Stephen Sampson, left, and Kellyn Whitlow team up during a question and answer session during their Second Chance Reading Class at Central Middle School in Muscatine.

MUSCATINE, Iowa — Recognizing and pronouncing words are important reading skills.

But understanding what words mean when they are joined together in a sentence brings out the rest of the story.

And some students struggle more with that than with other aspects of reading.

But an enhanced reading program called Second Chance is helping students in the Muscatine Community School District learn more when they read.

According to an Iowa Teacher Development Academy course overview, Second Chance Reading was developed  in 1996 with a group of high school English teachers at Morse High School in San Diego. After being tested at schools in California, Alaska and Arizona, it was brought to Des Moines high and middle schools.

A welcome               addition

Heather Haley, a seventh-grade reading teacher at Central Middle School, taught elementary school during most of her 20-year career and knows reading is the foundation for learning all subjects, from science to social studies.

But having difficulty with comprehension can be discouraging.

“We know we don’t get better at something we don’t practice,” said Haley. But Haley and other teachers realize that students who don’t feel successful with reading aren’t as motivated to read on their own time.

Haley said the enhanced reading program that was introduced at Central and West middle schools this year is changing that vicious cycle.

Approximately 41 students are in the program at West and 54 participate at Central.

Students are divided into smaller classes of approximately 18.

One-on-one conversations keep students engaged as they  break literature into sentences and paragraphs and decipher its deeper meanings.

Before the program came to Muscatine, teachers would work with students individually to help them improve reading skills. This year, students who need the targeted training receive it together.

“The students know they’re not different in this class,” said Haley. “Everybody’s in the same boat.”

Muscatine               High School

Assistant Principal Diane Campbell said the program was introduced at Muscatine High School at the beginning of the 2006-07 school year.

“Our teachers are very passionate about the program and work very hard to ensure the success of each student,” said Campbell. “The additional assistance in reading fluency, comprehension and vocabulary provides a strong support for increased success with reading.”

The first year, 102 students participated in the class. This year, Campbell said, there are 61.

A matter of experience

Identifying students who need assistance isn’t simple.

“A lot of these students are really good decoders,” said  Shawn Larson-Walgren, a sixth-grade reading teacher at Central. “They can read somewhat smoothly.”

But Larson-Walgren has learned during her 21 years of teaching that a student who recognizes words isn’t necessarily discovering the full scope of his or her reading assignment.

For some readers, making a connection with what they read is a matter of experience. They may be reading about things they haven’t seen, done or participated in before and need to have some relationships drawn between things with which they are more familiar.

Teachers Sarah Ohl and Teresa Randleman of West Middle School said teachers may refer students to the program. Test scores and diagnostic tests are also used to determine if the program is a good fit.

Getting together

Teachers say communication is a strong force in the program.

After completing independent reading, students discuss with a partner what they read.

“These aren’t students who generally volunteer in class,” said Cara Shepherd, an eighth-grade reading teacher at Central.   “But when they answer in a group setting, both of them are there to give one another confidence. It’s a lot less risky to answer when you have someone with you.”

Students and teachers spend time discussing the books, too.

“We sit down together and the teacher asks questions that make them think about the book,” said Shepherd. “The students kind of amaze me. They come up with answers I wouldn’t have thought of, but they are totally correct.”

Teachers say students appreciate the opportunity to be heard.

 “They get excited,” said Haley, the seventh-grade reading teacher at Central. “They get a chance to  tell the teacher about a book they love.”Vocabulary building is also a significant component to better comprehension.

Students strive to learn up to 12 new words each week in the  five-day-a-week course.

“The best part is learning new words,” said Kellyn Whitlow, a Central Middle School sixth grader. “It helps me if I have a word I don’t know.”

Writing is also used to assist with comprehension.

Another piece of the puzzle

Parents are also part of the program.

“What helped me be a better reader is reading 20 minutes a day, five days a week at home,” said Juan Espinal, a Central eighth-grader. “We get a green sheet to take home and we have to get it signed. My mom thinks this makes me a better reader.”

Parent Dolores Torres, a teacher’s aide for English-as-a-second-language at Central, said it has been rewarding to work with her son, Central Middle School eighth-grader Adrian Torres, on improving his reading skills.

“I’ve seen a big change in him this year,” she said.

Dolores said she doesn’t have to tell her son to read now because he’s found books that help him learn more about subjects he’s interested in such as the environment.

“The biggest determination of a child’s success in school is parental involvement,” said Haley.

If parents are not available, Haley said teachers, school librarians, counselors and other volunteers help students fulfill this part of the program.

The rewards

The student successes that follow the program impress the adults who witness the progress.

Shepherd said students who struggled with reading are recommending books to one another.

Dolores Torres’ son surprised her when he began receiving A’s and B’s on his report card.

“It’s an awesome program,” she said.

“The most compelling story of the program is the student voices,” said Campbell, the assistant principal from Muscatine High School. “They are generally very positive. It is rewarding when a teacher sees a student finish a book, front to back, for the first time. . . It is very rewarding to talk with students who struggled with reading and report they enjoy reading now.”

Reporter contact information

Cynthia Beaudette 563-262-0527

cynthia.beaudette@muscatinejournal.com