Church, DPU offer reading program

Putnam County students can get intensive reading help at Gobin United Methodist Church on the DePauw University Campus.

Registration for after-school enrichment is scheduled from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 5, and will continue throughout the week.

The program for elementary and secondary students is offered by the Reading Improvement Center.

Students meet twice a week for one hour of individual instruction with trained tutors from DePauw. Sessions are scheduled after school between 3-5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Tutoring begins Sept. 11 and will continue until DePauw classes end in December.

This is the fifth year the center has offered intensive reading instruction. It serves from 35-40 Putnam County students each year.

The early intervention program helps elementary students build decoding skills with "sound effects," games and activities developed for tutors by Program Director Ellen Dittmer.

Older students work on reading with study skills and vocabulary-based tutoring from texts.

The Reading Improvement Center has helped Putnam County students since 1987.

It is an agency of United Way of Putnam County, with additional support from Greencastle schools, contributions from individuals and organizations and the Gobin United Methodist Church.

There is a monthly charge, with reduced fees available. For more information, call Dittmer at (765) 720-1253.