Learning Path Stones

Listening and Reading Comprehension

Listening and Reading Comprehension
As children develop comprehension of books read aloud or independently, they explore the uses and functions of written language. They begin to construct meaning, eventually applying critcal skills to make inferences and draw conclusions.

Subject Knowledge

Subject Knowledge
Children learn about the world through stories. In turn, they use the knowledge they gain to comprehend other stories, both fiction and nonfiction, more fully, building their general knowledge and increasing their vocabulary across subject areas.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary
While infants and toddlers learn vocabulary by memory, older children use word structure and context to help understand the meaning of a word. They identify synonyms and antonyms. They use prefixes, suffixes and base words to build their own vocabulary.

Book and Print Basics

Book and Print Basics
A child's early experiences with books greatly influence his ability to learn to read. Reading together helps a child learn how to turn pages one at a time and that text moves from left to right. Advanced readers learn how to use books for research.

Phonological Awareness

Phonological Awareness
Along with learning language and letters, phonological awareness - the ability to pick out and play with sounds in words (such as syllables and rhymes)- is essential for learning to read.

Rhyming

Rhyming
Rhyming songs and stories help children recognize the different sounds in words. Rhymes direct a child's attention to the similarities in words (hat sounds like cat), which helps them learn to read.

First Words in World Languages

First Words in World Languages
Children are born ready to learn any language. Early and continued exposure to language sounds from a variety of cultures may enhance a child's ability to speak more than one language.

Sorting and Classifying

Sorting and Classifying
Children actively arrange their blocks, cars and dolls, using visual discrimination to sort objects around them. Essential for math and science, classification is the logical reasoning ability to identify and group objects by attributes such as color, size, number, function, length, volume, weight, area, time and other familiar characteristics.