x
Breaking News
More () »

Unique Teaching Method Helps Students Read

Voweletics, it’s a learning approach most parents have never heard of and that’s because only one school in the country is using it, right here in the Quad Citi...

Voweletics, it’s a learning approach most parents have never heard of and that’s because only one school in the country is using it, right here in the Quad Cities. Lourdes Catholic School in Bettendorf has been using the teaching method for two years and one of their own teachers created it.

Singing and dancing is how Lourdes Catholic School students learn.

"We are really having a great time and it's wonderful to see the children's enthusiasm, the way they embrace it,” says Jane Volden, creator of the program and first grade teacher.

The program is a way for students to learn how to read. The program focuses on vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.

"It's very important that we lay the foundations so that students are not guessing at reading, they have the knowledge and they know the how and why those vowels make the sounds they do,” says Volden.

Volden has devoted ten years to making this program and from it has evolved 23 songs, lesson plans and textbooks.

"The songs and the dances that go along with the rules you know it makes learning the rules and the patterns and the sounds fun,” says Lourdes principal David Hobin.

The program is for kindergarten through second grade, ages that are vital for their success says Volden.

Hobin says the program puts these students at a higher level than others, “by the time they've hit the end of first grade, they've mastered those blends and sounds and they're able to read."

It’s all about putting the joy back into learning, "Once students have that confidence really great things can happen,” says Volden.

Parents get in on the lesson plan too. Letters are sent out every week so parents can work with their kids at home.

Before You Leave, Check This Out