Title 1—What’s That?

This year the former Reading Improvement program is going by another name. It is now officially called the Title 1 program. The support for Title 1 comes from federal funds rather than state funds.

Things have been quickly progressing in the Title 1 program at Kishwaukee School this year. At the beginning of the school year, several reading specialists in our district were able to come to our building and give all kindergarten and first grade students a statewide reading test, called the Illinois Snapshot of Early Literacy (ISEL). Using the results, plans were made for students who need extra reading support.

This fall we divided first graders in each classroom into four groups, to implement the Kish Plan, which we’ve been doing for four years now. For 30 minutes each day, students are in small groups, where they are introduced to a new book, read the book alone the next day for a quick check, work on phonics skills, and do writing work. As the students make progress, the students change groups, so that each student is reading at the appropriate level. Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Marnen (resource), Ms. Rauch, Mrs. Bruce, and Mrs. Grooms all work together, to make this program a success.

Students who are in need of reading support in second grade, work during switch time in Ms. Rauch’s room and Mrs. Poulter’s room four days each week. We spend the last 15 minutes of each class period reviewing phonemic awareness activities. We do guided reading in these groups at the appropriate level for each student, in order to maximize reading gains.

Guided reading is a big emphasis in all grade levels this year. This is a method where students are divided into small groups according to their reading level, and skills are developed on material that is at their "just right" reading level. All uppergrade classroom teachers used a computer test and/or listened to their students read orally during the first few weeks of school, to decide their appropriate group placement. In third grade, Mrs. Marnen and Ms. Rauch switch Title 1 students around so that each group is reading grade level appropriate materials. Fourth and fifth grade Title 1 students do guided reading in their regular classrooms, and they do other reading skill work during their time with Ms. Rauch.

Ms. Rauch has also been meeting with some kindergarten students who are in need of extra support with learning letters, sounds, and sight words. It is SO important for parents to review letters, sounds, and words on a regular basis with their student.

Many times teachers are asked how to improve their child’s reading skills. The best proven method is to actually sit next to your child and read with him/her. Reading to your child is a good method also. They need to see you model fluent reading, even in the higher grades. There is a poster on my wall which tells us the ten best ways to become a better reader, and next to the numbers 1-10, is the word READ. The only way to become better at something is to practice, so keep reading everybody!