Brunswick County Teachers Abuzz over HillRAP
I would like to say that this program is a godsend. The kids literally RUN to my room for their HillRAP. They feel as if they are the chosen few. With the oral drill, they love the expectation of answering in complete sentences instead of being allowed to use elem. gibberish. They love the competition of timed fluency, always striving to do better. The stories are interesting and the follow-up activities using all modalities make it even more exciting. For ex. they are looking forward to making their OWN garden mural. As for me, I would love to use this program with all of my children. Children need and love the structure and the expected. They don't like the unknown. Also, the fast pace doesn't allow for boredom or down time, pitfalls of education. As for professional growth, it has helped me tremendously with organization and data keeping.Long live the HILL!!
Rea Ehling, Southport Elementary
Several students approached me to inform me that Hill Rap is helping them. One in particular is an ESL fifth grade student. About a month ago, he told me that the "rules" were helping him in class and that his teacher told him that she could see an improvement in his ability. This student really struggles in class and is making progress and feeling good about it. I have seen a difference in his fluency as well. This has in turn affected his comprehension. I really enjoy teaching Hill Rap. I am currently working on my M.E.D in Reading and many of my papers have gone right along with the methodology of Hill Rap and proven research. I think this is a great program that will make a huge difference in our students reading ability and teacher's ability to teach reading! I have learned a lot from this program!
Erika Currin
Hill Rap Interventionist
Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary
Waccamaw School
My students love coming to HillRAP because they receive individualized instruction and support in an environment that is safe and nurturing. They literally chart and SEE their progress on a daily basis as they master word lists and graph their fluency rate, all kept in a personal notebook, giving them ownership of the process. (They also want to know when "that lady" is coming back to make sure we are following the HillRAP commandments).
Dave Morris, Union Elementary
HillRAP Reading works! I have teacher's who have come to me and wanted to know how it works. They are able to tell a difference in the student's work, especially oral questioning. They are willing to answer questions with confidence in class. Classroom teachers want to come in and observe what is going on because the students are going back and telling them that they like what they are doing in my class. That in turn, makes me more confident in what I am doing and willing to let them come in to listen. I am more organized than ever. There is still a lot to learn but with help of the supportive Hill Center staff and my supervisor I am well on the way to a wonderful year.
Mary Helen Hinson, Shallotte Middle
Kristin- As a middle school HillRAP instructor, the most important result of this program to me is the increased self-esteem and self-confidence my students exhibit as a side effect of their improved reading and comprehension skills. After years of not being good readers, they are starting to believe that they can be successful! They take this program very seriously, especially my eighth graders, and seem to see it as one last chance to learn to read better. Thanks for a chance to express my appreciation for this program.
Charlene Ward , South Brunswick Middle
I have seen the confidence of students improve and thus their performance in their classrooms improve. One 4th grade teacher commented that a HillRAP students' fluency had improved a lot. Also, as a HillRAP teacher, I am now ready to be a winner on Wheel of Fortune!! I think I am more capable of figuring out those letter combinations!
Ramona Parker, Supply Elementary
The opportunity to work in a 4:1 ratio with students who have shown little response to other methods of teacher reading is amazing. The little successes that I see daily and the long-term changes in their reading ability has been very validating. These students are excited to come to reading class and think that reading is fun, they want to keep reading more and push themselves to higher levels. This program also makes me more reflective in my teaching practices as I am constantly looking at what skills students have opportunities to grow in and where they are mastered. It's a way of thinking that makes every day rewarding.
Quotes from my students:
"It's fun!" "It makes us read better" ~Xavier B.
"Making Connections helps you read because you have to read sentences and figure out answers" ~Amir F.
"It's fun!" "It's educational, I want to learn more." ~Saul A.
"Helps us sound out words." "We get smarter by learning." ~Justin M.
Lindy Hilton, Jessie Mae Monroe
I am using HillRAP as a reading intervention for some of my EC students. I was considering discontinuing due to several scheduling conflicts and I didn't know if it was benefitting the student. The very next morning his regular ed teacher came to me and said that she was amazed at the progress he has made! She stated "he actually read on grade level...I didn't think he would ever do that." I decided that the group should remain....it was great getting a fresh dose of motivation!
Ashley Mintz, Town Creek
Most of us know that young children come to school with a variety of experiences and with unique developmental levels. When those essential aspects of reading are presented in the school setting, some children are simply not neurologically or developmentally ready to acquire those basic skills necessary to become proficient readers. The beauty of HillRAP is that those essential aspects of reading are presented to students in a wonderfully organized system at a time when they are better able to assimilate and utilize the concepts.
I have been impressed with the progress of my former Exceptional Children students, who seemed to be exclusively "whole word" learners, as they have become more and more proficient with phonemic awareness and phonics skills. My two English as a Second Language students, who have often missed those beginning instructional pieces, exhibit more confidence as they experience success in a classroom situation with peers, perhaps the first time. But maybe the most noteworthy are those students who have not been behavior problems or received special services. When I input the Skill Tracking information for individual students, I am reminded of how far these students have come since the beginning assessments in August.
During the very first week of the program, one of my students said to me, "This is my very last chance to make it." When I think about it,that is what HillRAP is all about-providing students the opportunity to succeed.
Toni O’Keefe, Southport Elementary
I am seeing a growth in confidence with my students in HillRAP. They are gaining more confidence using the rules and vocabulary we have worked on in class. One student said he used the word "austere" in another class and his teacher rewarded him for using such a great word!!!!!!! Of course, using all of this knowledge in daily life is the goal!
These students are also enjoying the small class size - they get lots of individual attention. The repetitive nature of the class is good - the students know what to expect each day. And they continue to work on skills until they master them. Since the components of the class are based on assessments, the students are working on the correct level and practicing skills that they need to work on. Therefore, they are having more success and making more progress.
Ruth Thompson, Leland Middle School
I feel HillRAP is a wonderful, structured program. My students are enjoying it. I even received a Christmas card from a student , (an 8th grader), who thanked me for being her HillRAP teacher. She stated that she can tell she is reading better, and that she gave the HillRAP program the credit for this.
Nancy McLaughlin, SBMS