Reading into the future

Andrew Edwards

Some fourth-graders at Perry Elementary School are using a new

program to get on top of the reading game.

Perry is in its first year using Read 180, which uses technology

like interactive software and audio books alongside old-fashioned

teacher-student interaction to help kids improve their relationships

with the printed word.

Students in the class, taught by teacher Jennifer Kobayashi, spend

an hour a day building their reading skills. Children take 20-minute

turns on the computer, reading independently with audio books and in

group discussions with their teacher.

“I’ve seen a lot of progress,” Kobayashi said.

While using one of the class’ eight computers, the kids, who wear

headphones as they work to hear the words they’re reading, resemble a

group of air-traffic controllers. Instead of monitoring airports and

flight patterns, however, they’re hard at work building their

vocabulary and improving comprehension.

The software requires students to complete a variety of exercises.

Before they begin their work, the students watch a short video --

subjects can range from Crazy Horse to Komodo dragons -- then lessons

revolve around words and concepts used in the videos.

One lesson has students work on vocabulary by having them insert a

missing word into a passage that relates to the video.

“There’s blank spots and you have to fill them in,” said

9-year-old Jalina Reynolds, adding that “it teaches you a lot of

stuff and it’s really fun, too.”

Jalina also offered her thoughts on the Komodo dragons.

“They were nasty when we saw the video. There’s this drool that

comes out,” she said.

A comprehension lesson has the students read three varying

accounts of the video’s subject matter. To succeed, they must

correctly answer which passage accurately describes the video.

“You have to read the passage. You have to sort of remember what

the video told,” 9-year-old Maria Guardiola said.

While using the audio books, the kids read along silently as they

listened to the book on tape. At some points in the book, the taped

narrator stops and asks students to think about what they are

reading.

“It lets you get better on learning and remembering about a book,”

9-year old Richard Pham said.

Richard, who had a copy of a “Harry Potter” book on the desk next

to him, said he can read that book after studying in the Read 180

program.

Not all of the class relies on electronics. While not using the

computers or tapes, students met in small groups with their teacher

to discuss reading material. Using the fable “Peter and the Wolf,”

Kobayashi asked her students questions to make sure they were on

track with the story.

When she asked students to describe what Peter was doing,

9-year-old Kody Mesquit answered.

“He keeps on crying ‘wolf,’ over and over again because he keeps

on getting bored,” Kody said.

After reading with the group, Kody said the practice he gets helps

him improve his skills.

“I think I learn to read better because I keep on reading,” he

said.