Jennifer Wahlstrand

Wahlstrand's "Read and Write to Achieve: Improving First Grade Literacy and Language Development" program is designed to help students learn to read by bridging the literacy gap that often occurs between school and home. Students take home literacy tote bags each night to practice reading outside of class. Each tote bag contains books that range in difficulty for beginning to advanced readers, in addition to language development activities that can be checked out on a weekly basis. The contents of the tote bag also come with instructions in both English and the student's native language, making it possible for parents to get involved in the process. The students are assessed on their reading skills with the teacher biweekly. As each student progresses in his or her reading skills, the child earns recognition for his or her achievement.