On Feb. 13, Willets Road students, Christopher Acosta, Tresha Isaac, Angelo Martello, Brody O’Donohoe, Navneet Saini and Brendan Temkints, were invited to participate in an after school based activity titled Ruff Readers.
Ruff Readers, a new pilot club at Willets Road, is a partnership between our students and Bideawee’s Therapy Dogs Reading program. This program allows children to read to a non-judgmental audience, a receptive animal, and helps them gain self-confidence to improve their reading skills.
Studies show that canine assisted reading increases motivation, fluency and makes reading fun.
In preparation for the event, students borrowed books, practiced reading and developed a high level of motivation to read.
During the program, children took turns reading and sharing their books with their new furry friends.
They did not want the session to end. When asked for their feedback, they told their teachers how much they loved it and asked when they could sign up to come back again.
