Sunday, January 27, 2002
Saturday school serves students
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
cwilloughby@advertiser-tribune.com
Remember to indent paragraphs, to use details and make sure to include the "who, where and when'' of the story.
Those were writing pointers passed on to a group of fourth graders in a classroom taught by Molly Pope at Bettsville School. Rather than watching cartoons or sleeping in on Saturday morning, these youngsters are brushing up on skills in writing, math, science and citizenship.
The Saturday Intervention sessions were created five years ago through a grant, said Superintendent Jane Garling. Although grant money is no longer available, the program proved to be so important to the students' success, it was continued with teacher volunteers.
Besides Pope, who is ordinarily a special education teacher, middle school teacher Michelle Dantuono, Maria Miller and technology coordinator Jeff Lynch work with students each Saturday morning from January through March. Students in grades four through six get extra help to prepare them for proficiency testing in the spring.
Garling also helps out, giving one on one attention to students. On an exercise where they were to use descriptive words in a story, Garling stood in front of the room, asking students how they would describe her.
"You wouldn't just say that I had pants on,'' she told them. "What kind of pants am I wearing? If you were to say blue Levi jeans, that would describe them. What else?''
"You have a white turtleneck on,'' one young girl exclaimed.
"Very good,'' Garling replied. "See how it makes a difference.''
Pope asked the group of five fourth grade girls to write a story with a beginning, middle and end. The characters were several mice, each which needed a name, and a plot to react to.
"When you write, do you just do one copy?'' Pope asked the students.
"No,'' was the correct response.
They were to go ahead and write the first draft of their story. Spelling mistakes were allowed, as they would be editing them at a later date.
"Get as many details in there as you can,'' she reminded them. "Make it interesting. Remember your written checklist. If you don't remember, you can check the written checklist. Think of a creative way to start the story.''
As the five girls struggled with their stories, both Pope and Garling checked their progress. Some read their stories out loud to them. Others were told to correct or add more detail.
"Try four or five sentences for a good paragraph,'' Pope reminded them all, "at least for today. You can always add. This is just our first rough draft.''
Garling said 17 students signed up for Saturday's first session, the most registered for the program to date. Other students worked on math problems, brushed up on science skills or worked in the computer lab.
"It has grown over the years,'' Garling said of the program. "We try to make it as much fun as possible, with a different atmosphere from everyday.''
"We encourage the reluctant reader to read here, the reluctant writer to write here,'' she added. "They really don't feel like they are being singled out. They all love it, getting the special attention.''
"It's a treat for everyone I think,'' Garling said. "It's also good for all of the kids to see that everyone can learn more.''