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SCHENECTADY
Reading center eager to build on last year’s success
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

    A Different Way In Reading Center officials are excited about the start of the school year after their students made such strides in their literacy last year.
    The center started last September offering free tutoring to dyslexic and struggling readers for one hour three times a week. The after-school program is housed at the Westminster Presbyterian Church but is not affi liated with the parish. About 26 students participated in the first year.
    Roberta Read, one of the program tutors, said the first class of students showed remarkable gains — an average increase of three grade levels in word skills.
    “We could tell the kids were really engaged. The kids felt they were making progress and parents felt they were making progress,” she said.
    Lisa Fine, another instructor, said she was also pleased with the gains. “These kids would not be expected to make one year’s progress in one year,” she said.
    A Different Way In uses a multisensory program called “alphabetic phonics,” in which students see, touch and hear letters. Students learn the rules of words and how to break up the words into different sounds.
    Each lesson starts out with alphabet review followed by sound cards and name cards, Read said. Then, there is spelling, in which the student is given a sound and writes it on the rug, in gelatin or in some other material to get the tactile feeling of making the movements. Then, new concepts of learning are introduced. Each lesson builds on the next and students make links to what they’ve already learned to understand the new concept. They also practice spelling and reading. ....................>>>>...........................>>>>.....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01601&AppName=1