SAMS has many initiatives to continue students’ love of reading and to improve literacy skills through middle school.  You have surely heard that one of the greatest gifts you can give a child is the love of reading.  One expert commented in a CBS interview:  “if you find the books they [middle school students] want to read now, you keep that passion for reading alive.” (Carol Fitzgerald of KidsReads.com.)  Our faculty is deeply aware of the importance of reading as they seek ways to improve student achievement through improved reading.  Our teachers, regardless of their curricular areas, use a variety of intervention strategies to support reading skills.  These efforts are reflected on the Terra Nova standardized test.  Please visit under our Standardized Testing tab at: has many initiatives to improve literacy. I’m sure that you’ve heard that one of the gifts to give a child is the love of reading. So, what is SAMS doing to instill the love of reading and improve literacy? Our faculty is deeply aware of the importance of reading. They are constantly looking for ways to improve student achievement, and indeed, improved reading is a key to that success. Our faculty, regardless of their curricular area, uses a variety of interventions in their lessons to ensure a variety of strategies are being used to support reading skills. These efforts are reflected on the Terra Nova standardized test. Read Across SAMS March 2008. To support the Read Across America event, SAMS decided to use the entire month of March instead of just one day to increase reading.  Students and teachers were challenged with reading 250,000 pages in just one month.  Every Seminar teacher recorded the students’ reported pages.  When these were tallied for the whole month, SAMS had read over 350,000 pages.  Mr. Mood agreed to do something outrageous and the students were rewarded with “big, fat, cool, delicious” ice cream sandwiches.  A drawing was held for students who had read “whole books,” the longest book, and the most difficult book. Reading Counts. This program, which is supported by our highly engaged PTO, provides students the opportunity to read books of their choice and then to take a computer generated quiz testing comprehension. The students receive instant feedback and they earn points if they pass the quiz.  Every student who earns the designated number of points is rewarded with a certificate, book prize and a party provided by the PTO. As you can infer, this interactive program is laced with incentives. Currently, we have quizzes on over 3,500 titles. Battle of the Books. After working all semester and reading 10 books, the two teams met and “fought to the finish” for the honor of being named “CHAMPIONS OF THE BOOKS” in the 3rd annual Battle of the Books held May 28th at the high school auditorium.  With a close score of 21-24, the SAMS 6th Grade Team overcame the SAES 5th Grade Team.  But all the participants were winners because they had the opportunity to read 10 great books and work with other teammates to prepare for the Battle. The books were purchased for the schools by the respective PTOs The winning team received a traveling “trophy” in the form of a crystal clock that will stay in that school’s library until the next annual Battle.   The winning team members each received a $10 AAFES gift certificate, also purchased by the SAMS PTO.  Book Swap . The Great SAMS BOGOF (Bring One-Get One Free).  Just in time for Summer, everyone will get the opportunity to exchange a year’s worth of books that you have already read for some that you haven’t read yet. About a week before the BOGOF, students and staff may bring in their personally owned books that are in good shape and trade them for “Book Bucks.”  Then on BOGOF Day, they may redeem each of their Bucks for a book in the BOGOF Swap.  Another great way to share reading with others! Book Club.Approximately once a month, a group of students meets in the library to discuss and review books.  These students are selected through an application process and are provided with free books provided through PTO support.  In exchange, the students read and offer personal reviews and opinions which are shared with the whole student body.  This is a fun activity which gives avid readers an opportunity to share what they’re reading and get ideas for some new reads. SSR (Sustained Silent Reading). The first thirty minutes of seminar (which occurs on every “B” day) is devoted to Sustained Silent Reading. This gives the students a comfortable, non-threatening environment in which to read material of their choice. Our faculty models reading practices during this time too. Research indicates that comprehension improves with someone reading to them. We welcome guest readers. Also, the PTO has placed literally thousands of books into the thirty-eight seminars in order to provide mini SSR libraries. 6th and 7th Grade Reading Enrichment. Our 6th and 7th grade students are scheduled into a quarter of Reading. Students, regardless of entry levels, have the opportunity to build comprehension skills through a variety of strategies in these courses. Reading Lab (Read 180). This course is designed for the students in the first or second quartiles in Reading comprehension. This lab-class provides the students with direct instruction by generating computer assisted lessons and exams. Additionally, the low class size allows the students to pair with a teacher specifically trained in small group instructional strategies. Tutoring Program. A free tutoring program meets every Tuesday and Thursday immediately after school. Although literacy is not the only focus for the students that freely elected to attend, it can be for selected students. Book Fairs. The PTO hosts several book fairs in which each student has the opportunity to visit. This is just another way that our PTO is placing age-appropriate books into our students’ hands. Again, this event demonstrates how our school-home-community partnership is a critical building block in supporting reading. Partnerships. Several of our teachers have developed partnerships with Seoul American Elementary School. These partnerships involve our students in read aloud and guided reading activities for selected students and classes. We are very proud of our Reading Buddies program. Scholastic Red. A sizable portion of our faculty has taken the extra step to improve Reading instruction. This course gives our teachers various strategies that partner with our school improvement goals.

 

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Last Update: 10/21/2010