BRIGHT STARS READING CLUB Information

BRIGHT STARS READING CLUB is a community organization whose mission is to help first, second, and third grade children develop a love and interest for reading in a fun and informal setting. Our organization is not a tutoring or a homework assistance program. Its founder and director, Terri Norwood, is a strong believer in promoting literacy awareness in young children whenever the opportunity presents itself. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 43% of U.S. 4th graders cannot pass a basic reading test and a Yale University study revealed that 75% of children who read poorly at the end of third grade never become successful readers. Reading is the most important skill young children acquire in school. She is constantly emphasizing the importance of acquiring good reading skills to her students in Inglewood and she thoroughly enjoys exposing her students to various types of literature during read alouds everyday after lunch and requires them to read each night for homework. Terri Norwood has been enjoying teaching elementary school children for 17 years in The Los Angeles Unified School District and in The Inglewood Unified School District. Mrs. Norwood received a Bachelor Of Science Degree in Business Administration in 1984 from CSU, Long Beach. She received her California Teaching Credential in 1998 from CSU, Dominguez Hills and she was granted a Master's Degree in Education in 2000 also from CSU, Dominguez Hills. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in the idea that children should have fun while learning and that they need to be able to relate to whatever subject matter is being taught. Young children, especially, need concrete objects such as props and pictures, to enhance their comprehension levels. The use of role-playing and music are also used when teaching children. Children tend to retain information if it is presented to them in these special ways.