Deb Malewski
Contributing Writer
(Deb Malewski/FAN – Sarah Curry is serious about the joy of reading for her young students.)
A Title 1 reading teacher is a specialized educator who provides targeted literacy instruction to students who are struggling with reading in schools that receive federal Title 1 funding. The goal is to help close achievement gaps and support students in reaching grade-level reading standards.
“We see good results with more targeted instruction,” said Sarah Curry, Title 1 Reading Specialist at Greyhound Intermediate School.
Curry works alongside Michelle Groves and several paraprofessionals to provide extra support for students who need help with literacy skills. Their instruction focuses on phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and overall reading ability.
Students work in small groups or individually, receiving focused instruction tailored to their needs. Curry and her colleagues also collaborate with classroom teachers and parents to develop strategies that support student success throughout the school day.
Curry emphasizes that being read to during early childhood is one of the strongest predictors of school success.
“A child who has never been read to may have heard only about 4,600 words before starting school,” she said. “A child who is read to regularly may have heard hundreds of thousands, or even more than a million words.”
Because of this, she believes parents play a critical role in preparing children for success.
“Children who are not read to often start behind,” Curry said. “Reading creates a foundation for life.”
Students are assessed three times each year to identify those who may benefit from additional support. One intervention used throughout the district is WINN, which stands for “What I Need Now.” During WINN time, students work in groups of approximately eight students and receive an extra layer of reading instruction targeted to their specific needs.
Curry said the approach is producing positive results.
Modern reading instruction combines phonics, vocabulary development, background knowledge, high-quality literature, comprehension, and critical-thinking skills. While phonics instruction fell out of favor for a period of time as schools adopted a whole-language approach, educators eventually recognized that many students need direct instruction in how sounds and letters work together.
To keep students engaged, reading lessons are often built around themed modules. One of Curry’s favorites focuses on dinosaurs.
“They have so much fun learning about dinosaurs that they don’t realize how much their reading skills are improving,” she said.
One of her favorite teaching moments came during a game of Boggle when a student stopped and announced, “All words have vowels, Mrs. Curry!”
“I was thrilled that he was making the connection,” she said.
For Curry, those moments make the work worthwhile.
In addition to her undergraduate and graduate education, Curry has completed specialized training in the Science of Reading, an approach that teaches educators how children learn to read through phonics, spelling patterns, language development, and comprehension.
She has received several commendations from Eaton Rapids Public Schools and was selected by State Representative Angela Whitwer as Teacher of the Month in May 2025.
