 I’m Maria Thompson and I teach fifth grade ELA at Lincoln Elementary, a small public school in rural Pennsylvania. Our school serves a lot of lower-income families and we don’t always have access to the latest programs or curriculum. Like many teachers, I’m always searching for quality resources that are both effective and free. That’s how I found ReadWorks. This past year, I had a student named Alex who reminded me why the right tools can make all the difference. Alex came to us in January after moving from another district. He was quiet and avoided eye contact. During reading time, he barely touched his paper. I learned from his file that he was reading well below grade level and had struggled for years with both decoding and comprehension. He almost never participated in class discussions.  I could tell reading had become something he feared. It broke my heart to see how shut down he was. I knew I needed to try something different to reach him. I started using ReadWorks regularly with my class. We began with the Article-A-Day routine. The short nonfiction texts were perfect for building stamina and background knowledge without overwhelming struggling readers. For Alex, I chose articles on science and animals because those were the only topics that seemed to spark even a little interest. I also had him use the audio feature so he could listen as he followed along. This helped take the pressure off and allowed him to focus on understanding the content instead of getting stuck on every word. After a few weeks, something amazing happened. We were reading an article about honeybees and how they communicate. Out of nowhere, Alex raised his hand and said, “They dance to tell the other bees where to go.” It was the first time he had voluntarily spoken in front of the class. The room went silent for a second, and then another student responded, and just like that, Alex was part of the conversation. "After a few weeks, something amazing happened. We were reading an article about honeybees and how they communicate. Out of nowhere, Alex raised his hand and said, “They dance to tell the other bees where to go.”  From that moment on, he started showing up differently. He wrote more in his Book of Knowledge journal. He asked questions. He even started helping one of our multilingual students during group work. I could see his confidence growing every single week.| "By the end of the year, Alex had made more than a full year’s growth in reading. His comprehension scores improved, but more importantly, he believed in himself again." By the end of the year, Alex had made more than a full year’s growth in reading. His comprehension scores improved, but more importantly, he believed in himself again. He went from being a silent observer to a student who shared his ideas, asked thoughtful questions, and even helped lead a small group during a Mars Rover reading project. He brought in a model he built at home and proudly explained how it worked. ReadWorks made that possible. It gave me tools I could actually use, right away, with no extra prep or cost. The audio support, vocabulary tools, and high-interest texts allowed me to reach Alex where he was and move him forward. Every student deserves access to texts that make them feel smart and seen. Every teacher deserves resources that are easy to use and truly effective. ReadWorks is both. Written by: Maria Thompson, 5th grade ELA Teacher, Pottstown, PA.Thank you so much to Maria for submitting this story to our Impact Story Collection Contest—it was selected as a winner! We are truly grateful for the time it took to write and share both these words and the wonderful images from this fun classroom.
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