SCHOOL CLASSROOMS

Resources
Welcome to the Resource web page. There are many things happening in the Resource Department this year. Two people currently make up our Resource department: Mrs. Margie Erich and Mr. Patrick Schiefelbein (Title I).  We also have volunteers who tutor students individually on a weekly basis.

Resource Services
Our Lady Queen of Peace School offers services to students above and beyond their classroom experiences. We are fortunate to have talented and dedicated teachers at our school who make every effort to meet the needs of all of their students. Some students need additional help, either on a regular basis or just for a short time. This is where the Resource Department can offer assistance. Assessment tools are used to diagnose the nature of a student’s difficulty and determine activities and strategies to strengthen weak areas.

Title I
Catapult Learning provides Title I services to our students. Small group instruction is given to provide students more individualized attention in areas that need to be strengthened.  Mr. Schiefelbein has been with us for many years and works in partnership with the faculty to meet the needs of the students in reading and math.

Reading
Reading in resource consists of various strategies and activities designed to strengthen proficiency in reading. First graders are instructed using Early Reading Empowerment techniques developed specifically for the first grade student. Vocabulary, phonics, writing, and leveled reading activities make up the structured lessons. Students in K5 practice their letters and sounds along with pre-reading exercises. Older students study word families and vocabulary and read leveled text, both orally and silently. Oral reading is practiced to develop fluency. Comprehension and writing activities are included in the lesson design.

Math
Students who are struggling in math may attend the Title I small group classes.  Mr. Schiefelbein uses the Directed Math Activity Strategy to teach math skills and concepts.  A variety of math manipulatives are used to help students struggling with math.  They use cubes, blocks, fraction bars and more to build their hands-on understanding of concepts before moving on to pictorial representations and algorithms. Lessons reinforce basic math fact knowledge as well as problem solving skills. Students also receive additional assistance from the resource teacher or tutors if they are experiencing difficulty with concepts being studied in the classroom.

Excel Program
The Excel Program offers students challenging supplements to their regular curriculum. Students can research a topic in depth and present their findings in a variety of ways.  Students have created games, made posters or comic books, and written reports on their findings.  They have also created children’s stories or mystery stories following a writing process and developed creative ways, such as games, plays, and booklets, to present their stories. Activities in deductive reasoning and problem solving are also offered as well as two levels of Challenge Math. Students who are eligible are encouraged to take the SAT test early, in 7th or 8th grade, through the Johns Hopkins University Talent Search program.

Web Sites for Students and Parents
http://www.coolmath.com/
http://www.aplusmath.com/
http://www.kidsreads.com/