Linda Dearman’s classroom at American Renaissance Elementary School was so quiet Tuesday afternoon it resembled a library.
More than a dozen students sat quietly with their heads buried in the books they were reading. Some students worked in pairs. Others were alone. All of them were learning.
The students are part of the Learning Lab, a one-hour afterschool club that helps boost student reading, comprehension and fluency levels.
“This is to give them a little extra boost,” Dearman said of the program.
“I’m excited to take what I’m learning at Appalachian State University and put it into practice.”
Dearman is currently working toward a master’s degree at the Boone school.
During each session students work on building their fluency by reading, then re-reading, a book. They then are timed by a partner to measure how many words they can read within a minute.
Each book is matched to the reader’s level, Dearman said.
“We take them where they’re at and build them up,” she said.
Students get one-on-one instruction from Lisa Amerson, director of curriculum and instructional technology.
She makes audio recordings of each student reading, then plays it back for students to listen. The students are able to hear how many words they missed and what mistakes they’ve made.
She has created a playlist of each student on iTunes, and students are able to track their fluency progression.
Abby Johnson, 10, read 154 words in one minute during her taping Tuesday afternoon.
“I think we’ll move up one more level next time,” Amerson said to Abby. “That’s quite an improvement.”
Abby, obviously proud of her reading prowess, gave Amerson a big smile.
“When I started I wasn’t a very good reader so I’m improving a lot,” Abby said. “Learning Lab helps me read better, learn how to pronounce words and how to break them down.”
Payton Blake, 9, said the program has not only improved her reading skills, but has led to higher grades in other subjects.
“I like it because you can learn a lot if you don’t know,” she said. “It’s really fun.”
Brian Farewell, 10, and Andrew Setzer, 9, were partners because they read on the same level. The two boys like the club because it helps them expand their vocabulary.
“I like it because I have some trouble with reading my big words,” Andrew said. “These books have big words in them.”
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