Programs: Writing Workshop
Service Projects
Purpose
The CPS/OSU Literacy Partnerships enrich reading and writing learning for two groups of students: 1) elementary students, who are tutored in reading and writing each week and 2) Ohio State first-year English 110.03/193.03 students. In conjunction with the teachers and principals at Medary and Trevitt, Ohio State teachers and their students design reading and writing activities that will help the elementary students improve their reading and writing skills with the goal of showing their improvement on tests (Target Teach and State of Ohio Proficiency tests, for instance) required by Columbus Public Schools and the State of Ohio. Both schools have been targeted because they are below state standards for reading and writing test scores.At each site, OSU students work with CPS students under the supervision of OSU and CPS faculty and OSU graduate students. At both Trevitt and Medary an OSU instructor teaching the service-learning course or an OSU faculty or graduate student on-site liaison, or "site coordinator," works with teachers of the elementary school students to supervise tutoring.
Through these partnerships, elementary school students receive one-on-one, or one-on-two tutoring with reading and writing skills. That work has three primary goals:
-
To support reading and writing instruction being done in the elementary classroom in ways that best fit each school. Currently, this support includes working with the CPS unified reading and writing program for K-1st graders that aligns with proficiency test standards and the Ohio Academic Content Standards in English Language Arts (Tapie,Tracy
- "A New Strategy for Achieving in the Columbus Public Schools," p. 19). http://www.columbus.k12.oh.us/website.nsf/Homepage/Reading?opendocument
- To contribute to the goal of raising statewide achievement test scores.
- To encourage elementary school students about learning, possibly about going to college in the future.
- To give OSU students an opportunity to learn about literacy skills in a hands-on environment, and to do writing and reading activities that have real-world purposes.
- To help OSU students learn more about the educational system and its challenges and strengths, and to provide an opportunity for community service.
- To provide OSU students an authentic situation for collaborative learning.
