Reading
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.
That timeless quote from Dr. Seuss perfectly expresses one of our school district’s cornerstone philosophies: reading helps you succeed in school and beyond.
The key to making lifelong readers is to start them young. Our PreK program gives students a head start. We’re always amazed to find our three- and four-year-old students excelling at phonics and identifying sight words at such a young age.
Curriculum
Our curriculum includes instruction developed by Saxon Phonics, Reading Wonders, and iReady, an interactive software program that identifies student weaknesses that our teachers use to reinforce lessons.
In second and third grade, we move into reading to learn. We introduce literature and nonfiction passages, teaching students how to better comprehend what they’ve read.
Accelerated Reading
Teachers and administrators have created a culture of reading by offering incentives to students who read and earn Accelerated Reading (AR) points. The computer-based AR software measures and manages student reading proficiency. Students read a grade-appropriate book, take a short quiz on the content to assess their comprehension, and if they pass the quiz, they are awarded points based on the reading level. Studies of the program have shown significant increases in standardized test scores, not only in reading but mathematics and language arts as well.
Top AR scorers get their picture on the Wall of Fame in the cafeteria, and classes with the most reading points get trophies and special privileges. Last year’s top-scoring boy and girl in third grade won bicycles, and the administration has offered championship rings to other top-tier readers. The kids’ competitive spirits have made AR a great success at the Red Top. It’s all an effort to make better, more frequent readers, which in turn makes better students and happier people.
Library
Our spacious Red Top library is equipped to handle two classes simultaneously. Librarians introduce library skills and good character traits while reinforcing reading comprehension skills and helping choose appropriate books for a student’s reading level.
The extensive collection includes books, color-coded by AR reading levels, from kindergarten to 6th grade, as well as audio books, leveled reading sets, manipulatives, and resources for teachers.
The library’s online resources included a collection of ebooks, World Book Online Encyclopedia, and Destiny Discover library catalog system.
Our librarians are enthusiastic book advocates who make reading fun. They host two book fairs each years, in spring and fall, and always put on terrific themed events for National Young Reader's Week and Read Across America/Dr. Seuss' Birthday Celebration.