Our October Star of the Month is Andrew, a sixth grader at Custer Baker Intermediate School in Franklin, IN, who has made incredible progress with Read Naturally! Here is what his teacher, Ms. Jefry, wrote about him:

"Andrew is a 6th grader with the heart of a reader, but initially struggled to read a passage on his own. When he joined Read Naturally intervention, his fluency was 40 wcpm. Within months, his fluency grew to 120 wcpm and continues to climb. He maintained his comprehension skills over the summer, even arriving on his first day of the new school year asking about a follow-up to one of last year’s stories. Not only has Andrew tripled his fluency over the past year, but when he started intervention, he struggled to complete a level 3.0 story and crossword puzzle without lots of help—he listened, learned, participated, and practiced, and now he is able to complete a level 7.0 story and crossword puzzle! Now Andrew can summarize each week’s story with details and confidence.  

Andrew uses this intervention to his benefit because he really does want to grow and succeed. He is an example of what a hardworking, dedicated student truly is, and he is excited every day to see what challenge is up next. Andrew used to feel stressed and often asked to unwind by coloring a picture after reading aloud with our group or attempting to complete the accompanying crossword puzzle, but now he chooses to read his library book independently to unwind instead.

When asked about Andrew’s performance in other classes, his math teacher said he has shown “great growth in the ability to work independently and that is due in part to his improved reading skills.” Andrew’s science teacher shared that he shows much more confidence now, and he even volunteers to help others in class. His language arts teacher is happy that Andrew now raises his hand to read aloud in front of his class, which is something he rarely did before Read Naturally. She also stated that she can tell his fluency has “improved tremendously.”  

We are all so proud of Andrew. The dedication he has shown to reading is inspiring. Andrew still has the heart of a reader, and he reads with pride knowing he puts the work in to achieve his goal of becoming a better reader. He continues to attend Read Naturally intervention so he can continue to soar. I suspect he will be a lifelong reader looking for which story awaits him next."

Keep up the great work, Andrew! 

Do you have a student like Andrew? Nominating them to be a Read Naturally Star of the Month only takes a few minutes! Just share why they deserve special recognition for their hard work. 

Winners receive:

  • $50 Barnes & Noble gift card (for the student)
  • $50 Amazon gift card (for the teacher)
  • $200 Read Naturally gift card (for the school)