Get R.E.A.L!

by Miriam Heider

What does R.E.A.L. stand for? R. is read, E. is educate, A. is and, finally L. is listen. This represents what will happen in the R.E.A.L. room everyday. We will provide one-on-one reading instruction for all of our students that are in need of it. This instruction will be taught primarily from volunteers. Our method of instruction is the Carbo reading method. To find out more about the Carbo reading method you can go to http://www.nrsi.com/. Basically, it is a slow, purposeful reading focused on sight words and repetition. This improves not only fluency, but comprehension as well. We will be using pages of sight words and leveled stories with this method. It is a very volunteer friendly system that will require only one hour of training. After that one hour of training we feel the volunteer will be ready to effectively instruct a child! This lesson plan has been almost a year in the making and we have seen significant improvements in reading scores just in one semester.

These last three weeks have been spent assessing the student’s reading levels and introducing them to the R.E.A.L. room. We will have our first volunteer begin instruction on Monday! For the most part, the kids are excited. When I bring them into the R.E.A.L. room for the first time I can tell they are wondering what they are doing there. However, when I explain what will happen, they smile and ask more questions. The one-on-one aspect is very important. It will also teach the kids how to build relationships and work through conflict. Reading instruction can be very hard and slow-going, but I trust the kids are up to the challenge. I’m very excited to see how God will work in this part of the ILC!

As I have been getting to know the students at the ILC, God has continually been giving me insight into what it means to love people, in this case, young people. Working with inner city kids is a blessing and God has been revealing themes to me, in order to better relate to kids.

Being a man, it is important to work here. A lot of these youths do not have fathers and being able to talk with them, play with them, and show the love of Christ to them are all ways that help them see what it means to be a real man. Now, these themes God has been revealing are quite simple. I am not an educational psychology major or a child counselor major, but knowing how to read people and be empathic with them helps in this case. Two boys I've come in contact with both desire attention and the need to feel like they are important, yet the both communicate that in different ways. For one boy, he communicates that through the desire to be the best, especially at sports and on occasion, even wanting to help clean up after snack. He is very vocal and sometimes mean-spirited in a game. Just looking at these qualities and his demeanor tell me that he longs for someone to regard him as significant. Then again, who doesn't want that? In this boy's case, he doesn't know how to handle his talents, emotions, and verbal in a way that edifies people yet.

The other boy, on the other hand, is very quiet, introverted, and timid. Rarely does this boy eat a snack or speak up when playing basketball or soccer. In fact, he seems to be reclusive and in this, I feel, he really feels disengaged from the activity and not empowered to use the God-given abilities he has. One sad experience I had with him was when he was sent to our "Reroute Room," where kids go when they are showing disrespect or disregard for someone or an activity. At one point, after I asked him what the problem was, he started to tear up, yet he remained silent the whole time. I think it's hard for him to handle and express his emotions, desires, concerns, or even his side of the story.

Now, I don't give these two examples to be pessimistic or discouraging. Rather, these are things that I trust God to change. These are lives in which I see the possibility of reform! In whatever ways He desires, God is going to change hearts and minds and lips for His glory and I am fully confident in that.

You've Been Stamped!

“You’ve got mail,” is one of today’s most pleasant phrase. Whether sent through “snail mail” or via email, those cards or notes we receive, especially from those we admire, can make your day.

This week ILC students were introduced to the Impact Learning Center’s own post office. Each student was designated their own mailbox. Reach into the mailbox and you will find a “You’ve Been Stamped” card. These “You’ve Been Stamped” cards promote youth to communicate positively with adults and peers both within and outside of the program. This may look like using phrases such as: “I really appreciate when you…” or “Something I notice and really appreciated about you is....”

Students have the opportunity to write to another ILC student or staff member, where it will be “delivered” their mail box on the “Overnight Delivery.” Above is a “You’ve Been Stamped” card written by Kerri, a sixth grader, to Miss Leslie, her Read Room teacher.

They also can write these cards to somebody that is outside of the Impact Learning Center. Some people the students brainstormed to write to were teachers, coaches, janitors, moms, dads, siblings, neighbors, grandparents and the list goes on and on. They can then deliver this notes to whoever they wrote them to.

Just as it is excited to receive mail, the students are finding it is fun to write them as well. It may take a first grader the same amount of time to write one “You’ve Been Stamped” card as it takes a seventh grader to write four. Either way, the students are learning the impact a “stamp” of encouragement can make on themselves and others.

Do You Know How To R.A.P.S?

Rules are designed to help guide and assist us to be a part of a constructive environment. Rules are implemented to ensure safety, to evoke good behavior and to teach life skills. The ILC program follows basic rules that are stated through R.A.P.S. The sign above is placed in many of the ILC classrooms as reminders to the students on how they should behave.

R-Respect involves how you treat yourself and others in a non-destructive way.

A-Attitude includes having a positive attitude while at the ILC. You may not always be in a good mood, but you can have a good attitude.

P- Participation is expected. Everybody may not like all the activities we do here, but we do expect them to participate.

S- Speech should always be constructive and encouraging to other classmates, to staff or to self.

R.A.P.S has been implanted in other City Impact programs, such as Bible Club, so

many of the students are familiar with the rules.

Along with these behavior expectations, we will be introducing other “rules” or expectations that will teach students social and life skills. For example, last week during our team time, we discussed the importance of saying “Thank you” when you receive something. This week the students have been practicing, especially during snack time. Each student is expected to say thank you to the staff member that prepared the snack, and if they fail to do so, a portion of their snack will be taken away. This may seem harsh, but it is effective to teach the importance of being grateful of what is given to you.

Many of the additional expectations for rules that will be implemented have been inspired by the book The Essential 55 by Ron Clark. Ron Clark was the Teacher of the Year in 2000 and wrote a book on the rules he implemented in his classroom. To learn more about Ron Clark and his story visit his website www.ronclark.info/story.

A goal of the ILC program is to motivate youth to model a life of purpose and service. By teaching and expecting high standards of behavior, students will in turn set high expectations for themselves.

Art Shop: Get In Touch With Your Creative Side

by Jenna Gerstenschlager

When I was hired I was told to plan a workshop. The only guideline I had was for it to be in the realm of strategic games, visual arts, or science. I decided to start with something familiar to me. For the first nine weeks in the Impact Learning Center, my workshop will focus on visual arts. My goal is for the kids to have a positive, hands-on experience with art.

For our first project we learned about names and what each of ours means. Then the kids were instructed to write their names on construction paper and draw pictures around it describing things they like or like to do. It was a fun way for me and the rest of the kids to get to know each other.

Future projects will include making masks, constructing pictures frames, working with clay, and various painting projects. It's always so exciting for me to see how creative the kids can get with a project. It’s fun to see them take a simple original idea and make it their own.

What is your Read Room Schema?

by Leslie Burchell and Anna Zach, Read Room Coordinators

What is your schema about the IMPACT Learning Center Read Rooms? Confused by the question? Not quite sure what ‘schema’ means? Ask any of our first- through eighth-graders and they will tell you: schema is what you already know about something. It’s all the background knowledge you have from experiences, books, teachers, conversations, etc.

So, we would like to enlarge your schema about the Read Rooms by sharing a bit about what goes on each day. Our goal is to create an environment and experience where children have meaningful interactions with quality literature and learn to see themselves as good readers. During this time, we focus on the specific ways that good readers interact with a text not only while reading, but also before and afterward. In a nutshell, we are providing specific strategies that encourage these students to be active and thoughtful readers.

The Read Rooms are divided into three groups: first through third grade, fourth and fifth grade, and sixth through eighth grade. Our general framework includes a short lesson presenting the strategy through a read-aloud. During this time, the students sit together on the floor as the teacher reads the story. Before the story even begins, hands fly up, evidence of eager students begging to share their schema about that day’s book. As the read-aloud commences, hands continue to pop up as the students practice thinking aloud about the book. Next, the students have the opportunity to ‘go for it’ by practicing the strategy independently with books of their choice. Using sticky notes, they mark pages in their books where they have meaningful encounters with the literature. Each day concludes with the students coming together to share their successes with one another.

We are excited to have this opportunity to impact the students’ attitudes toward and relationships with literature. We view the learning that goes on in the Read Rooms as crucial to their development as life-long readers and positive impacters in their community.

We hope this brief description of the Read Rooms has expanded your schema and inspired the reader in you!

How Long Does It Take To Finish a Puzzle With No Sides?

Two sixth grade girls didn’t waste any time to challenge themselves the first day that they were at the Impact Learning Center. Mercedes and Lea, along with some other staff members, tackled a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle. That wasn’t the tricky part. On top of having 500 pieces, it had no sides!

Each day after-school, the girls spent their forty-five minutes of free-time, before the elementary students came, talking, laughing and fitting together the miniature pieces that matched the portrait on front of the box. Each day the puzzle was stored a little more completed than the day before.

Finally, the last piece was locked into place a week after it had been started. The 500 count was down to 499, because one piece had gone missing. But with teamwork, perseverance and a lot of smiles, these girls showed off their accomplishment with a beautiful picture. Good job girls!