The Art and Science of Joyful Reading in the Primary Classroom: The Five Pillars in Practice

In the early years, building a strong foundation in reading is critical, but it doesn’t have to come at the expense of joy. This session explores how structured literacy in the primary grades can be both systematic and student-centered, grounded in the five pillars of the Science of Reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. We’ll share practical, playful strategies that:

• Nurture early language development through joyful routines
• Engage young learners in multi-sensory, meaningful reading experiences
• Create classrooms where every child feels seen, supported, and excited to read

Rooted in equity, belonging, and high expectations, this session shows how the precision of structured literacy can live within joyful classrooms, where curiosity thrives, identity is celebrated, and our youngest learners grow into confident, capable readers.