Suzie Orton

"Literacy Links" is the winning program created by Orton for fourth and fifth-grade students at Benjamin Franklin Science Academy. The main goal of the program is to eliminate barriers between subject areas and bring relevance to learning for students. For the project, students' desks will be replaced with tables to enhance cooperative learning. Each classroom will have four computers, journals, listening stations, word walls and other literary materials. The project will also include a literacy block that will be divided into two sessions. The first session will include whole-group activities of daily 'read alouds' of fictional and non-fictional materials and word wall activities that will stimulate learning. The second session will provide literacy instruction through cooperative learning by placing participating students in groups of four by learning abilities. Orton, who lives in Wagoner, hopes that the program will benefit students by preparing them for success in college and the work force.