Reading literacy gives students the motivation to learn and explore other subject matters. It also provides students with the tools to be successful, and with this success comes increased self-confidence. My goal is to have your child graduate from my program and continue to be successful without my intervention.
I believe in developing a positive rapport with my students through the use of songs, chants and cheers. I am a believer in a growth mindset and the power of “Yes I can!” I look forward to working hard, learning lots and having fun with my RTI students this year.
What Students Learn in RTI
Response to Intervention (RTI) consists of specific, targeted approaches toward the development of literacy. Use of a systematic phonics approach is reinforced with multi-sensory activities such as writing in sand, tracing on textured surfaces and practicing multiple ways to write sounds/words. The use of decodable mini-readers, word lists, sorting games, iPad apps and other strategies are aimed at increasing literacy while also having fun.
Orton-Gillingham (OG) Decodable Readers are the catalyst of this program. The OG program is language-based, multi-sensory, structured, sequential, cumulative, cognitive and flexible.
These methods provide students with the skills needed to tackle various texts and increase their literacy success. OG-specific strategies incorporate brain-based learning while keeping children motivated and engaged.
The Response to Intervention framework also is used to improve students’ mathematics proficiency. The multitiered system helps deliver support for students based on their needs as identified by ongoing assessments and data analysis. The RTI approach gives students opportunities to learn and work at their grade level successfully. Building confidence in working on math problems comes from using concrete materials in order to make abstract concepts more understandable, developing a working math vocabulary so that word problems are no longer a “mystery,” and learning different strategies for tackling new material to gain a greater sense of assurance when doing math work independently. Each positive accomplishment provides the foundation for improvement and growth.
The following are some of the engaging activities that may be used by OLPH’s RTI scholars:
Boom Cards
These interactive, engaging and self-checking digital resources are used on the iPad. The skills taught include reading comprehension, inflectional endings, consonant-vowel-consonant words, vowel teams, plural endings, syllabication, opened and closed syllables, irregular verbs and many more.
Seesaw
Seesaw is an online platform that provides students a multi-modal opportunity to develop their fluency, comprehension, word recognition, spelling and so much more. The children are provided with their weekly OG decodable passages that focus on new skills and build on previous skills. They record themselves reading the passage three to four times and then celebrate their fluency accomplishments. Seesaw is also used to teach phonics by reinforcing particular spelling patterns. The children use a variety of tools to “rainbow” write their words in several colors. This provides an additional tactile and visual approach to learning phonics.
Blessings! My name is Olivia V. Patiño, and I am so happy to be providing RTI at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School. I am married and have two grown boys. My eldest is a fourth-grade teacher at OLPH, and my youngest is a mechanical engineer. I have more than 30 years of experience in the field of education. Some of these experiences include the following:
- Administrative assistant for 20 years
- Associate professor at California State University, Bakersfield, for teacher credential preparation programs
- Trainer for the Santa Clarita Valley Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program
- Third-grade digital trainer and coach
- Coordinator/instructor for after-school targeted intervention program for second- through sixth-grade students
- Master teacher to more than 20 student teachers
I was born in Philadelphia and enjoyed the Northeastern lifestyle for many years as a child. Growing up in a historic city, where the Liberty Bell, Philly cheesesteaks and the famous Mummers Parade are a natural part of everyday life, I had delightful experiences that I will always remember and cherish. My family eventually moved west to Phoenix, where I completed my secondary education and learned to appreciate the mysterious beauty of the Southwestern desert. I attended Arizona State University, majoring in education with a minor in mathematics and science, and my postgraduate studies focused on completing the mathematics curriculum and development programs. I believe that I was called to be a teacher, and I have worked hard to prepare for that career choice.
In the ensuing years, I taught in public and Catholic schools in Gilbert and Tempe, Arizona, and in Catholic schools in Santa Barbara and Van Nuys, California. Currently, I am a Response to Intervention math teacher at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School. Each day brings new opportunities for growth and achievement. Establishing learning goals with students, parents and colleagues and seeing the fulfillment of those goals bring a wonderful feeling of satisfaction. I pray for God’s continued guidance and blessings as we work together to share our gifts and progress in knowledge, wisdom and understanding.