Reading

It has often been said that: “as a child you learn how to read but for the rest of your life you read to learn.” This simple sentence stresses the importance of reading as a skill. And like all skills, the more you practice it, the easier it becomes AND the better you get at it.

Most people assume that students read a lot because of school work, yet studies indicate that less than 3% of a child’s day is actually spent reading. This is quite unfortunate because so much is to be gained from reading. Improvements in comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary are easily identified benefits to reading but did you know that participation in reading programs can also improve their attitudes towards school that also lead to better grades and higher proficiency scores? In fact, research also supports reading programs to benefit children in their personal relationships and abilities to solve moral dilemmas. Yet possibly even more powerful is the increase in fun reported by children who read each day over those who don’t.

As an educational focus, Webster Street Academy emphasizes reading as an integral part of our students’ daily lives. To achieve this end, an on-site Reading Room has been developed to foster improved independent reading. This room not only provides a retreat for students to relax and read, it also houses a small library.

There are three major components to Webster Street Academy’s reading program:

• Direct Literacy Instruction (DLI) – Students who read below grade level are required to receive direct instruction from a literacy tutor. The amount of time in DLI is based on the significance of the student’s deficit in reading; therefore, the greater the deficit, the more time allotted for participation. In fact, for every year below grade level that a student reads they are required to spend one hour each week (up to a maximum of 5 hours a week / 1 hour per day) in DLI.
• Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) – All students, regardless of reading level, are required to participate in this read-at-home program. Students independently read for a minimum of 15 minutes every evening, Monday through Friday. Documentation of pages read and number of books read are tracked and monitored with quarterly incentives awarded to the top three readers.
• Book Club – This voluntary group of readers specifically targets those students who read at or above grade level. This group reads emotional and thought provoking books that easily lend themselves to discussion and reflective thought. Members of this club meet throughout the year to discuss the books and their meanings. The culminating experience for each book read is to meet and share ideas and opinions with members of a local book club. Book Club participants will be allowed to keep their copies of each book so as to start their own collection of literary work.