Welcome to Bridge Academy! Big Smile School!
2023 Wizard Reading Summer Program / 8 Weeks, Starts June 26
What is the Wizard Reading Program?
Wizard Reading is a holistic reading program that promotes the valuable habit of loving to read books and helps develop the subjective ability to internalize and organize learning for academic
achievement. Additionally, it assists in building confidence by improving the ability to articulate and express oneself clearly when presenting information. - Let them be Independent Readers!
The first Phase: The art of reading (3 Weeks)
EMPATHETIC ONE-TO-ONE READING. Empathetic One-to-One Reading.
The core of Wizard Reading is to establish a relationship of trust between teachers and students. In the initial stages of reading, a trained Wizard program teacher is needed to respond appropriately to the type of student reaction (shy, indifferent, or distractible). Students must understand that it takes time to form a relationship of trust with their teacher, and this relationship of trust is defined as an open personal trust relationship in which they voluntarily explain their thoughts to the Wizard Tutor, much like the rapport necessary for healthy counseling conversations between a counselor and a client in psychology.
To help students read books with an open attitude, trained Tutors' guidance is necessary.
Reading immersion may vary depending on the student's level of interest in topics and flow. However, even though the content may be exciting, reading can become boring or interrupted when the flow of content is lost during the superficial process of reading. To become a student who loves reading, it is helpful to guide the flow of reading like someone taking their hand and walking together. For example, being guided by the proper tone, expression, and reactions to the content, and inducing and conversing with the student's thoughts through open-ended questions (not just yes/no answers) are necessary steps to help reading progress in a serious manner.
An open-ended question is a question that prompts the student to describe their thoughts. For example, "How did the conversation between the lion and Edmund go?" helps understand the conversation's content and prompts the student's explanation of why it went well or poorly based on that understanding. However, if you ask, "Did the conversation between the lion and Edmund go well?" it is generally followed by silence after a yes answer.
Phase 2: The Art of Annotation(3 Weeks)
During reading, it is necessary to train oneself to internalize and organize the content of learning through annotation or explanation of interesting or impressive content in the book. This process provides the learning skills necessary to succeed in various subjects in school through reading. Annotation is one of the most effective training methods for internalizing/organizing learning. Currently, almost all public schools in the California area have strict regulations that require all textbooks to be neatly used and returned due to budget cuts. As a result, students are fundamentally prohibited from using the most important primary learning internalization/organizing skills, such as recording what they have learned in their own way directly in the book. Furthermore, the ability to directly indicate key content, underline important parts of the text, or connect content to each other is the most essential problem-solving skill required in preparing for the SAT/ACT exams or reading college applications in the future. For example, College Board provides the following critical reading problem-solving tips.
The above page provides guided tips officially provided by College Board for achieving good SAT Reading Comprehension scores. Direct annotating with underlining, marking, circling, *, or simple notes is encouraged to effectively grasp key points in the passage and connect them to the questions, as indicated by the red lines. However, annotating techniques displayed in the text are prohibited for all students on SAT Reading (and all question types in SAT and ACT), denying them the opportunity to develop proficiency. Additionally, for college students who need to read numerous required readings and summarize key points in a short period of time, annotating becomes an essential study skill. Mastering annotation skills now provides a reliable competitive edge for children's future education.
Be a Confident Speaker(2 Weeks)
The final stage is expressing one's thoughts confidently and articulately. After developing the ability to concentrate on reading and summarize or visualize its content, the next step is training to confidently explain one's understanding and thinking to others. As a preparatory stage for this process, practicing reading books aloud to the Wizard Tutor in a rhythmic and loud voice during previous training sessions is very helpful. By continuing the process of empathizing with the Wizard Tutor and reading and explaining loudly, one can gain confidence in speaking or explaining in front of others. Especially when practicing reading aloud with a Wizard Tutor who encourages one's voice and reading style becomes a source of confidence, one's confidence in expressing oneself in front of others increases. This confidence leads to a positive reinforcing cycle of expressing one's thoughts more calmly and richly.
Teaching speech is a specialized field. Bridge Academy trains Wizard Tutors according to a training program designed by experts.