Literacy Sings
An education practice serving the early childhood community of Astoria.
An education practice serving the early childhood community of Astoria.
Literacy Sings uses music as a vehicle for growth in reading and writing. Singing, moving, and songwriting are interwoven with the Orton-Gillingham approach in order to provide instruction that is both highly stuctured and engaging.
Orton-Gillingham (OG) is a method of literacy instruction established by neuropsychiatrist Samuel T. Orton and educator and psychologist Anna Gillingham, in order to serve children with dyslexia. The OG approach focuses explicitly on the connections and relationships between letters and sounds, in order to clarify the rules and patterns in the English language. What differentiates OG instruction from typical reading instruction is its highly structured, sequential, cumulative, and most importantly, multi-sensory approach. Utilizing auditory, kinesthetic, and visual input ensures that each part of the brain is working together, and that every learner is reached.
Music both creates and utilizes several pathways in the brain. It's known to foster neuroplasticity and improve memory, attention, and learning. It can also alleviate the stress and anxiety often associated with school and learning. Because music is a multi-sensory stimulus, it is easily integrated into the O-G approach.
At Literacy Sings, we believe that
Between birth and 7 years of age, children learn best through play. Play promotes critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, collaboration and social-emotional intelligence. At Literacy Sings, we deliver direct instruction in a way that is silly, playful, and engaging.
We aim to provide an equitable education to all learners. We want to close any gaps left from the school day in our oldest learners, and provide a solid foundation to our youngest. Neurodiverse learners are more than welcome to our classes. You can find out more about our class offerings here.
Brain Behav Immun Health. 2023 Dec 12;35:100716. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100716
Mardell, B., Ryan, J., Krechevsky, M., Baker, M., Schulz, S., & Liu-Constant, Y. (2023). A pedagogy of play: Supporting playful learning in classrooms and schools. President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Sayeski, K. L., Earle, G. A., Davis, R., & Calamari, J. (2019). Orton-Gillingham: Who, what, and how. Teaching Exceptional Children, 51(3), 240–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059918816996