Welcome to our class web page!

Welcome to Title One at Giles School. Click on the links below to learn about the Title One Reading Program.
What is Title One?	Mission Statement		Program Description	Discipline Policy
		Check out these cool websites! *Parents: to ensure that your child is getting the most out of the websites, please sit and play with them. Play and Learn with Clifford The Big Red Dog Students can help finish and read a story. They can also play games to help improve their letter and sound recognition. (Scholastic) Help Binky Barnes from Arthur put together a story Binky needs your help to fix his mixed-up story. Search this site for other reading games to play. (pbskids) Starfall Here students can read and interact with stories. They can learn about the ABC’s, how to sound out a word, the vowels, how to construct sentences, and much, much more! Parents will also love this site for the free downloads storybooks and writing journals.
What is Title One?		The Title I program is an Illinois State funded grant that provides financial assistance to Local Educational Agencies to meet the educational needs of children. This assistance is designed to improve the educational opportunities of children and help them succeed in the regular school program, attain grade-level proficiency, and improve achievement in basic and more advance skills. What are the qualification guidelines for Title One? Children who qualify are those whose educational achievement is below the appropriate level for children of their age. The procedure for selecting Title I students follow these criteria: The total reading score taken from a standardized test is below the set criteria in the Title I grant. Students scoring in the Stanines 1, 2, or 3 on the CAT and/or the Gates will meet these criteria. Students are recommended for testing by their classroom teacher. Students are recommended for testing by their parents. Students with IEP goals for reading cannot also receive Title I reading help. Students receiving ESL/Bilingual assistance can also receive Title I reading help. Non-English speaking students are excluded, however. How are students exited from the program? Children can be dismissed from the Title I program for different reasons. Sometimes their skills improve and scores are raised. At other times, a student may be removed from the program at their parents’ wishes. (If a parent removes their child from the program, that student may not re-enter the program until qualifying the following school year.)
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Mission Statement		The Norridge District 80 Title I program goals are to inspire a lifelong desire to learn, to promote pride in always doing one’s best, and to foster positive self esteem. We will try to achieve these goals by specializing in various small group-teaching methods and activities designed to reach students with special needs in Reading, enabling these students to be successful in school and in life.
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Program Description		Title I is a class offered to students who require extra help in reading. Students may be referred into Title I by teachers, parents, and test scores. Low standardized test scores and need determined by informal assessments may also qualify a student for Title I. Students in Title I will work one-one with a teacher or in small groups. They will practice reading skills, study skills, and occasionally receive help with skills and topics of regular classroom work. Small group activities or study groups will be used and comprehension, word attack, study skills, organizational skills, and developing responsibility will also be addressed in Title I. An incentive program will be used. The following list of activities and strategies will be used in Title I. Please note that this list is all-inclusive for grades K-8. Ø Phonics and Word Attack Skills Ø Clarify unclear words and ideas by rereading and discussing Ø Clarify unclear words and ideas by using context (pictures, surrounding text) Ø Predicting what will happen and what we will learn using textual clues Ø Asking questions before and after reading to internalize information and read actively Ø Summarizing important story events and information in own words Ø Guided reading and modeling Ø Continued contact with teachers to gain insights that might be helpful Ø Responsibility, organization, and pride Ø Building self-esteem Ø Incentive program offered to reward hard work and improvements Ø Test taking skills Ø Study skills
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Discipline Policy		Because the number one priority in Title I Reading is to have your child achieve at his/her grade level in reading, the following discipline plan will be utilized in the reading classroom: Reading Classroom Rules 1. Come to class prepared to work. 2. Treat all adults, children and property with courtesy and respect. 3. Work quietly and stay on task. 4. Try your best ALWAYS!! Consequences for Breaking a Rule 1. Verbal warning 2. Note sent to teacher. Loss of recess. 3. Call parents as soon as possible. Child sent back to class. Rewards Praise, Stickers, Happy Notes, and Phone Calls
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If you have any question or concerns, please feel free to call me at school. I can be reached at Giles at (708) 453-4847. You can also e-mail me by clicking on the link below.

Mrs. Schultheis