WYOMING, MI – North Godwin Elementary teacher Angela Winer used her voice to bring the book, “My Mouth Is A Volcano!’’ to life for her third graders as they sat on the carpet Monday, Aug. 19, listening intently.
On the first day of school, the students learned about a smart kid named Louis and how his words rumble and grumble in his tummy, wiggle and jiggle on his tongue and then push on his teeth, right before he erupts or interrupts.
Reading aloud to children is considered an essential part of building crucial literacy skills, along with having kids reading on their own.
Developing the literacy skills of students has always been a focal point, but it has taken on greater significance with Michigan’s third grade reading law taking effect this year. School districts will have to start holding back some third graders who aren’t reading at grade level.
“I am trying to instill a love of reading,’’ said Winer, who was creative with her voice when sharing Julia Cook’s book with her students.
“We want to get the best out of our students, so it will be nice to have all the third grades in the building this year so teachers can work together as a district team with the kids who need the most help.’’
Winer said that will be nice for interventions. However, she made it clear that there is always differentiated instruction within the classroom for those with different learning styles and levels.
Godwin Heights Public Schools was one of five area districts to reopen Monday for the 2019-20 school year. The others were Grandville, East Grand Rapids, Godfrey-Lee and Kentwood.
Earlier this year, Godwin Heights families attended community forums about its K-8 reconfiguration that Winer referenced about third graders being under one roof.
The district no longer has K-4 buildings or a fifth through eighth grade middle school. Instead they’ve created two developmental buildings – one K-2 early elementary school at West Godwin and one upper elementary for grades three to five at North Godwin, located at 161 34th St. SW in Wyoming.
The sixth grade will function under the middle school format as the seventh and eighth grades do.
“The plan allows for continuity for early and later elementary best practices, while recommitting a focus on reading and literacy in the early grades,’’ according to Superintendent Bill Fetterhoff. "K-2 will have a strong literacy component.''
Fetterhoff, North Godwin Prinicipal Steve Minard and the teachers think the change will have an impact on reading proficiency.
Last year, just 44 percent of students statewide in grades three through eight who took the English language arts portion of the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) passed the exam. In Godwin, 37.5 percent of all students were proficient at the end of third grade, up from 35.4 percent.
Last year, the district enrolled 2,076 students. Thirty-two percent were English language learners and more than 85 percent were classified by the state as economically disadvantaged.
The 2016 law required a number of things, including literacy coaches to assist teachers, reading assessments of students multiple times during the year to identify struggling readers and reading intervention programs.
Superintendents have the option to grant exemptions in some instances regarding retention.
Minard said the district is taking a more global look at literacy intervention from a whole school perspective, rather than by classroom.
"We are looking at who are the kids most a risk and who needs the most support, not based on classroom but student need,'' he said.
Minard said the school will be using a comprehensive preschool through fifth grade program called Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) for teaching skills in reading and writing and other areas.
Fetterhoff said literacy is an emphasis at all grade levels at Godwin schools. On a table in the hallway Monday at North Godwin were dozens of free books for all grade levels.
With all their work with Response To Intervention (RTI), Fetterhoff said they still have students struggling with phonics, phonemic awareness and comprehension - keys to learning to read.
Fourth-grade teacher Sarah David said she has some students in her class still struggling with their reading, but this year they will learn to read.
“I want all my students to know that I care about them and that they are going to have great year,’’ said David, about a setting the right tone on day one.
“We want them thinking deeply and critically about their reading,'' she said.
Minard said their team will push themselves to get children where they can and should be academically.
“I am all about community and culture,'' said Minard, about wanting people to feel the school is a welcoming, safe and secure place to learn.
"Culture is a huge umbrella and under that umbrella are routines and procedures that play a huge part in that community and culture that are totally related to high expectations.”