The Reading Rescue teacher will provide extensive inservice and biweekly grade level meetings to assist the first grade classroom teachers with implementation of the Reading Rescue strategies, integration of technology as well as formation of a support group. The school district technology specialist will also serve as a consultant to integrate the technology component into the classroom. Expanding Early Reading Success in the First Grade Classroom will provide reading and writing success for academically challenged first graders who might otherwise fail first grade and not become proficient readers and writers. The expansion of the techniques used by the Reading Rescue teacher in groups of two will be expanded to the classroom and this will provide consistency for the crucial beginning literacy skills of reading and writing. The integration of technology with children's literature for real reading will help to develop a love of reading.
Students learn to read and write by spending quality time reading and writing.
This approach is designed to be concrete and stimulating with real books and manipulatives therefore, motivating students to read, write, and interact with technology. Standardized test scores for Reading Rescue and the number of students retained in first grade since the beginning of the program in 1987-88 have shown dramatic improvement. This program was cited by the National Council of Teachers of English and the international Reading Association as an exemplary program. It will be implemented in five first grade classrooms with 125 first graders and special education inclusion students participating. Expanding Early Reading Success in the First Grade Classroom cannot be implemented without the funds to purchase one computer, printer, software, multiple copies of student books, paper for students to produce their writings and compile their own student-made books, printer cartridges, and manipulatives for each of the five first grade classrooms.