Students gathered around fourth grader Miguel Juarez Zumaya and his laptop, whispering words of encouragement and waiting to see whether he would meet his monthly reading goal.
As Miguel clicked to reveal his passing quiz score, the whole class erupted in cheers. His teacher, Madelyn Blake, said that is what happens when there is a class full of students who are eager to read and motivate one another to reach their goals.
“It’s really special that they’re having so much fun with it,” Madelyn said. “They’re excited to jump into a book.”
Rewarding students for hitting their reading goals was one part of a fundamental shift across Meeting Street Schools to improve students’ reading skills and nurture their love of reading.
This year, all four schools carved out dedicated time in the school day for students to read a book of their choice, added a library to every classroom and expanded rewards for students hitting their reading goals.
“We want for kids to fall in love with books so they become lifelong readers who think analytically and critically,” said Katie Martens, Meeting Street Schools’ director of instruction who helped lead the reading initiative. “Reading exposes them to more vocabulary and boosts their overall achievement.”
This emphasis on reading, along with new English language arts curriculum and strong teacher development and coaching, is improving students’ academic outcomes. Students across Meeting Street Schools grew 73 percent more in reading than what was expected for one academic year, according to students’ end-of-year iReady scores, and students are discovering the joy of reading.
Reading in the classroom
In most schools, finding time for students to read independently during the school day is difficult, Katie said. But Meeting Street Schools made it a priority in students’ schedules, and second through eighth graders have a dedicated daily time to read a physical book of their choice, she said.
To make the most of this reading period, Meeting Street Schools also invested in putting books at every students’ fingertips.
“To go to a school library, students either have to want to go on their own or their class has to have a dedicated time to go, but the libraries in the classrooms are easily accessible, and they’re beautiful and inviting spaces,” Katie said.
Each classroom has at least two bookshelves with up to 150 books, Katie said. Stocking the shelves was a meticulous process; the list of books chosen for each grade level was based on reading level and topics of interest. Teachers track inventory of their books, and students can check them out just like they would in a real library, she said.
Because the libraries are in the classroom, students notice when new books are added or when a friend returns a book they have been waiting to read, Katie said.
“Having access to books has positively impacted their learning experience, and it’s been exciting for students to pick out a book that’s fun for them,” she said.
One of Julia Thompson’s seventh graders fell in love with “The Hunger Games” after discovering it on the shelf of her classroom’s library. The student went on to read the four other books in the series and bond with her teacher, who also loved the series as a middle schooler.
“Our classroom library gives students access to so many different books that they have never encountered before,” said Julia, a teacher at Meeting Street Elementary & Middle – Brentwood. “It’s amazing to see my students this excited about the books they’re reading.”
Julia said independent reading is especially important for middle schoolers because it helps them build the stamina needed to quickly read full-length books in high school and college.
“They become stronger in English/language arts and reading comprehension, but as people, they also are learning something completely different about themselves,” Julia said. “I have students who come in and can’t wait to read their book.”
Madelyn said her students took on more challenging books because they enjoyed reading them.
“Reading has turned into something they love,” Madelyn said.
Crushing reading goals
This year, Meeting Street Schools introduced monthly goals and celebrations to motivate students to read.
To ensure comprehension and completion, teachers use Accelerated Reader, a program that quizzes students on books they finish. Teachers use students’ scores to identify which students are ready for more challenging books and which may need extra support, Katie said.
Additionally, students earn points toward their monthly reading goal every time they take a quiz.
Many teachers use a visual tracker in their classroom to show students how close they are to reaching their goals. Tyler Dillard, a second-grade teacher at Meeting Street Academy – Spartanburg, uses a ladder that shows his students’ progress. At the top is the “100s Club,” which recognizes students who meet their goal.
“I challenge my students to meet me in the 100s Club by not only passing their (Accelerated Reader) quizzes, but actually showing them their reading level and challenging them to go beyond the last reading level they were on,” Tyler said.
Tyler’s students move their names up the ladder as they move closer to their monthly goal, which gives them a sense of ownership, he said.
And when students meet their reading goal, they are invited to a Crush Party, a new tradition that celebrates students for their hard work.
“At Brentwood, we are always trying to figure out where we can learn more, but the key to it working so well this year is because we’re also bringing joy,” said Angelina Liberi, assistant principal at Meeting Street Elementary & Middle – Brentwood. “Not only are we making reading a joyful experience in their classroom, they are also getting recognized for their hard work.”
Angelina has gotten creative with Crush Party themes, from a nacho fiesta to chalk-and-bubble party. Students bring a favorite book they read to the parties so they can recommend it to their friends.
At Meeting Street Elementary – Burns, Assistant Principal Jennamarie Lesky hosted a “School of Rock” party where the gym was turned into a karaoke concert and students sang songs that were related to a book they read. For another party, she transformed the media center into a campground with tents, puzzles and s’mores.
“I love them,” said Wynter Mitchell, a fourth grader at Brentwood. “At one party, we had popcorn and we got to put different candies in it and shake it up. It was so good.”
While Wynter relishes the Crush Parties, she said it’s not her sole motivation because she genuinely enjoys reading.
“We tell students, ‘We want you to read because you love reading, that’s your Crush Party goal but you should be exceeding it,’” Jennamarie said. “The value that our network puts on reading showed up this year, and it showed students and staff how important it is to instill reading in kids.”
