News 8 first told you last year about a reading program unlike any other, created by a Quad City teacher. Now in its third year, they've seen great success and their test results are proof.
It's a year later and things are a little different at Lourdes Catholic School.
There's still a lot of singing and dancing but now more mentoring. The brains behind it all is first grade teacher Jane Volden. She created a Voweletics. It's a reading program that focuses on vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension for kindergartners through second grade.
"When children understand the vowel patterns and why words sound the way they do, then they can duplicate that in multiple words," said Volden.
Three years in and the program has expanded. The older students who have gone through the program now mentor the younger students.
"I like helping little kids read and it's a lot of fun," said a fifth grade mentor.
So far the school has seen great success. The first graders are reading at a third grade level. You can see the results in their testing. More than 80 percent of kindergarteners through second graders are scoring at or above reading standards.
"I've noticed that at a younger age not only do kids enjoy reading, but they can tell you what they read," said principal, David Hobin.
At the same time putting the fun back into reading.
"It is very joyful to look back and to watch those children having that much fun learning to read," said Volden.
It has caught on at other schools as well. A school in Wisconsin has picked it up, plus there are instructional videos online for teachers as well.