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Grant helps sixth grade and KHS students with Second Chance Reading
by diane vance /gate city staff writer
A one-year comprehensive grant is helping below proficient readers at Keokuk Middle School and Keokuk High School with the Second Chance Reading program.
The $7,000 grant has been used for teacher training and materials.
“It's a time-intensive program,” said Jill Evans, a sixth grade resource teacher. Evans and other reading and language art teachers presented information Monday to the Keokuk School Board.
“Our group of teachers meet each week to plan out next week's course,” said Evans. “We use structured plans.”
KMS teachers looked at Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) scores, the August Star Reading tests and other measures of student reading levels.
“If a student scores below the 40th percentile in the reading comprehension section of the ITBS, if a student is reading below grade level, these are the students we selected to participate in Second Chance Reading,” said Brenda Varner, sixth grade special education teacher.
Students are taught with two teachers in the class for a 90-minute block each day. At KMS, Stephanie Burry and Jill Evans co-teach 19 sixth grade students and Linda Kruse and Varner co-teach another 19 sixth grade students.
“We start with Read/Think Aloud,” said Burry, sixth grade language arts teacher. “Our group of teachers selects a story that is above grade-level. We read it aloud, modeling what a good reader looks like. We can give some explanations with the reading. We ask the students questions about what's read, and the students also come up with questions. We stop in the reading and ask students what will happen next? Or why do you think that happened?
“We have group writing. The teacher gives a topic sentence, then small groups of students brainstorm, and we write sentences together on the board.”
The reading teachers consult with other sixth grade teachers to find out what students are studying in science or social studies, said Burry. Some of the read aloud books she selects reinforce or supplement cross curriculum subjects.
Students learn essential vocabulary words that also cross the curriculum.
“We incorporate stories that hit on our Character Counts pillar or trait,” she said. “And we use our literature books for reading aloud.”
Students are encouraged to choose books for reading pleasure and have a book with them during those few minutes each day when they have time on their hands. Students write down any words they do not know and look them up later.
Students give a book talk, an oral book report, to the teacher and not the class, eliminating some of the anxiety of the report.
Once a week, community volunteers work one-on-one with the students, spending about 15 minutes per student. School board member Julia Logan volunteers with the Second Chance Reading program.
“When I'm there, I might listen to a student read, help them study essential vocabulary words or help them look up their independent vocabulary words,” said Logan.
More volunteers are needed for the program, the teachers said. Anyone interested in working with sixth grade students in reading from 9:40 to 11:10 a.m. Thursdays at the middle school should contact Assistant Superintendent Lora Wolff at 524-1402 ext. 1616.
Three high school teachers, Kathy Gage, Carolyn Harryman and Judy Spores, teach Second Chance Reading to all grades at KHS.
Teachers and counselors were asked to identify students for the program, as well test scores being evaluated.
Gage teaches 50 students in three sections; Harryman has 48 students in three sections; and Spoores has 14 students in two sections all meeting daily.
“The students look forward to the Read Aloud, Think Aloud,” said Gage.
Results of the program will be measured by annual and bi-annual test scores, Jamestown Readers, which measures reading fluency and comprehension weekly and bi-weekly, and by the number of books read and new words learned.
“This is a one-year grant,” said board member Tyler McGhghy. “How much time is invested? Where does it go from here?”
If the program stopped at the middle and high schools, there would be no additional costs, said Wolff. The trained teachers could keep teaching the same program with each using the already purchased materials.
“We can't expand the program without authorization,” said Wolff.
The middle school has enough appropriate books in the classrooms and media center to keep the program going, said Burry.
Board member Bruce Dunek told the teachers he is impressed by their dedication.
“It's important in all these programs that we're using multiple data points (more than one test assessment of a reader),” said Board President Dr. Wilson Davis. “I also applaud your work.
“There is a lot of misinformation in education that says if students don't learn to read by a certain age, it's hopeless. This flies in the face of that. It's also a good concept that you are integrating the reading and vocabulary with other curriculum and with Character Counts.”
The school board approved the first reading of changing some language in board policies series 500 student personnel, 501 student attendance and 503 student activities.
In personnel action, the board approved the early retirement request from KMS science teacher Mike Krebill. He will retire at the end of this school year.
The $7,000 grant has been used for teacher training and materials.
“It's a time-intensive program,” said Jill Evans, a sixth grade resource teacher. Evans and other reading and language art teachers presented information Monday to the Keokuk School Board.
“Our group of teachers meet each week to plan out next week's course,” said Evans. “We use structured plans.”
KMS teachers looked at Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) scores, the August Star Reading tests and other measures of student reading levels.
“If a student scores below the 40th percentile in the reading comprehension section of the ITBS, if a student is reading below grade level, these are the students we selected to participate in Second Chance Reading,” said Brenda Varner, sixth grade special education teacher.
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“We start with Read/Think Aloud,” said Burry, sixth grade language arts teacher. “Our group of teachers selects a story that is above grade-level. We read it aloud, modeling what a good reader looks like. We can give some explanations with the reading. We ask the students questions about what's read, and the students also come up with questions. We stop in the reading and ask students what will happen next? Or why do you think that happened?
“We have group writing. The teacher gives a topic sentence, then small groups of students brainstorm, and we write sentences together on the board.”
The reading teachers consult with other sixth grade teachers to find out what students are studying in science or social studies, said Burry. Some of the read aloud books she selects reinforce or supplement cross curriculum subjects.
Students learn essential vocabulary words that also cross the curriculum.
“We incorporate stories that hit on our Character Counts pillar or trait,” she said. “And we use our literature books for reading aloud.”
Students are encouraged to choose books for reading pleasure and have a book with them during those few minutes each day when they have time on their hands. Students write down any words they do not know and look them up later.
Students give a book talk, an oral book report, to the teacher and not the class, eliminating some of the anxiety of the report.
Once a week, community volunteers work one-on-one with the students, spending about 15 minutes per student. School board member Julia Logan volunteers with the Second Chance Reading program.
“When I'm there, I might listen to a student read, help them study essential vocabulary words or help them look up their independent vocabulary words,” said Logan.
More volunteers are needed for the program, the teachers said. Anyone interested in working with sixth grade students in reading from 9:40 to 11:10 a.m. Thursdays at the middle school should contact Assistant Superintendent Lora Wolff at 524-1402 ext. 1616.
Three high school teachers, Kathy Gage, Carolyn Harryman and Judy Spores, teach Second Chance Reading to all grades at KHS.
Teachers and counselors were asked to identify students for the program, as well test scores being evaluated.
Gage teaches 50 students in three sections; Harryman has 48 students in three sections; and Spoores has 14 students in two sections all meeting daily.
“The students look forward to the Read Aloud, Think Aloud,” said Gage.
Results of the program will be measured by annual and bi-annual test scores, Jamestown Readers, which measures reading fluency and comprehension weekly and bi-weekly, and by the number of books read and new words learned.
“This is a one-year grant,” said board member Tyler McGhghy. “How much time is invested? Where does it go from here?”
If the program stopped at the middle and high schools, there would be no additional costs, said Wolff. The trained teachers could keep teaching the same program with each using the already purchased materials.
“We can't expand the program without authorization,” said Wolff.
The middle school has enough appropriate books in the classrooms and media center to keep the program going, said Burry.
Board member Bruce Dunek told the teachers he is impressed by their dedication.
“It's important in all these programs that we're using multiple data points (more than one test assessment of a reader),” said Board President Dr. Wilson Davis. “I also applaud your work.
“There is a lot of misinformation in education that says if students don't learn to read by a certain age, it's hopeless. This flies in the face of that. It's also a good concept that you are integrating the reading and vocabulary with other curriculum and with Character Counts.”
The school board approved the first reading of changing some language in board policies series 500 student personnel, 501 student attendance and 503 student activities.
In personnel action, the board approved the early retirement request from KMS science teacher Mike Krebill. He will retire at the end of this school year.
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