Little “literacy professors” learn tricks of the trade

They’re in Grade 1 and 2, but they sound like literacy professors. “Hey. You dropped your rubric!” calls one 6-year-old, pointing to one of the small yellow checklists the teacher gives to each child that outline the points they should cover in their answers. Another boasts he’s made an important “connection” in his reading. A third brags: "I’m almost writing at level 4!"

“Rubric” charts and connections and levels are part of a push to bolster reading and writing at Toronto’s Claireville Junior Public School, with the help of the Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP), a program funded by Queen’s Park. With $25 million, moral support and the latest teaching tips, Ontario’s four-year-old Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, a wing of the Ministry of Education, is using OFIP to help 1,181 struggling schools rethink how they teach the 3 Rs and get kids thinking more deeply and personally. Read more about the program in The Toronto Star online.