SitStayRead provides year-round programming for low-income students in kindergarten through third grades in Chicago Public Schools. Each grade’s curriculum is designed to support key literacy skills at that level. Each grade-level program is created in partnership with our Program Advisory Committee, which includes SitStayRead staff, volunteers, teachers, and faculty from the University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Literacy, University of Chicago, DePaul University, and Northeastern Illinois University.
Our Programs
Program Leader Jamie teaches a Kindergarten student how to pet a dog safely using a stuffed animal in the SitStayRead Kindergarten program. (M. O’Brien)
Kindergarten
In our new Kindergarten program, piloted in Spring 2018 and gradually expanding in Spring 2019, a team of two Book Buddies, one Dog Team, and a Program Leader visit a classroom for a one-hour visit, once a week, over six consecutive weeks. During each visit, the Program Leader engages the class in a read-aloud of a dog-themed picture book and group discussion. Students then transition to small group stations to work with Book Buddies. These stations are focused on sight words, writing, and Dog Team visits.
The goal of this program is to practice reading common high-frequency sight words and to identifying key details in a story. Dog Team visits introduce students to the concept of having dogs in their classroom and teach them dog safety skills.
Program Leader Sarah conducts a read aloud of Unlovable to a group of SitStayRead first grade students at Bond Elementary. (D. Sutton)
1st Grade | Little Buddies
In our Little Buddies program, a team of one Book Buddy, one Dog Team and a Program Leader visit a classroom for a one-hour visit, once a week. Little Buddies visits take place over the course of six consecutive weeks. Each class engages in a read aloud and group discussion, followed by an individual creative writing and drawing activity. This program focuses on big picture literacy skills like character identification, sequencing and listening comprehension. It also introduces students to the concept of having dogs in the classroom and has a special focus on social emotional learning.
Dog Team volunteer Lisa and her Certified Reading Assistance Dog Allie listen to a second grade student in the SitStayRead Tail Blazers program at Marquette Elementary. (J. Sall)
2nd Grade | Tail Blazers
In our Tail Blazers program, a team of three Book Buddies, three Dog Teams and a Program Leader visit a classroom for a one-hour visit, once a week, over the course of eight consecutive weeks. During these visits, Book Buddies lead small-group fluency activities and conduct structured brainstorming sessions, before supporting students in independent creative story writing. Students also spend one-on-one reading time with Dog Teams. The goal of this program is to improve reading fluency, while also building comprehension skills and written expression.
Book Buddy volunteer Annie helps a third grade SitStayRead student with writing their poem during a SitStayRead Poetry Pals program at Hendricks Elementary. (J. Sall)
3rd Grade | Poetry Pals
In our Poetry Pals program, a team of three Book Buddies, three Dog Teams and a Program Leader visit a classroom for a one-hour visit, once a week, over the course of six consecutive weeks. Poetry Pals visits include small-group reading activities, comprehensive discussions about the poems, and independent poetry writing with Book Buddies, as well as one-on-one reading time spent with Dog Teams. The goal of this program is to improve reading comprehension, while also building written expression.
Keep Reading Celebrations are a fun and essential piece of our programming. At the end of the school year, we hold a celebration at each of our partner schools, bringing all SitStayRead classrooms together in one space to celebrate the hard work that they have all done throughout the year. They get to visit with a SitStayRead Dog Team one last time before the summer begins, and volunteers get to hand out a Summer Reading Fun Pack to each student! Each Summer Reading Fun Pack includes supplies like pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, puzzle books, crayons, and a design-it-yourself notebook. And no Keep Reading Celebration is complete without books!
SitStayRead programs are provided at no cost to the partner school or parent. To ensure that our resources are going where they are most needed, it is important to us that schools seeking partnership with SitStayRead meet certain criteria. SitStayRead partners with schools where third graders score below the national average in reading and where the school is serving an economically fragile community. These criteria confirm that we are providing critical reading and writing help to those who are most in need.
While we are unable to visit with students for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, we are excited to share our love of reading virtually! Every Thursday, we’ll be posting videos featuring staff, volunteers, and board members reading some of our favorite kids’ stories, with help from their furry friends. Check back weekly for more videos, along with activity pages and writing prompts to help your student write their own story!