Intervention Specialist - Mrs. Woolf
• Return to Main Teacher/Staff List
Mrs. Jenifer Woolf is the Intervention Specialist at St. Brigid. Mrs. Woolf has been teaching for 35 years, 21 of them at St. Brigid School. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehead State University and her Master of Education degree from Wright State University. She also has a reading endorsement that she earned at the University of Dayton. Mrs. Woolf has taught in the Cedarville, Jamestown, and Yellow Springs school districts. She also directed the Xenia City Schools Adult Education program and is a trained Literacy Tutor Trainer. She has a K-12 certificate and works with students in all grades of our school.
“I am delighted to teach at St. Brigid where all the faculty has worked hard to help students who need modifications and interventions to succeed in the regular classrooms. The belief that ‘If it is essential for one, it could be beneficial for all’ has been embraced by the faculty, and many of the supports needed for students are just part of the regular student day for all. Brain Gym is used in the lower hall by all students, along with picture schedules for students who need to know the organization of the day, and all classrooms have silent timers. Through the use of Letter People and Grandma’s Math, the basics of reading and math are taught through picture symbol relationships to all the students. The technology available to read books or tests to students has been helpful to students in the older grades. When students need extra help, I am able to work with them in small groups but more often one-on-one. The extra help is flexible time and is only given when needed. Students can come and go from the support group when they feel they are now understanding the concept taught.”
Links of Interest to Parents and Students
Reading Skills:
Reading is a skill that must be practiced like any sport is practiced. Help your student spend time reading everyday and model the skill yourself. In today’s busy world, sports often get a lot of practice time and academics do not. For younger children who can’t read yet, simple puzzles and board games can help develop skills needed later for reading and, of course, there should be a bedtime story. Try not to let the TV be on during the school week. Learn about studies that have been conducted regarding TV’s in children’s rooms.
TV and Grades:
http://www.utdanacenter.org/k12mathbenchmarks/tasks/29_tvtestgrades.php
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2006-10-02-gaming-grades_x.htm
Should TV’s be in a child’s bedroom?:
http://parentstv.org/PTC/publications/rgcolumns/2007/1015.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/04well.html?em
Accelerated Reader Program:
St. Brigid School utilizes the Accelerated Reader Program in 3rd through the 8th grade. This program promotes reading skills through the use of books the students choose to read from the library. After reading the book of their choice, the student can take a comprehension test on the computers in the library or the classroom and see how closely they read the book. Teachers set point levels the students need to achieve on an individual basis. Strong readers are able to read longer and more challenging books during the same reading time as other students are reading books geared to their level instead of all reading the same thing. St. Brigid owns over 2,000 books with tests on our computers, and we add more every year. We always try to add the popular books students enjoy reading such as: The Harry Potter Series, Magic Tree House books, Junie B. Jones, Series of Unfortunate Events, Chronicles of Narnia and many, many more. A list of quizzes that St. Brigid owns are at this link. If you and your student want to find a book at another library to use with our program, just check the list, which is in alphabetical order by title.
Math Skills:
For the very young child, math skills can be developed by playing simple board games like Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, and the like. Counting and one to one correspondence are learned in these games. Games that utilize number cards as the way to move ahead also help a child recognize the numbers. For children in school who need to practice the math facts, two great sites for this practice are:
http://www.AAAmath.com
http://www.facts4me.com