The students in ECCH 221 (Emergent Literacy) will be experiencing a unique field experience this semester thanks to a grant from the Benedict Silverman Foundation and course professor, Joyce Fanning!
Instead of actively participating and observing literacy in an elementary setting, students will be making a direct impact with K-2 students by providing 20 hours of one-on-one tutoring.
The students have completed a 10-hour training module in the science of reading produced by Reading Ready, an intervention for K-2 students that is widely utilized in NYC schools. The students are ready to roll up their sleeves and work with students from BPS Community School #89, the Lydia T Wright School of Excellence, behind ECMC. Each Canisius student has an individualized tutoring kit to support word reading skills along with phonological awareness for non-readers in grades K-2. Each tutor will work with two students, one-on-one, for 15-20 minutes at a time.
Elizabeth Turner, director of educational partnerships, hopes to expand this tutoring partnership with other BPS Community Schools by continuing to train each cohort of ECCH 221 students and then offer any childhood major the opportunity to be trained in a sister program, Reading Rescue. The grant will allow our students to be paid for tutoring services performed beyond the hours completed in their course. We are all excited to see how this opportunity benefits both the children at #89 and our aspiring teachers. Stay tuned!
Submitted by: Elizabeth Turner, director of educational partnerships, Teacher Education & Leadership Department
