The goal of the RTI Reading Program is to teach the student the skills he/she needs in order to be successful in reading. I will be working closely with the 6th grade team and teaching the students reading comprehension strategies that hopefully the student will be able to apply in all of his/her classes. Because the main focus is reading comprehension, we will be working on the skills the student is learning in the double period of language arts and reading. For example, if the student is learning about summarizing in the double period, we would work on that skill even further to ensure that the student understands how and when to use it. I like to think of the class as filling the student’s “tool boxes,” or brains with useful tools and then working with them to realize at what occasion they use each specific tool.
The students will be formally assessed twice a month using a program called AIMS Web. This will give us a closer picture as to whether or not the student is making progress. I will also be assessing the students on a daily basis, whether it’s listening to their comments during a group discussion, working with them one on one to check for understanding, or having them read aloud to make sure they’re reading fluently. This close monitoring will help to determine the progress so that at the end of the first trimester, both the parents and I can sit down and discuss what may be working and what we need to change. Whatever the result, the main goal is obviously for the student to achieve success in reading, whether it’s reading for school or reading for pleasure.
NOTES: Students are expected to have a notebook exclusively for this reading class. Students will be allowed to keep the notebook in the classroom at all times.
STUDENT PREPARATION: Students are expected to arrive on time to class with the necessary supplies/materials for class. For this specific class, students must always have their assignment notebook and their language arts/reading supplies. Although we will be using a textbook in class, the books will remain in the classroom at all times.
If you have any questions or concerns about the RTI Reading Program, please do not hesitate to contact me at amesker@ccsd66.org or 630-783-5115
Sincerely,
Mrs. Amy Mesker
