Rebecca Sklepovich and Martin. Photo Contributed
From Student, Martin:
Becky and I go to the library each week, pick out books, read together and have fun. Some series of fiction books we have read are “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “Flat Stanley,” “I Survived” and “Captain Underpants.” We have also read non-fiction books — “The Guinness Book of World Records” and books about mysteries like the Bermuda Triangle and UFOs. We’ve even read graphic novels like “Baby Mouse.” By reading together, I’ve learned lots of new vocabulary and grown my knowledge. We’ve also done lots of fun activities — we did nature walks and art projects with Wright to Read, we finished scavenger hunts at the library and we went to the library book sale and picked out books to take home.
From Mentor, Becky:
Martin has been a delight to work with over the past year and a half. During our weekly trips to the library, I have seen him tackle a wider variety of books (non-fiction science, longer chapter books) with greater confidence. Martin’s reading has become far more expressive and enthusiastic, as he adds life to the stories he reads aloud. I’ve also watched his vocabulary, comprehension and analysis of text accelerate over the past year.
Martin’s family is extremely supportive of his literacy growth and they frequently take him on trips to the library and encourage his reading. At the end of last school year, Martin even won an award at Samuel Tucker Elementary for Most Growth in 4th grade. I’m proud to see all that he has accomplished and I look forward to seeing how much he grows in the future.
Additionally, Wright to Read has also been an amazing organization to volunteer for — there are frequent opportunities to connect with other volunteers, and learn and share best practices around literacy instruction. Wright to Read also hosts a variety of activities for students such as sports games, dinners, scavenger hunts and art projects.
Wright to Read provides volunteer-based one-on-one sustained literacy tutoring and mentoring relationships to City of Alexandria elementary school children in need, and collaborates with families, schools and community partners to create a comprehensive support network that guides each child to success. Wright to Read is a member of the Alexandria Mentoring Partnership (AMP). AMP was created in 2006 to ensure that quality mentors and mentor programs are available for Alexandria's youth and young adults in need. To learn more about Wright to Read, visit www.wrighttoread.org or to learn more about AMP, visit http://www.alexandriava.gov/Mentoring.