Find out how this O’Fallon teacher is impacting the reading skills of her students
As literacy coach for O’Fallon School District 90, Amie Reed is no longer teaching in a classroom, but her influence is apparent in kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms in the seven schools.
Previously, she was a language arts and science teacher, and spent 15 years at Fulton Junior High School. The new position is district-wide and was created last year.
“I am here to help support teachers implementing materials and strategy for reading. It’s really great to be able to introduce books to students, books that students can get excited about reading,” she said.
She also provides technical support for teachers, as she is a Google-certified trainer. For remote learning, the district uses Google Classroom.
Currently, the kindergarten through fifth grade students are back in the classroom, although there is a remote option some families are using. In junior high, it’s a 50-50 hybrid, so the students are divided into two groups, with Zoom utilized in the classroom.
Connecting students through reading is very powerful, she said. The literacy coach position was created last year.
“I always loved reading. I remember going to the library and standing with books at the checkout,” she said.
The needs are different throughout District 90 in O’Fallon, she said. For instance, for seventh grade, they introduced a theme of identity — so the students could get to know each other.
They introduced Book Clubs for students in third through eighth grade, but they are more like literary circles.
“In the new curriculum, a small group of students reads the same book and then they can talk about it,” she said. “They are highly interesting, relevant books.”
With the pandemic and the school shutdown in March, teachers and students adjusted with remote learning, which continued for a time this fall.
“We had to make a lot of changes all at once,” she said. “Everybody was doing the best that they could to help people.”
But this fall, she said they were getting into the grove with a routine and “what we needed to do.”
“It’s different. I can’t just pop into classrooms, and that’s when you get to see and know about the students,” Reed added. “It’s been challenging. We’ve had to be really flexible this year.”
She has enjoyed building relationships through her years in the district, which helps working with the teachers now in her literacy capacity.
“Kindergarten, first grade and second grade are hands-on with real experience. It’s been a learning curve. We had to recreate everything, and we recorded videos to make learning fun,” Reed said. “We had to learn some new skills to help students learn.”
Graphic novels very effective
In June, Reed received a $1,000 grant through WGU Missouri’s “Fund My Classroom” initiative. She used the funds to purchase four class sets of graphic novels, which meant each student received one and so did the teacher.
She had discovered graphic novels are a great way to get students interested in reading.
The books were “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander, a Newbery Award winner; “El Deafo” by Cece Bell, a semi-autobiographical novel; “New Kid” by Jerry Craft, a Newbery Award winner; and “Smile,” a memoir by Raina Telgemeier.
“I was really grateful for the great student choices,” she said.
Students really enjoying the books
Reed purchased novels she thought would be of high interest to students, and they would be used in conjunction with an instructional unit that examines identity and encompassed a range of identities represented across the various choices.
The students would study the craft of graphic novel writing from a reader’s perspective and then use the graphic novels as a source of inspiration for a writing project that would require them to create their own graphic novel writings. The books would also be part of her classroom library so students can access them throughout the year.
Karen Berthot, the teacher now using the books purchased with the grant money, said the students are really enjoying them.
“They are having great discussions. She says it has really helped to build her classroom community and she feels connected, even though they haven’t yet met in person,” Reed said.
More about the classroom project
The innovative classroom project is one of 29 chosen by WGU Missouri to receive funding. The nonprofit university issued a call in March for K-12 teachers across the area to nominate proposed classroom projects for the opportunity to receive full or partial funding through its “Fund My Classroom” initiative. Reed’s proposal was one of more than 100 nominations received.
“We are happy we can bring so many of these innovative projects to life through our ‘Fund My Classroom’ initiative and give the impacted teachers something to look forward to in the midst of all the uncertainty COVID-19 is causing for schools across the region,” said WGU Missouri Chancellor Angie Besendorfer.
“This initiative is an opportunity for WGU Missouri to celebrate teachers and is a great way to thank them for the lasting, positive impact they have on their students. We were excited to hear from so many great teachers with excellent ideas that will enhance learning both in and out of the classroom,” Besendorfer said.
About Amie Reed, ways to help teachers
Reed earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, as well as a master’s degree in English as a second language, and a special education administration degree. She lives with her husband, Kris, in Glen Carbon.
To learn more about the “Fund My Classroom” initiative and the work WGU Missouri is doing to help teachers advance their careers, visit www.missouri.wgu.edu.
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 5:40 PM.