About Us

Class Descriptions

Zoo-phonics Workshop
(formerly Zoo-phonics 1)
Students must turn 4 by December 2, 2009

Our Zoo-phonics Workshop has been our signature class since the inception of Whiz Kids in 2001. Zoo-phonics Workshops are designed for students to experience the year before entering a traditional kindergarten program. Students get to know the 26 Zoo-phonics animals and work closely with them to gain mastery of the letter sounds and begin to blend these sounds into words. Children are gently guided in developing their fine motor and printing skills in a stress-free environment. Our small class sizes ensure that instruction is individualized to meet the needs of every student. The beloved Whiz Kids puppets are incorporated into the curriculum, as well as many other fun and motivational experiences that reinforce the letter sounds, book and print knowledge, and sound blending. Zoo-phonics Workshops provide a fun and active way for children to solidify their foundation in phonics, strengthen their literacy skills, and get excited about reading!

Kindergarten Workshop
(formerly Zoo-phonics 2)

Designed for students currently enrolled in kindergarten, our Kindergarten Workshops focus on blending the letter sounds and extending children’s learning as they develop into emergent readers and writers. A prior year of Zoo-phonics is not required for this class. Activities include building words and sentences with captivating hands-on materials, creative writing, music, kinesthetic activities, phonics and reading games, and creative drama and puppetry. We focus on all emergent literacy skills, including printing and other small motor activities. Our goal is to find fun, active ways for children to reach the next step in their journey toward literacy and learn to love reading and writing. Each week, students in our Kindergarten Workshops take home books at their own instructional level from the Whiz Kids library. Mastery, or near mastery, of the alphabet letters and sounds is recommended for enrollment in our Kindergarten Workshop.

First Grade Workshop

Designed for first graders, our First Grade Workshops strike a fine balance between specific instruction and fun, literature-based activities that inspire a love of reading and writing. The goal is to build on literacy and learning while convincing the students how much fun it is to read and write. Students get to explore various genres, make connections between their reading and the real world, and become authors as they publish their very own writing pieces and share in the Author’s Chair. Students conference weekly with their teacher to review their work and set new learning goals. Each week, children check out books at their own reading level from the Whiz Kids library. Instruction is individualized to precisely meet each student’s learning needs.