Kelly Hess

Hess' "Project Teamwork" takes a team-effort approach to ensure that no student is left behind, or held back, when it comes to reading. Each student in Hess' third-grade class has a reading program that is tailored to his or her individual level - the students choose books in different genres that are level-appropriate, which helps sustain their interest and increases their comprehension. The books, along with vocabulary and reading comprehension games, are available for the parents to sign-out in "Read-at-Home" book bags. This helps the parents to become actively engaged in their children's reading. As students progress over time, they are given more advanced books to read.