What’s Right With Our Schools: Midway Elementary uses ‘Bookworms’ program to increase literacy skills

BALDWIN COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Many educators believe reading is essential in our everyday lives. But how do we get students to read more and comprehend what they read?

Second grade teacher Jan Anderson and many other teachers at Midway Elementary School use the “Bookworms” program to help students read better, understand what they read and to increase their vocabulary.

Fourth grader D’Asia Scotts says,”When we read, it helps us get more speed when reading and it helps us learn bigger words.”

Anderson wants her students to understand how important reading is in their lives.

“You need reading in everything you do. And the better you read, the better education you have,” Anderson adds.

Teachers read books to students and ask students questions that may come up during the interaction reading period. The students turn to their peers to discuss the answer or answer as a whole.at the end of the story, the teacher chooses words from the story that students may not know the meaning of.

“They really like to talk and this way gives them an opportunity especially when you have a lot of people who wants to share,they can turn and atleast share with their partners,” Anderson explains.

“When you figure it out together,it’s much more easier to put your answers together,” second grader Isabella Dixon says.

The students also engage in shared reading through the program. Shared reading is when the students partner up and read from the same book and help follow along as others are reading out loud.

Third grader Kyle Camilla says,”It helps us read more fluently and it helps us get better at reading.”

Bookworms also have a component called ‘differentiation time’ which gives students a chance for improvement or to keep them on grade level. Some students work independently at their desks, some meet with teachers in small groups or read silently.

“I like to read silently so I can focus in my head and get everything right,” third grader Joshua Rhodes adds.

Some of the students enjoy the bookworms program so much, they are reading more than ever before.

“The students had a higher level of checking out of books of reading and getting on grade level within their lexile ranges. The students read more complex text and they do a little more complex writing since they’ve been doing the bookworms program,” says Media Specialist Christina Edwards.

Fourth grader Zaniah Stephens says, “It helps me read more and make me want to check out more books from the library and have books at home to read.”

This is the school’s first year using the ‘Bookworms’ program. Mrs. Anderson says she has seen improvement in students’ reading since they started using the program.