Each of these puppets, which the children made themselves by following step-by-step directions, is covered with dozens of words that the children have captured. One group of children read the puppet play out loud, while another group displayed their puppets to illustrate the different characters.

Reading and following directions is an important skill. 

To capture a new, tricky word, a student spells the word and says the letter sounds, gives the definition, uses the word in a sentence, and writes it correctly - four steps!

A wonderful group of children and dedicated volunteers continue to work on reading skills at the Reading Orienteering Club in Corpus Christi. The children are learning letter sounds using the principles of vowel clustering. Here are two of the projects that children completed to improve their reading skills. 
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As the children make their hands-on project of Afton the Ant, they also learn 30 new words. To capture a word, the student must spell the word and say the letter sounds, give the definition, write the word correctly, and use it in a sentence. Each of Anton's legs is covered with 5 captured words. Projects like this make it fun to learn new words. 

Here's another project that a student completed during the reading clinic. Each of Sharigan the Snake's scales contains a carefully written manuscript letter. Research shows that when children learn to write in careful manuscript style, this helps them learn to recognize letter shapes and read more efficiently. 

Please keep your eye on our Reading News. We'll soon report about the children's puppet plays, in which they learn to read out loud with expression and fluency.

The reading clinic meets from 4:00-6:00 pm on Mondays and Thursdays at St. John's United Methodist Church in Corpus Christi. The program is not religious; but the church simply provides space and support as part of their community outreach. 

We're always looking for volunteers. Click the email link above and contact Elaine if you're interested.