Amplify Reading at Holy Ghost

Holy Ghost takes pride in their mission to foster a culture of readers with student-designed t-shirts, a 20,000+ book library, reading goals, and an additional reading period. The importance of reading hasn’t changed but the methods to reach students needed an update. We wanted more excitement, self-reflection, and depth of understanding.
With only half of students on campus and the other half on a live feed, something had to change. Texts to engender lively classroom discussions, insightful writing, and reading choice became necessary. 
“We used to test for comprehension and point goals, but we found that those actions were not improving comprehension nor building reading skills,“ said Assistant Principal Shawnda Osborn, “Now, students tackle complex text, make observations, grapple with exciting ideas, and find relevance in reading and writing.“
Our students work in real-time, allowing the teacher to adjust the support needed for the next writing prompt or adapt the text complexity during class. This allows for differentiation regardless of fluency or ability, while using the same passage. Now, we hear: “When do we get to start the next unit? May I start this weekend instead of waiting until Monday? May I read ahead instead of to the end of the chapter?”