Teacher Tries to Narrow Pandemic Reading Gaps
2023-05-24
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1The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning across the world.
2As students are back in class, some are much more behind than others.
3In the United States, teachers are working hard to help students make up for missed learning.
4Many schools are judging individual students' knowledge and making lesson plans especially for them.
5Richard Evans is a third-grade teacher in Niagara Falls, New York.
6Most of his students were sent home as kindergartners in March 2020.
7Many spent all of first grade learning from home.
8Problems did not end when schools reopened for second grade.
9There were face covering and social distancing requirements.
10And many were not used to spending full weeks of study in school.
11"I had kids ask me, 'Why do I have to be in school for five days?'" Evans said.
12The pandemic affected each of Evans' 24 students differently.
13So, he changed his instruction depending on individual students' needs.
14The students in his class who had fallen behind learn to read by moving their fingers slowly beneath words.
15They sound the words out one syllable at a time.
16They are practicing skills usually learned in first grade like sounding out "ch" and "sh" sounds.
17As the students read, Evans notes their understanding and speaking ability.
18He also writes down words that students have difficulty with.
19And after a year of doing this and following the results, he says it appears to be working.
20At the start of this school year, tests showed that 15 of Evans' students were reading below grade level. those, nine were considered severely behind.
21In October, six students sat around Evans at a table. Each was reading a first-grade book about baseball star Willie Mays.
22"What sound does '-er' make?'" Evans asked one 9-year-old student.
23She put "hit" and "ter" together to make "hitter."
24Next to her, a boy said the word "high" as "hig."
25There was no time to waste.
26Third-grade students are under urgent pressure to progress from "learning to read" to "reading to learn."
27Studies show those who do not learn to read with ease by the end of third grade are more likely to drop out or finish high school late.
28One who fell behind is Ke'Arrah.
29She spent more than a year learning remotely early in the pandemic.
30Her mother, Ashley Martin, wanted her to be safe but saw how it was affecting her daughter's education.
31So, when Ke'Arrah went to a new school this year, she had her repeat third grade.
32Midway through her second time in third grade, the decision appeared to be working.
33Mother and daughter are now reading together at bedtime. And even small moments become reading lessons, too.
34"She's on the phone, I'm like: 'Read that to me. Tell me, what does that say?' We're out somewhere: 'Read this to me. What does it say?'" Martin said.
35While many students are behind, Evans also sent more students than ever to the school's honors program because of their high test scores.
36Those students sometimes work independently or with each other to give Evans extra time with those who need more help.
37Evans invested his own time in one of the neediest students.
38He kept a boy after school once a week for more reading.
39In one exercise, Evans asked the boy to close his eyes, think about the first sound of each word and sound it out.
40After a few weeks, the boy went from knowing just 11 common words to 66 on the third-grade reading list.
41Halfway through the school year, a new set of tests suggests Evans' plan is working.
42Fifteen of his students had met or went beyond their goals.
43And Ke'Arrah went from the bottom level of the class to the upper middle.
44I'm Dan Novak.
1The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning across the world. As students are back in class, some are much more behind than others. 2In the United States, teachers are working hard to help students make up for missed learning. Many schools are judging individual students' knowledge and making lesson plans especially for them. 3Richard Evans is a third-grade teacher in Niagara Falls, New York. Most of his students were sent home as kindergartners in March 2020. Many spent all of first grade learning from home. 4Problems did not end when schools reopened for second grade. There were face covering and social distancing requirements. And many were not used to spending full weeks of study in school. 5"I had kids ask me, 'Why do I have to be in school for five days?'" Evans said. 6The pandemic affected each of Evans' 24 students differently. So, he changed his instruction depending on individual students' needs. 7The students in his class who had fallen behind learn to read by moving their fingers slowly beneath words. They sound the words out one syllable at a time. They are practicing skills usually learned in first grade like sounding out "ch" and "sh" sounds. 8As the students read, Evans notes their understanding and speaking ability. He also writes down words that students have difficulty with. 9And after a year of doing this and following the results, he says it appears to be working. 10Moving from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" 11At the start of this school year, tests showed that 15 of Evans' students were reading below grade level. Of those, nine were considered severely behind. 12In October, six students sat around Evans at a table. Each was reading a first-grade book about baseball star Willie Mays. 13"What sound does '-er' make?'" Evans asked one 9-year-old student. She put "hit" and "ter" together to make "hitter." Next to her, a boy said the word "high" as "hig." 14There was no time to waste. Third-grade students are under urgent pressure to progress from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." Studies show those who do not learn to read with ease by the end of third grade are more likely to drop out or finish high school late. 15One who fell behind is Ke'Arrah. 16She spent more than a year learning remotely early in the pandemic. Her mother, Ashley Martin, wanted her to be safe but saw how it was affecting her daughter's education. So, when Ke'Arrah went to a new school this year, she had her repeat third grade. 17Midway through her second time in third grade, the decision appeared to be working. 18Mother and daughter are now reading together at bedtime. And even small moments become reading lessons, too. 19"She's on the phone, I'm like: 'Read that to me. Tell me, what does that say?' We're out somewhere: 'Read this to me. What does it say?'" Martin said. 20Spending time with those who need it most 21While many students are behind, Evans also sent more students than ever to the school's honors program because of their high test scores. Those students sometimes work independently or with each other to give Evans extra time with those who need more help. 22Evans invested his own time in one of the neediest students. He kept a boy after school once a week for more reading. 23In one exercise, Evans asked the boy to close his eyes, think about the first sound of each word and sound it out. After a few weeks, the boy went from knowing just 11 common words to 66 on the third-grade reading list. 24Halfway through the school year, a new set of tests suggests Evans' plan is working. Fifteen of his students had met or went beyond their goals. 25And Ke'Arrah went from the bottom level of the class to the upper middle. 26I'm Dan Novak. 27Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 28______________________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30kindergarten - n. a school or class for very young children 31kid - n. a young person 32syllable - n. any one of the parts into which a word is naturally divided when it is pronounced