MEET
MS. KELLEY
Hello, I am the founder of Fishhawk Kids Learn to Read and will be your child's teacher for the next couple of months. I attended the University of Colorado and graduated with my B.S. in Biochemistry with a focus on Speech and Hearing Sciences. I worked as an intern in the speech therapy field, then moved onto audiology. While being in the schools and working with children, I saw the downhill slide of reading in the classroom. This led me to eventually find my passion, which is teaching. I have always loved the Montessori method which also led me to enroll my 3 children at Montessori schools. My children and I all learned the foundational skill of reading and writing via the Montessori Method and I'm excited to share the same foundational skills with your children. I've spent over 20 years in a classroom setting as a lead teacher at various Montessori schools, here locally, Sarasota, Venice and in Colorado. I received my diplomas from North American Montessori in 2000. I am certified in math, science and language from ages 3-12 (lower and upper elementary). The language aspect of Montessori has always been the subject I truly enjoyed teaching the most and found the most rewarding, so I decided to focus on this subject and bring my expertise and real world knowledge to my students here in Lithia. I will be working with your child using the Montessori manipulatives (sandpaper letters. moveable alphabet, sand tray etx.) alongside the Montessori "three period lesson" to teach your child how to be the most successful reader they can become.
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FISHHAWK
KIDS LEARN 2 READ!
WELCOME TO
FISHHAWK KIDS LEARN 2 READ uses The Montessori reading curriculum. The Montessori reading curriculum has three essential components: A strong foundation in phonics, comprehension based on visualization, and whole language, or learning to read for meaning and using context clues.
Montessori Language: “The Sensitive Period”
The Montessori Curriculum is built around “sensitive periods”. This is a time when children absorb information from their surroundings with little effort. During these periods their development will suddenly take a huge step forward.
Maria Montessori believed that the initial six years of a child’s life is a crucial time period for a child’s development. This explains why it’s so easy for young children to learn a second language. It’s a lot more difficult for older children and adults to learn a new language because they are no longer able subconsciously absorb the information.
The short length of this period means that early language learning is vital to give your child the very best start in life.
READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEPS TO BEGINNING PHONEMIC AWARENESS. (SMALL GROUPS: 5 MAX)
LEARN TO READ PROGRAM THAT TARGETS CHILDREN AGES 3.5 -11yrs, WHO ARE
TUTORING SERVICES
The focus of the next 4-7 weeks will be to help your child to succeed in learning to read. We offer semi-privates and small group sessions. Exposing children to a mixed age group environment helps boost their learning experience and their development in a number of ways.
Mixed Age Groups Benefits:
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Eliminates competition, as every child is at a different stage of learning, unique to their own development.
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Encourages kids to build strong bonds with others not of their own age (much like how older and younger siblings interact).
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Teaches peer-to-peer interactions (children are more apt to learn from their peers than from adults).
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Better social and academic skills than traditionally schooled children.
Not only are mixed age groups a benefit for younger kids, but it’s an equal benefit to older children, as well.
Benefits of Mixed Age Groups to Older Children
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Teaches older kids the reward of being a good role-model for younger children.
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Gives the kids the ability to become mentors to the younger ones (assist them on how to properly carry a tray, where the bathroom is etx.)
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Gives the older children a stronger sense of self-worth as they’re helping others.
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Teaches kids to be sensitive to others around them, to recognize when others need help, and helps them to become more independent in their actions.
Q: Why should I sign my child up for reading classes?
Reading and writing are sometimes taken for granted by adults who have mastered the skills—but looking at them from a child’s perspective, they are skills of Herculean difficulty. Literacy is a complicated, integrative process that involves the association of symbols with sounds, sounds with words, and words with ideas. It means learning to fluidly encode ideas into symbols and decode symbols into ideas. And, on top of everything, it involves acquiring complex physical production skills, such as the fine motor skills involved in writing with a pen or pencil.
The Montessori approach uses a distinct set of practices that nurture a positive, natural learning experience to teach reading and writing. The Montessori curriculum is thoughtfully built around teaching children the many elements of reading and writing one by one, in a way accessible to and enjoyable by a child.
FISHHAWK PRICING
LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO HELP YOUR CHILD READ!
$45/40min
SEMI-PRIVATE
TUTORING
**Two students with similar phonemic awareness will be placed together.
✓ Individualized per student
Call or Text to register
Cash discount available
Kiwi Class
50% savings
FALL, WINTER,SPRING ONLY
Class Duration: 6 weeks. Rolling class.
START DATE: ROLLING
WED/THURS
10-11:30am
Class Cost/Details:
$699
● 6 week session
● 18 Hours of Instruction
● Small Group Setting < 5
This class is a true mixed age Montessori class. This class targets ages 3.5 -9 years old and will provide instruction of the letter sounds through the diphthongs using Montessori materials. This class is a great fit for those who homeschool and need some extra help in the reading/writing/grammar area or those who chose not to do VPK and would like a smaller class size while getting more individualized attention. The montessori materials give the child the sensorial approach by using tactile manipulatives like the sandtray/sandpaper letters etc. This helps solidify the child's base for reading and writing.
Orange Class
40% savings
Winter 2024-25 Class
Duration: 6 weeks
DEC 3rd- Jan 24
(winter break dec 23-jan3)
T/TH/Fr 3-4pm
Enrolling NOW
Spring 2025 Class
Duration: 6 weeks
Mar 11-Apr 25th
(spring break Mar 17-Mar 21)
T/TH/Fr 3-4pm
Class cost/Details:
$799
● 6 Week Session
● 18 Hours of Instruction
● Small Group Setting < 5
This class targets ages 4 -9 year olds and is a fully inclusive approach to reading. This class will provide a hands-on, real world experience to reading. We will begin with proper sounds awareness and quickly move to phonemes, rhyming, memorization and reading. We learn the "blends" and "digraphs" to properly sound out words. We will also be working on concepts such as; silent "e", vowel blends, as well as introduction to grammar. This is the "big bang" of classes for your soon to be reader!
***This class will have a SMALL amount of homework.****
This class requires an assessment before the start date. ******
Pineapple Class
30% savings
Winter2025Class
Duration: 6 weeks
Jan 28th- Mar 7th
T/TH/Fr 3-4pm
Spring 2024
Duration 6 weeks
Apr. 28th- Jun. 6th
T/TH/Fr 3-4pm
Enrolling NOW
Class Cost/Details:
$899
● 6 Week Session
● 18 Hours of Instruction
● Small Group Setting < 5
The “pineapples” class is the next level up from the “oranges” class.
In this class, we will be focusing more on fluency, reading comprehension, antonyms/synonyms, punctuation, more digraphs, basic grammar and story writing and telling.
The following are examples (below) of what you will be seeing in the class in order to prepare your young reader for success in grade-school and ultimately for SATs (Down the road a bit, I know but this is where it all starts!) I
I am Montessori certified in teaching ages 3-12 year olds and have been a lead teacher in the Montessori setting in Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th grade. I love what I do, and I’m so happy I can make a difference in your child’s education :). This class requires an assessment before the start date.
Some of our goals consist of :
● Independently reading
● Can sound out unfamiliar words
● Knows most dipthongs/digraphs within the word
● Can decode major sounds in more complex/advanced words
● Has an increasing level of reading comprehension
● Has basic understanding of grammar and punctuation
* Has the understanding of proper handwriting, spelling and paragraphs
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