, students engage in a study of six different novels that get them used to reading longer material. All reading assignments are designed to engage the students in comprehension, reflection, and critical thinking. Darlington students have an emotional response to reading as they delve into real-life issues, solve problems, discuss characters, and consider alternative solutions. Much of the writing students do is tied into the reading curriculum. Throughout the primary grades (PK-2), all in-class reading is done in small groups as the teacher works with 6-8 students at a time. Students have numerous opportunities to read out loud so that by the time they enter third grade they are fluent readers with a solid phonetic foundation. Students in grades 1-5 are also expected to participate in the Accelerated Reading Program, which is a supplemental part of the reading curriculum. The children are given a wide selection of books to choose from and must meet minimum requirements each grading period. About one-third of all eligible students read enough books to earn rewards, with the grand prize being a trip to a local pizza parlor to have lunch with the principal.
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