Case Study: Empowering 1st Grade Readers
In the world of education, the pursuit of innovative approaches to inspire students is an ongoing endeavor. In this case study, we explore Mrs. Maples' journey, a seasoned educator of 31 years, and her utilization of the Read Between the Lions Reading Skills Program for K-12 Readers.
Introducing Mrs. Teresa Maples: A Legacy of Teaching
With an impressive 31-year career teaching Kindergarten through second grade as well as reading intervention for K-6, Mrs. Maples embodies a passion for nurturing young learners. Her dedication to instilling a love for reading and writing is driven by the unceasing enthusiasm of her students, which continues to drive her commitment to teaching.
Read Between the Lions: A Journey Begins
Mrs. Maples introduced Read Between the Lions into her first-grade classroom in 2022. The motivation behind this decision was rooted in her aspiration to provide targeted support for struggling readers. The program's focus on addressing tracking challenges, often observed in students with dyslexia, resonated deeply with her teaching philosophy.
“ I was inspired by Dr. Meier’s passion and my desire to help my struggling readers.”
Insights: Challenges and Progress Unveiled
The program's spotlight on enhancing tracking skills proved transformative. Interestingly, even proficient readers experienced significant benefits, reinforcing the program's potential to impact diverse student profiles.
Central to the success of Read Between the Lions was its capacity to enhance students' print tracking abilities. This not only fostered fluent reading but also laid a solid foundation for robust comprehension skills. The engaging activities, particularly the metronome-paced tracking exercises, captured students' interest, transforming practice into a calming and enjoyable endeavor.
“My students love practicing! They enjoy trying to stay with the metronome and improve their speed.“
Streamlined Screening: Identifying Challenges
The program's screening process for identifying students with jump eye movement challenges emerged as an efficient tool. Its simplicity enabled Mrs. Maples to swiftly pinpoint students requiring extra attention. By intervening early, she managed to proactively address challenges, ensuring no student was left behind and significantly contributing to their overall progress.
Beyond Skills: Boosting Confidence and Engagement
Read Between the Lions achieved more than skill enhancement; it elevated students' confidence, engagement, and enthusiasm for reading. Practicing is very calming. It is the perfect activity to start the day or to do after recess. It gets them ready to focus and they love doing it.
Valuable Tools for Skill Development
Mrs. Maples found an array of valuable resources within the Read Between the Lions program to facilitate effective reading skill development. The program's assessments and lion configurations became components of her teaching toolkit. Adapting the program's pacing to match individual student needs ensured a tailored learning experience.
“I use the assessment and the various configurations of lions. We start with the pages of lions that are evenly spaced, moving up to the lions that are randomly spaced. After an initial introductory period (1-2 weeks), I let the children decide which paper they would like to use that day. I walk around and help students get back on the beat if needed."
Advice for Fellow Educators
Her practical advice to fellow educators is to initiate the program with the entire class and personalize interventions based on assessment outcomes—a dynamic approach reflecting her unwavering commitment to her students' growth.
“When I practice with the whole class, I tell students to complete the entire page while the metronome is playing. I instruct students to pause after each quadrant and take a breath before starting the next. If they get off track, I tell them to take a breath and start again. Since some students take more pauses than others, they do not finish at the same time. Students who finish first work on their under/overs. This is drawing lines that go under and then over each lion. I give the whole class another minute or two to do this at the end of each practice session. This teaches students to watch their pencil while they are writing which improves handwriting skills. “