What a CKLA Lesson Looks Like in Our Classrooms

Ever wonder what's happening when your child walks into their classroom each morning? At SMART Academy, our CKLA lessons are carefully orchestrated learning experiences where every component works together to build strong, confident readers. Let's take a peek inside our classrooms to see how a typical lesson unfolds.

Phonemic Awareness: Building the Foundation

Every CKLA lesson begins with phonemic awareness: the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. This might look simple, but it's actually one of the most critical building blocks for reading success.

Picture this: Students gather on the carpet as their teacher leads them through sound games. "Let's blend these sounds together: /c/ /a/ /t/." The class choruses back, "Cat!" Then they might segment words, breaking "dog" into /d/ /o/ /g/, or isolate sounds by identifying the first sound in "sun."

These activities aren't just fun and games: they're training your child's brain to understand that words are made up of smaller sound units. Students who master phonemic awareness find it much easier to connect letters to sounds later on. Our teachers use hand gestures, manipulatives, and interactive activities to keep this foundational work engaging and multisensory.

What makes this especially powerful at SMART Academy is how our teachers differentiate this instruction. Some students might work with simple three-sound words, while others tackle more complex patterns with blends and digraphs. Every child gets exactly what they need to move forward.

Phonics and Decoding: Cracking the Code

Once students understand that words are made of sounds, they're ready to connect those sounds to letters: this is where the magic of reading really begins to happen.

During the phonics portion of the lesson, students learn letter-sound correspondences through explicit, systematic instruction. Your child might practice reading words with the "short a" pattern one week, then build on that knowledge with consonant blends the next. Teachers use letter cards, magnetic boards, and interactive whiteboards to make these connections visual and hands-on.

But CKLA goes beyond just teaching individual letter sounds. Students learn to decode (read) words by blending sounds together and encode (spell) words by segmenting sounds apart. They practice with decodable texts: stories specifically written to include only the letter patterns they've already learned. This means your child can actually read these books independently, building confidence along the way.

The beauty of this systematic approach is that it builds on itself. Each new skill connects to previous learning, creating a strong foundation that supports reading fluency. Our teachers constantly assess student progress through quick, informal check-ins, ensuring no child falls behind.

Small-Group Support: Meeting Every Child Where They Are

One of the most powerful aspects of CKLA at SMART Academy is our commitment to small-group instruction. While some students work independently or in learning centers, teachers pull small groups based on real-time assessment data.

These aren't random groupings: they're strategic, flexible groups that change as students grow. A teacher might work with one group on advanced phonics patterns while another group focuses on foundational skills. The instruction is targeted, intensive, and responsive to each child's current needs.

During small-group time, teachers can provide immediate feedback, catch misconceptions before they become habits, and celebrate every small victory. It's personalized learning in action, ensuring that every SMART Academy scholar receives instruction at their exact level of need.

Parents often ask us how we keep other students engaged while working with small groups. Our answer? Purposeful independent work and learning centers that reinforce the skills being taught. Students might practice sight words, work with letter manipulatives, or engage in vocabulary games: all connected to their current learning goals.

Knowledge Building Through Read-Alouds: Opening Windows to the World

Here's where CKLA really sets itself apart from other reading programs. While students are still learning to decode, they're simultaneously building rich background knowledge through carefully selected read-aloud texts.

Your child might listen to stories about ancient civilizations one month, explore the human body the next, and dive into ecology after that. These aren't just random story times: they're purposeful knowledge-building experiences that expand your child's understanding of the world.

During read-alouds, teachers don't just read; they facilitate rich discussions. Students make connections between texts, ask questions, and engage in meaningful conversations about big ideas. They're learning academic vocabulary, developing listening comprehension, and building the background knowledge they'll need for future reading success.

This approach is especially powerful because it levels the playing field. While some students might not yet be able to read complex texts independently, they can certainly understand and discuss sophisticated ideas when they hear them. It's preparing them for the complex texts they'll encounter as they advance through school.

Writing: Putting It All Together

Writing instruction in CKLA isn't separate from reading: it's intricately connected. Students apply what they're learning about sounds, letters, and language structure through various writing activities throughout the lesson.

Your child might start with simple sentence writing, practicing letter formation and applying phonics skills to spell words. As they grow more confident, they'll tackle journal responses about read-aloud texts, write summaries of what they've learned, or create their own stories using vocabulary from their knowledge units.

The writing component serves multiple purposes: it reinforces phonics learning, builds fine motor skills, and helps students organize and express their thinking. Our teachers use writing as both a learning tool and an assessment opportunity, gaining insights into student understanding through their written responses.

What's particularly exciting is watching students make connections between their reading and writing. When they hear rich vocabulary in read-alouds, they begin incorporating those words into their own writing. When they learn a new phonics pattern in reading, they apply it in their spelling during writing time.

Every Component Working Together

The magic of CKLA happens when all these components work together in harmony. A phonics lesson connects to vocabulary from the read-aloud, which students then use in their writing, which reinforces the phonics patterns they're learning. It's a carefully designed web of literacy learning where each piece supports and strengthens the others.

Our teachers understand that every minute is purposeful, every activity is intentional. They're not just teaching students to read: they're building confident learners who can tackle complex texts, think critically about what they read, and express their ideas clearly in writing.

The real-time assessment data guides every decision, ensuring that instruction remains responsive to student needs. When a child needs extra support with a phonics pattern, they get it. When they're ready for more challenging vocabulary, they receive it.

This is what sets SMART Academy apart: we don't use one-size-fits-all instruction. Instead, we use a research-based curriculum that allows for personalized learning within a structured framework. Your child gets both the systematic instruction they need and the individualized support that helps them thrive.

Every child who walks through our doors deserves literacy instruction that meets them where they are and propels them forward. Through CKLA, we're not just teaching students to read: we're giving them the tools they need for lifelong learning and academic success.