Akron Elementary Celebrates ReadingAKRON - Kindergarten students and their families celebrated reading at Akron Elementary School Wednesday morning.
According to teacher Deb Tillman, this is the third year all three Akron kindergarten classes have been full-day kindergarten. This also was the second year for Swoop.
In Swoop, teachers "swoop" into each classroom for a half hour at a time and work on students' reading. With full-day kindergarten, she said teachers are able to make use of Swoop in kindergarten.
"We just do reading," said Tillman.
All the kindergarten students are at grade level or higher and are ready to move on to first grade, she said.
"It's really turned our program around," she said of the Swoop program.
"The kids absolutely love Swoop and they're thrilled they can read. Teachers love it. We've been blessed our administration supports it so much. They made sure we could have it again," said Tillman.
Kindergarten students' parents and grandparents were invited to come into Akron Elementary Wednesday and sit with their kindergarten students while they read to them to show off how much reading skills they learned.
With full-day kindergarten, Akron Elementary sees the benefits of reading instruction and reading achievement, said Principal Blaine Conley.
Many of the kindergarten students started the school year in August not knowing their letters or the difference between the letters' sounds. Now they can read.
The program yesterday started with the students singing "I Can" to their families. After the students were finished reading to their parents, everyone shared in some ice cream.
