Title 1 Information 2008-2009

Title 1 at Kishwaukee School has a different look this year, thanks to our new part time teacher, Ms. Krajecki.  Every Monday and Tuesday, Ms. Rauch and Ms. Krajecki work with identified kindergarten, first, second, third, and fourth grade students in the students’ classrooms.  Then Ms. Rauch continues to work with the Kishwaukee students while Ms. Krajecki is busy at Lincoln School and Washington School during the rest of the week.

Title 1 students receive extra support with various reading skills.  We’re working on letter identification, letter sounds, and words with kindergarten students.  First, second, third, and fourth grade students work in small guided reading groups with Ms. Rauch, and on Mondays and Tuesdays do word work with Ms. Krajecki. 

All first grade Title 1 students work in Mrs. Bruce’s room so some students need to switch classrooms to receive their guided reading instruction.  All Title 1 students in second grade work in Mrs. Poulter’s room.  Things are busy with three reading groups going on in these classrooms simultaneously each day.  We go to each kindergarten, third, and fourth grade classroom, so students from these classrooms don’t have to travel far to receive their Title 1 support.

All kindergarten and first grade students took a statewide reading test, called the Illinois Snapshot of Early Literacy (ISEL).  The results of these tests made teachers at these grade levels aware of who would need Title 1 support this year. 

The older students took the computer STAR test to give their teachers some information about their reading abilities.  Students in need of Title 1 support read some oral passages to teachers, so they could be placed in the appropriate group in their classrooms.

Many times parents ask teachers how to help improve their child’s reading skills.  The best proven method is to actually sit down 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 in the reading room which tells us the ten best ways to become a better reader.  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.