Jackie Ross Flaum
One of my passions..."Team Read is a volunteer program teaching second graders the most frequently used words in reading-- words like 'is," "the," "play." And it works.
If you can play silly word games and operate a flash card, you can be a Team Read coach. Team Read students learn more than twice the number of critical reading words than students without a Team Read coach. No one can read well without recognizing these words instantly. The program began with a partnership between my church, Germantown United Methodist, and the education professionals at our partner school. We worked out a way to teach at-risk children one reading skill in 25 minutes a week, to allow flexible scheduling for volunteers, and to measure how successful we were. Eight years later Team Read is in 53 Shelby County, Tennessee elementary schools with 1,200 volunteers. There are some groups in Selmer and Jackson, Tennessee, and one in Huntsville, Alabama. Volunteers give one hour a week during the school day and work one-on-one with two students. All of this is free for the school and volunteer. Team Read uses supplies the schools already have. Interested in knowing more about Team Read? >> Learn More |
(Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)
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