Why is Reading Book Camp Successful?

Many teachers and administrators have asked me these questions lately. Why is Reading Book Camp (so, unbelievably, phenomenally ) successful?  How do you take a class that is reading at the 20^th or 30^th percentile and move them to the 70^th or 80^th percentile in 20 days? My answers!

The Reason Reading Boot Camp Is Successful!

1. Language and reading is a function of auditory learning, students learn 6 times faster when listening, reading orally, and speaking.  Language and vocabulary are mastered with repetition and modeling. When a reading teacher relies too heavily on silent reading and silent writing activities, the speed of auditory learning is lost. By finding creative and effective ways to provide more listening, oral reading, and speaking activities during Reading Boot Camp, you can give all learners in your reading class an accelerated chance to develop their literacy skills. During Reading Boot Camp the students are ether reading text or listening to text being modeled the entire day. The repetition of seeing, hearing, and speaking daily builds pathways exponentially the further you get into the program the greater the automaticity. By day twenty, the brain pathways are automatic, automaticity has been achieved, the 2350 most used words are ready to use.

2. Reading Boot Camp is just that, camp, with camp counselors (teacher) providing highly focused fast, rigorous, challenging, fun listening, reading, and speaking activities all day long.

3. Students as teachers, using cooperative partners for 90% of the activities builds accountability for the teams, partners, and personal learning. Students are trained to work as teachers with the ability to run all Reading Boot Camp activities with little assistance from the teacher. Students know all expected learning outcomes and work to meet individual goals and team goals.  Students as teachers multiplies the effectiveness of on task behavior and helps student monitor individual progress and partners progress (Force Multiplier).

4. The 2350 most used English words including the Dolch sight words are modeled, read, written, or spoken 30-60 times per day during Reading Boot Camp. Students are also exposed to 10,000-20,000 new vocabulary words during the reading of a vast collection of literature that includes poems, plays, fairy tales, parables, fables, short stories and chapter books. Students build auditory English language skills with, idioms, cognates, definitions, and important examples of key phrases used in English.

80-90% of Reading Boot Camp activities use partners.

80-90% of Reading Boot Camp activities are done to maximize auditory learning.

100% of Reading Boot Camp activities are literacy based.

80-90% of Reading Boot Camp activities are 5-15 minutes in length.