Literacy Comes Alive Through SB Unified Partnership With Community

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What do science, art, and the zoo have in common? They are all helping Santa Barbara Unified students learn vocabulary words.

“Literacy Moves” gave 172 preschoolers a chance to build a robust foundation in vocabulary by embarking on monthly field trips to various community-based organizations, including the SB Museum of Art, MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, and the SB Zoo.

This immersive experience is designed to provide our young learners with a robust foundation in vocabulary, setting them on a trajectory for success as they transition into Kindergarten and beyond. 

Each organization involved played a pivotal role in imparting theme-based vocabulary aligned with the content of the newly adopted Wit & Wisdom curriculum in SB Unified elementary schools TK-6. 

While on the field trips, classes held a scavenger hunt to look for words listed in both English and Spanish.

Additionally, this program helped students learn about the unique and engaging community resources we have in Santa Barbara they might not otherwise get access to.

“It’s critical to build a strong foundation for students to learn to read and write by the third grade. We hope this program shows there is learning all around us in our everyday lives. I want to thank all of our partners who made this happen. It shows what we can do as a community when we leverage our great resources to inspire literacy,” said Dr. Hilda Maldonado, Superintendent.

Santa Barbara Unified thanks the Santa Barbara Education Foundation, First 5 Santa Barbara County, Leni Foundation, and Montecito Bank & Trust for making Literacy Moves possible.