CROWN POINT | Students are improving their reading skills at Timothy Ball Elementary School thanks to some canine assistance.
Reading to the Dogs, a popular program at the Crown Point Community Library and its Winfield branch, has also been successful for the past several years at the Crown Point school, where members of the Power Paws Group spend Thursday afternoons with their dogs.
"It's a very good program," said Timothy Ball Media Specialist Sue Kerr. "The students choose books at their own reading level, either classroom reading or library books, and read to the dogs."
Because the trained dogs are such good listeners - quiet, attentive and nonjudgmental - students who may be struggling with their reading skills find it easier to relax while reading, which pays off with an improvement in their reading ability.
"All grades participate, from first to fifth grade," added Kerr. "We usually have several dogs and their owners visiting on Thursday."
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