School District Spotlight: Terminal Park Elementary, Auburn School District
Posted on 06. Jul, 2009 by Molly Sumpter.
When I was five, I can remember my dad reading me Treasure Island. I wasn’t exactly sold in the beginning, but he promised me pirates and buried gold. Before long I had fallen in love with the adventure and uncertainty that main character Jim Hawkins offered me each night. It was these moments that my dad and I shared that I still remember to this day, and contribute to my love for reading. My dad was my best friend and everlasting reading partner.
Later on in fourth grade, my teacher Mrs. VanHemelryck told me that we were going to be assigned first grade reading buddies. Mine was Jade, a cute little blonde girl, eager to just be in my presence as a big, bad fourth grader. When I whipped out my tattered copy of Treasure Island, she looked less than thrilled. So we eventually agreed on Goosebumps. It’s these memories and experiences that one remembers, even entering my senior year at UW.
When school starts this September, Mrs. Thompson’s class at Terminal Park Elementary School has something exciting to look forward to. Something that helped mold me into the Molly I am today. Suzie Thompson, a second/third grade teacher, has designed a new program called “Fluency Friends.” This program partners students together to help build their reading skills.
Learning is a social activity. This interaction is important with people of any age, but especially in those critical developmental stages. When students collaborate, they have an opportunity to discuss new concepts with someone close to their own level of understanding. Mrs. Thompson pairs her second grade students who are close to reaching their spring reading assessment goals with their third grade peers who are reading at grade level. As children move into early adolescence, they pay increasing attention to their peers, to what they think, say, and do, and to what they believe is cool. This partnership is a wonderful tool both academically and socially.
Ultimately, this program focuses on more than just reading fast. It helps students develop a larger vocabulary and better reading comprehension. One of the second grade students went from reading 35 words per minute to 60 in one week. By the end of three weeks, the student had increased to 155 words per minute. It is clear to see that this program is highly successful. Keep up the good work, Terminal Park!
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Education news for July 6
Posted on 06. Jul, 2009 by Heather.
Closing the gap: Panel aims to close the ‘cultural competence’ gap
Little goes a long way: Funding for Head Start a productive use of public money
Learning matters: Teachers are key for students who like learning and remain curious
