In the kindergarten classrooms at Gibbs International Magnet School in Little Rock, Arkansas, the city’s youngest learners are composing a joyful, noisy symphony of “Ooohs!” and “Ahhhs!”
Facing the screen in front of them, students stretch their mouths, lips and tongues to explore each sound, mimicking the deliberate mouth movements of a virtual educator on the screen to learn letter sounds like M and P.
“What you see, you can hear. And what you hear, you can write,” says kindergarten teacher Debra Petross. She and the other Gibbs kindergarten teachers, dubbed the “Kinder Crew,” rely on Magpie Literacy’s virtual programming to supplement their in-person instruction.
Magpie’s digital tools are helping educators like the Kinder Crew teach students the skills to become great readers through research-based, developmentally appropriate and differentiated virtual instruction. Magpie is used in 60 schools, including 11 in Little Rock.
So far, the program is demonstrating the largest literacy gains with students who start with lower proficiency. The Walton Family Foundation’s Education Program supports innovators like Magpie, which provide educators with high-quality instructional materials and tools to address learning loss.
Debra says Magpie is helping to ensure her diverse group of learners has what they need to succeed.
In kindergarten, “You have kiddos that come to you, and they are limited on letter sounds,” she says.
“Maybe they don’t have access to as many books, and unfortunately, it would be impossible for me as one teacher to give every student the amount of time that they deserve and require.”
The program focuses on the science of reading, from phonemic awareness to learning high-frequency words. Students use the app 45–60 minutes a week, completing a validated assessment (Stanford's Rapid Online Assessment of Reading), and playing educational games that respond to misconceptions. Each game is fun, engaging and instructionally precise.
It’s also easy to use. Following a one-hour teacher training, educators can supplement their own teaching year-round with Magpie’s foundational reading curriculum delivered by on-screen educators.
Rebecca Larey, another member of the Kinder Crew, says that using Magpie is like “having another teacher in the room with us.”
She says: “My students are further in reading and writing…because they are getting that solid instruction through Magpie.”
For teacher Anna Mitchell, literacy ultimately comes down to building confidence in our youngest learners. “Kids want to learn how to read…and making mistakes is super-duper important. We say it helps your brain grow.”
Anna says the structure of Magpie is both supportive and positive, allowing students to take ownership of their learning.
If a student isn’t initially successful? “It just gives them another opportunity, and that’s what a mistake is, just another opportunity to get it right.”
