Read180
Read 180 is a research-based reading program that is used in New Haven to boost reading levels of students who are below grade level readers. My students are from grades five through eight, but the program is available for high school students as well. My experience with the program has been quite positive as students who follow the program guidelines and faithfully engage in the Read 180 model show measurable positive growth in their reading comprehension. We always begin our days with students sitting in the rowed seats in the middle of the classroom, followed by either one or two rotations to the three other areas of my classroom. A small mobile white board in the back of my classroom helps us keep track of group movement on A days (one rotation) and B days (two rotations). I wear a whistle around my neck and utilize it to signal the movement of groups, much to the amusement of my fifth graders and much to the annoyance of my eighth graders. On a B day, when students go through two rotations, we spend about fifteen to twenty minutes at each station.
The software produced for the program adjusts to each student’s level. In my classroom I have a computer section against the back wall, set up with large screen desktops that I can see easily from the front of the room. When working on the computers, students work on segments which include “zones” where they are able to practice reading comprehension, spelling, phonics, vocabulary building and writing. The reading area in my classroom is equipped with bookshelves, one large cushy reading chair and a rug where students can relax and enjoy their reading. In the reading area of my classroom students are able to read regular books, digital books or Ereads at their Lexile level. When students meet with me at the large round table in the front of the room, which serves as the third station, we utilize a textbook, which includes several units on different subjects meant to interest the students. Among the multiple segments available for students are: “Stand Up,” a look at young activists from around the world; “Water Fight,” a series of articles and stories on the growing water shortage; “Contagion,” a look at a topic we are all too familiar with; and “The Hunt for Lincoln’s Killer,” the unit I am creating additional material for here.
