Children Reading through Different Learning Styles

I found this great story in The Sheboygan Press:

Go to the Head of the Class:

Furry pals make reading fun at Longfellow School

Students from Longfellow Elementary School read to area dogs recently to bone up on their reading skills, thanks to a creative program developed by third-grade teacher Julie Hauck.

The program, which is open to second- and third-graders at Longfellow, is Pages for Preston Reading Therapy Dog Program.

Second-graders spend 30 minutes a week and third-graders 45 minutes a week to read to dogs from the Green Grove Dog Kennels/Green Grove Therapy Dogs.

"My goal is to provide a companion for my students to read to who will help them increase their reading fluency, attitude and confidence," said Hauck. "Therapy dogs are ideal for this job because they provide students the opportunity to read in a non-threatening atmosphere."

This allows students to focus on their reading instead of worrying about how others are judging their abilities.

"We are really enjoying it," said one of the teachers, implementing this program. "I was an elementary classroom teacher before I got into dog training and so the program combines my favorite things — children and dogs. The children seem to be excited to have the dogs come into the classroom and we work in reading circles, with the dogs and kids reading together."

The students also get the opportunity to assist in training the dogs with standard commands like sit, stay and come. This means that kids get to "practice" owning a pet before actually getting them. Which means more responsible pet owners, and less animals ending up in shelters.

Come join us in the web's most dynamic and fun online pet community at http://www.planet-pets.com and keep your finger on the pulse by signing up free to our monthly online newsletter, The Scoop today!