Teachers at Washington Township Schools are dedicated to supporting students on their journey toward becoming confident readers. But for some students, this journey can feel like an uphill climb. To help motivate and encourage striving readers, Allisonville Elementary teachers have added another tool to their kit: VOX Books.
VOX Books are audio-enabled book readers that live in print books. The permanently attached VOX Reader transforms an ordinary picture, chapter or informational book into an all-in-one read-along. No need for computers or tablets—students simply push a button to listen and read. This not only makes reading more accessible to young readers, but also way more fun.
“The best way for students to get better at reading is by reading,” says Elizabeth Gill, 2nd grade teacher at Allisonville Elementary. “The VOX Books are highly engaging, and increase student motivation and enjoyment as they are building reading skills like decoding, fluency and comprehension.”
In 2022, thanks to our donors, the Foundation was able to provide Ms. Gill with a grant for three sets of VOX Books to be used in 2nd grade classrooms. Used as part of independent reading time, the books spanned a range of reading levels, and included diverse characters and themes. The moment the books arrived in classrooms, the students couldn’t wait to get their hands on them.
“These books were a really fun experience for me,” says Astrid, a former student of Ms. Gill’s. “In 2nd grade, I was reading those VOX Books every day.”
Her fellow students echoed that sentiment, explaining the impact the books made on their reading skills.
“They helped me with my reading because the books said the words that were harder,” says Etta. “The books showed me how to say the words when I wasn’t sure.”
“The VOX Books made reading more fun,” adds Lydia. “It was like someone was reading it to you, but you can look at the words and learn to read along with it. It helped me with spelling and grammar, too.”
It was official: the VOX Books were a hit. So much so that the need for growth quickly became clear. In fall 2024, 2nd grade teacher Jacqueline Miller received a Foundation grant to expand Allisonville’s VOX Books collection to include all 2nd grade classrooms.
Ms. Miller’s 2nd grade class learning about the Foundation grant and the VOX Books they’re going to receive.
“Second grade is an important year to build and solidify foundational phonics and reading skills,” says Ms. Miller. “Students are in their final year of learning to read before they transition to reading to learn. More VOX Books will help us target a wider group of students.”
Miles, another former student of Ms. Gill’s, says he was a reluctant reader in 2nd grade—but that changed with the arrival of VOX Books.
“When I read the books to myself, I felt like it was harder to get the information into my head,” he says. “But with the VOX Books, the information actually went to my head. It was a lot less stressful for me. It made me excited to read other books, too.”
Striving readers, or students who need extra help to reach grade-level reading standards, have also found success with the VOX Books.
“The year I received the grant, I had two students who were each two years below grade level in their reading at the beginning of the year,” says Ms. Gill. “They both made more than a year’s worth of reading growth since we introduced the VOX Books. They were very engaged and would read, reread and reread them.”
The impact of these books can be seen not only in the classroom, but also in the IREAD exam, the statewide test designed to measure reading skills.
“One of the classrooms with the highest IREAD passing rate read the VOX Books regularly, and we believe it contributed to their success,” says Ms. Miller. “Our goal at Allisonville is to increase that passing rate every year, and we believe more of these books in our classrooms can help us accomplish that goal.”
With this new grant, the next generation of Allisonville 2nd graders will have the opportunity to explore new worlds with VOX Books. When Ms. Miller’s students were told about the grant and the new books coming their way (see the video above!), the room burst into excited squeals. Students hurriedly grabbed their headphones and began reading the array of fiction and non-fiction books before them. One student couldn’t contain her joy, bouncing in her seat as she flipped through her first, second and third reads of the morning.
“I wasn’t so sure about reading before,” she says. “But now I love to read!”
“Ultimately, we want our students to have a life-long love of reading,” says Ms. Gill. “We want them to see themselves as readers who can use their skills to achieve future goals and access needed information. And these grants can help us achieve that.”
“My biggest goal with this grant is to get a variety of books into the hands of all striving readers at Allisonville, in 2nd grade and beyond,” says Ms. Miller. “Engaging these students in books they want to read and that look similar to books read by others at their grade level gives them the opportunity to be proud of what they are reading. I want each and every student to develop a lifelong love of reading—and this is a great place to ignite that spark.”
Original article found here.
