Reading is Fun-damental

Rick Charmoli | Cadillac News Above, Theresa OÕGrady works with Paxtin McNitt, 8, on reading comprehension during Camp Read-A-Lot at Lincoln Elementary in Cadillac. About 115 elementary students from kindergarten through fifth grade are enrolled in the program that helps with reading and language arts.

CADILLAC — It may be summer, but 115 students are happy to be at school.

Since June 18, these Cadillac Area Public Schools students have been going to Lincoln Elementary from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. While the atmosphere is a school setting, it is still summer break. With that in mind, Lincoln Elementary has been transformed into Camp Read-A-Lot.

The purpose of the camp is to help students in K-5 throughout the CAPS district get the extra help they need when it comes to reading and language arts, according to Jen Wilhelm, reading specialist.

“We saw a need with students falling behind and we wanted to have more time on task,” she said. “This is the third year (for the program) but this is the first year we expanded to K-5. Before it was K-2 with 30 students and now it is 115.”

With the added students, Wilhelm and fellow reading specialist Heidi Stange said there was a need for more help.

With the student to teacher ration getting no larger than 5-1, the need for volunteers was great. Volunteers included Baker College as well as high school students and from Catholic Human Services’ Adopt A Grandparent program.

“We work on isolated skills as well as collaborative skills. The small group instruction makes it so they are excited to come,” Stange said. “When you walk into a classroom it is great to see how on task these students are.”

When the program ends on Thursday, a report will be given to parents so they can continue at home in the time before school starts.

Once classes start for the fall, Wilhelm said the students’ new teachers will have a packet informing them of where their students are at.

“We track and do data to see where the students’ progress is so we can change instruction for growth,” she said.

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Camp Read-A-Lot