Tell us the teacher you want to support

Deborah Freeman

Do you remember learning to read? Are YOU a good reader? My students want to be GREAT readers! My school is located in a high poverty area where basic needs are often not met. Many of my students are reading below grade level. I have one student who is reading on a kindergarten level, a few reading on first grade level, and many who are reading on a second grade level. They are a wonderful group of students who deserve and would appreciate improving their reading skills. As a third grade classroom, these students struggle to comprehend grade appropriate texts. Using a digital audio recorder would provide these disadvantaged students a way of practicing reading fluency that is enticing and engaging. When students listen to a recording of their own reading, they improve their reading pace by hearing whether they are reading too fast or too slow. Punctuation signals become move obvious when they notice if they paused at commas or stopped at periods. Students also improve their voice inflection when listening to themselves read. Research shows that academic success is directly related to reading fluency, and the new Common Core State Standards encourage the improvement in reading fluency. My students will read grade appropriate texts with a buddy and will use the digital voice recorder to not only practice reading fluency, but use it to recognize where improvement is needed. Poor reading skills become a cycle for many students in high poverty areas. Many times the parents are poor readers and they are unable to help their child at home. If a student is unable to read fluently, then it is more difficult for him or her to comprehend what is being read. In addition, this digital audio recorder allows me to save the recordings to separate folders so that fluency growth can be documented. Furthermore, being able to recharge this recorder by plugging it into the computer insures that it is always available when needed. No batteries to run down! My students need to practice reading fluency. Three rechargeable voice recorders are the perfect way for them to listen to themselves read and hear the areas that need improvement. Help my students break the poor reading skill cycle and develop the confidence to become lifelong learners AND READERS!