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D2 Center

D2 Center Reading Strategies Course: Sharpen Your Reading Skills

by | Feb 7, 2012 | D2 Center Courses, General

The D2 Center is currently offering a course in Reading Strategies. Teacher Joan Hamilton, recently retired from Omaha Public Schools (OPS), has based the class on techniques from Read Right, seeking to answer the question, “What does it mean to read excellently?”

These techniques “give kids the opportunity and space to figure out how to read, because it’s a bit like riding a bike – you can tell them how to do it, but they have to figure it out for themselves,” Ms. Hamilton says.

Three techniques in this Reading Strategies course include:

Excellent Reading, where students hear a text as they read along

Coached Reading, a confidence-building approach where students read a new text

Critical Thinking, which incorporates reading aloud to younger family members at home for practice as well as to share the experience of reading with family. Critical Thinking also includes a journaling element to keep students thinking about the reading experience and how to make it better.

Ms. Hamilton, originally from Iowa, is a graduate of the College of St. Mary, with a Masters Degree from the University of Iowa and a PhD from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL). After a varied career including teaching and stints at a newspaper and in insurance, Ms. Hamilton taught Composition and 20th Century British and American Women’s Literature at UNL. She then moved to Omaha and ran the English as a Second Language (ESL) department at Omaha South High School for eleven years. It was at South that Ms. Hamilton first learned about Read Right, and in fact become certified herself “so I’d know what it was about” before implementing the program at South.

Of her D2 Center Reading Strategies students, Ms. Hamilton says, “For me, it’s fun to watch them grow.” We’re pleased to have Ms. Hamilton share her expertise here at the D2 Center. If you or someone you know is interested in boosting their reading skills and is in need of an elective high school credit, please contact the D2 Center staff at 402-502-8534 for more information. We also offer courses in math skills, literacy and life skills, and family health. Our classes are usually three weeks long for three or four hours a day. Class sizes are small with certified teachers, and scheduling is flexible to meet busy students’ needs. Please call us with questions, and stay tuned for more on our course offerings!

About Carolyn

Carolyn Miller is one of the directors of the D2 Center. She is a graduate of Omaha Northwest High School and the University of Iowa. Carolyn has been with the D2 Center since 2010.

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