Welcome to the Resource Room
Inspired by Saint Thomas Aquinas
Patron Saint of Students and Universities
Prayer
Come to our aid when you hear us calling.
Light up the dark, make the rough places plain,
Bring to our thoughts the unknown or forgotten,
Give us the words that we seek in vain.
Amen
Always Pray to Lift our Spirits, Play to Brighten our Days, and Choose to Share God's Blessings...Each and Everyday!
US Department of Education Blue Ribbon School Winner
Best of Bethesda
Top Voter Getter
Bethesda Magazine
The History of the Resource Program at St. Jane de Chantal
St. Jane de Chantal School manifests the presence of God, respecting human life where each child is valued. The pastor, administration, and faculty are committed to the education of all students. (School Mission Statement)
St. Jane de Chantal in Bethesda, Maryland has been “officially” teaching students with learning differences since 1986. Former principal, Sr. Mary Donald Cusick, SC, and the faculty saw a need to help struggling students learn. “Problem Solving Teams” were established to identify learning issues, create innovative education plans, and implement interventions to support students with learning differences.
Under the guidance of the next and present principal, Elizabeth Hamilton, and with the support of then Pastor Monsignor Donald Essex, a resource teacher, consulting school psychologist, school nurse, and resource classroom were added to the school. The Resource Program was designed to provide learning support and teaching strategies for students with documented learning disabilities. The students and resource teachers work in collaboration with the classroom teachers using subject area curriculum to teach the students reading, math, science, social studies, and study skills as articulated in the student education accommodation plan.
St. Jane de Chantal has been a guiding example and cooperative mentor to the Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools Office as they established their Student Assistance Teams and Individual Catholic Education Plans.
Over the past 30 years, The Resource Program at de Chantal has educated hundreds of students with learning disabilities. Our students graduate and attend the area high schools. We are most proud of our students who are accepted into Montgomery County Public Schools’ LAD programs and the Catholic High Schools’ special programs such as the Ryken, Benilde, and Connelly Programs, where their success in learning continues.
For Middle Schoolers: Activities to Build College-Level Reading Skills
By: ACT
ACT research shows that to be on target for college and career readiness in reading by the end of eight grade, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills:
- Recognize the clear intent of an author or narrator in uncomplicated literacy narratives
- Locate basic facts,e.g., names, dates, events) clearly stated in a passage
- Determine in uncomplicated passages when, i.e., first, last, before, after, or even if an event occurred
- Recognize clear cause-effect relationships described within a single sentence in a passage
- Understand the implication of a familiar word or phrase and of simple descriptive language
- Draw simple generalizations and conclusions about the main characters in uncomplicated literary narratives
Individual students learn to read, and to improve their reading skills, in different ways. Getting students interested and maintaining their interest are essential, and the ideas in the chart below can help. We've listed the ideas under five headings, each relating to a different area of reading: Main Ideas and Author's Approach; Supporting Details; Relationships; Meanings of Words; and Generalizations and Conclusions. The items in each list are things an individual student can do independently, but they also lend themselves well to discussion with interested parents, educators, or fellow students.
Each list is divided across two columns. The first column details reading activities at the Benchmark level or below, meaning that the skills they are meant to strengthen are skills that a student must have in order to be ready for college and career. The second column contains activities meant to strengthen more advanced skills (in increasing order of difficulty). The activities in this column meant to strengthen the most advanced skills will help even the best readers.
Skill Area | To improve reading skills up to benchmark level, you can: | To improve reading skills beyond benchmark level, you can: |
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Main Ideas and Author's Approach |
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Supporting Details |
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Relationships |
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Meaning of Words |
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Generalizations and Conclusions |
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