Reading Programs

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Our Motivation:

Every great reading program has a story behind it. Needless to say, so does ours.

Learn about our three reading program levels

Jump to the story behind our reading programs

Our reading program has been developed over the past fifteen years as our staff and directors worked with hundreds of students. Early on many of our reading students were coming to us with the hopes of improving their standardized tests for the SAT and ACT. With our older students the focus of reading was often to gain information and apply it to concepts they were learning in the classroom. The patterns of reading proficiency raised a great question. Why were students who had been reading for so long, having a hard time with understanding what they were reading?

This made us look at the fundamentals of what children were taught in grade school. Using this knowledge and what we knew was expected of students in High School and Colleges we developed a new method for developing reading skills.

We have created three unique courses using different learning methods to teach our students how to read. Whether reading for the first time, working on improving fluency, or studying for the SAT or ACT, Berktree Learning is your destination to reading proficiency. You will see results in as little as two weeks! Having the ability to read at a higher level than needed for school allows students to find ease in the process of learning which in turn makes learning fun and more accessible to them.

READING PROGRAMS

First Time Readers

These are students that have never read on their own. Generally they are Kindergarten or first graders who have struggled with sight words or continuous reading. While reading** at an earlier age is commendable, it is also a skill that requires focus and help. If this skill is developed in a joyful and loving manner it can leave students empowered to take initiative in their own learning. However if negative feelings are attached to reading it can become an obstacle to independent learning. We have parent training available for those who find this task challenging and seek to try a new approach.

Method: 30 min sessions, 10 consecutive sessions. $350 initial packet, includes material. (Additional time needed to continue improving.)

Parent requirement: 30 min daily practice, material provided.

**Develops imagination, fluency, language usage, focus and concentration.

READING PROGRAMS

Intermediate Readers

These are generally students who can read, but have a difficulty in comprehending what they have read or their fluency. Often reading is considered a chore and they fight the need to do so.

We work on fluency and start with shorter passages where comprehension can be developed and confidence can build. Once the student masters shorter passages, we increase their content length and difficulty, gradually developing their love for reading and immersing themselves in books.

Packets are available in 10 hour increments.

READING PROGRAMS

College Prep Reading

High school students need to be able to read content that are far more advanced and in many different subject areas and time periods. While textbooks are structured to help guide learning often students need to use that information to draw conclusions and come up with their own interpretation. SAT and ACT reading is different in this way that they are objective in nature, instead of subjective. This means that the material is presented in such a way that every student would have the possibility of being able to find the answer in the reading. However, this practice is not as straightforward as finding the highlighted word in a text book as many students are used to doing. This is why our college prep reading level is a fantastic way to help students read for content and use strategies to find the purpose and main ideas of passages presented on the SAT or ACT test.

Packets available, in 10 hour increments.

The Story Behind Our Reading Programs

About five years ago, we were given the blessing of being able to take a group of 10 students, including our daughter Isabella (Kindergarten) through our new Beginner Reading Program. Within two weeks, these student went from being able to read a few sight words to reading at first grade level. After the initial 2 week daily assisted reading students were asked to share what they read with their parents and were gradually presented with more difficult reading material. Learning to retell a story you had read is sometimes challenging, however, gradually we were seeing signs of self directed interest in reading. This was quite exciting and encouraging both for us as educators but also for parents who had really struggled in encouraging reading with their students.

Today, over one hundred students have been through our program. Parents often contact us to say how happy they are to watch their children read. Our daughter, Isabella, can read at the same level as a high school sophmore. She is often searching new concepts and seeking to acquire knowledge she has heard of in passing. She can easily make connections between ideas and their implications in practice. She can complete all her own school assignments and often helps others in her classes. In her interactions with adults she can present ideas and discuss topics far beyond her years. Someday she wants to become a scientist and work for NASA. As far as goals go, this one is quite ambitious, but it’s encouraging to know that she has some of the most needed tools to help her in her goal, the ability to read, motivation to seek and joy for learning.

As parents we know that reading is a fundamental skill to develop in our children. But encouraging reading in students is not enough. As parents we need to demonstrate the love for learning at all stages of life so that our children can follow our example. Often it is difficult to tell our children to put down their electronics and pick up a book, especially if we don’t. This is why we at Berktree Learning encourage families to adopt a culture of reading. Make time for it and you will see them flourish along with you.

Happy reading!

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