State Farm helps reading project
Nancy Horst
Friday, December 21, 2007
Emporia ’s fifth- and sixth-grade teachers have new tools this year to teach reading, due in part to a donation from State Farm Insurance.
The district purchased ReadAbout, a Scholastic product that uses interactive technology to improve comprehension, build vocabulary, and teach content areas such as science and social studies. The program also uses technology to provide unique instruction for individual students, based on their needs.
ReadAbout was among a list of literacy materials selected for purchase in the spring of 2007 to support the District Improvement Plan. Carolyn Koch, Literacy Projects coordinator for the district, said ReadAbout had a lot of strong research to support its use in the district, but its cost was high.
Pete Euler, a State Farm agent in Emporia, had applied for a grant to support literacy at the intermediate level, especially for English Language Learners. Although the grant was not successful on the first try, it was funded during a second round. The $5,000 donation from State Farm was applied toward the $41,000 program. Other funding sources, including federal Title I funds and building budgets from Lowther South and North, were used to complete the purchase.
“We probably wouldn’t have it if he (Euler) hadn’t designated money for it,” Koch said.
Sixth-grade teachers at Lowther North are using ReadAbout extensively. At Lowther South, Principal Nita McLean said two teachers already use the program and are training the rest of the staff for full implementation during the second semester.
“We will use it as an intervention for students who need more assistance and for enrichment for students who want to move further ahead,” McLean said. “That’s one of the positive things about the program is it can be used for both.”
At Lowther North, teacher Shelley Wise is using it to teach expository and narrative reading skills to English Language Learners. She said she definitely sees improvements in student work as a result.
“I love it and I don’t know a teacher in the building who doesn’t love it,” Wise said. “It is really high interest and the students enjoy it. They are asking to do ReadAbout.”
Part of the attraction for students at the intermediate level is the video clips and non-fiction texts about social studies and science topics of interest. Many of her students come to school early to work on the program. The software keeps track of student work so she can monitor their progress, and she can provide reports to show parents how students are advancing.
“These kids have grown up with technology and they have high expectations for virtual reality,” she added.
Research has shown that many students who do well in the lower elementary grades struggle when they reach the intermediate grades, because the text they read in areas such as science and social studies contains new vocabulary, unfamiliar text structures, and content beyond their knowledge and experience. ReadAbout was developed to address this challenge, according to information from Scholastic.
In addition to the computer component, ReadAbout has written materials for students to use in small groups.