We are pleased to announce the latest addition to our Read Well® family of products. Read Well® 2 is a skills-based reading curriculum for all second grade students—from those needing intervention to those who are accelerating—and for struggling students in third grade. Read Well 2 focuses on learning and applying new vocabulary and comprehension strategies, enabling students to move from learning to read to reading to learn.

As always, Marilyn Sprick and her coauthors have combined the findings of scientifically based reading research with the pragmatic needs of real students and teachers, as identified during field testing. On average, field-test students gained the grade equivalent of more than a year and a half in reading comprehension!

With Read Well 2, students begin to use their comprehension and vocabulary skills to develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. Stories read with the teacher, partner reading, and "On Your Own" Solo Stories give developing readers more to explore. They become geographers as they "travel" the world and study mapping. They become historians as they create timelines and make their own book about a historical figure.

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For more information, click here to see what Read Well 2 kids can learn!

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The first chapter in John Woodward's education career was teaching special education in a rural Alaskan village.

"I grew up in Phoenix," Woodward jokes. "If you live in the heat long enough, you either like it or want to escape."

Personal computers were just starting to appear in public schools, and Woodward quickly recognized the possibilities this technology brought to the field of education. After five years of teaching at the elementary and secondary levels, he returned to the University of Oregon, where he had earned his master's in curriculum design and learning disabilities. The focus of his doctorate would be on computers and education.

"It was very clear that technology was going to change a lot of things," Woodward recalls. "The more I worked in the area of technology, the more it became apparent that it was going to affect mathematics specifically."

Sure enough, in the mid-1980s, technology was becoming more widespread in the workplace, which in turn placed different demands on the work force. People were required to work with and analyze computer data and use technology to solve problems.

"There was a change in what you needed to learn mathematically," Woodward explains. "Nobody gets hired today for their competence in long division or their ability to add and subtract fractions. You're generally not trying to produce mathematicians; what you're trying to do instead is create a toolbox of skills that people can apply in the context of work."

Woodward's practical approach to K–12 math education stems from this real-world focus. While doing research on technology-based instruction, he determined that traditional direct instruction in mathematics was not working for many at-risk students in the intermediate and early middle school grades. He conducted several research studies during the 1980s and '90s that supported this conclusion.

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To learn more about TransMath and other Sopris West math programs, visit www.soprismath.com. John Woodward will be sharing effective teaching strategies and tackling important issues facing math educators today at a number of Sopris West Summer Institutes. He will also be speaking on Meeting the Needs of Students With Learning Disabilities at the NCTM conference April 9. See "Conference Calendar" for details.

Please tell us which experienced professional you'd like to hear from next and what education topics you'd like to learn more about by e-mailing
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"One day, as we were working on phrase fluency, he looked up at me and, with incredulous awe in his voice, said, 'I'm reading.' The hair stood up on my arms, and tears sprang to my eyes as I watched a magical transformation occur. Of course, he didn't become a model student instantaneously, but that moment of success empowered him to believe that he could learn to read.

"The lesson for us as instructors is to follow the LANGUAGE! curriculum as it is written. Success comes at different stages for each student. By believing in the structure of LANGUAGE! we give each student the chance to find the magic."

It's testimonials like this that inspire us all! Please share your success stories, ideas, or teaching tips with the Connections community by e-mailing
e-newsletter@sopriswest.com.

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Annual Convention and Exposition
April 2–5, 2008
Boston, Massachusetts

National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) Annual Conference
April 7–9, 2008
Salt Lake City, Utah

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Annual Meeting and Exposition
April 9–12, 2008
Salt Lake City, Utah

National Head Start Association (NHSA) Annual Training Conference
April 20–24, 2008
Nashville, Tennessee

Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative Member Meeting
May 14–17, 2008
New Orleans, Louisiana

Just Read, Florida! K–12 Leadership Conference
June 29–July 2, 2008
Orlanda, Florida