Shannon Warnock, a Reading Interventionist at Mispillion Elementary of the Milford School District (DE), has been named the Open Up Resources Teacher of the Month for April 2022. Warnock is being recognized for her outstanding work in her classroom and ongoing support of teachers across the country as a member of the Open Up Resources National Professional Learning Community.

Warnock’s work with Bookworms K–5 Reading and Writing makes her one of the most innovative teachers in the country. The Bookworms K–5 Reading and Writing curriculum inspires a new way of teaching language arts by engaging students through compelling, real-world content to build equitable and inclusive learning opportunities.

Nancy Carter, the Assistant Principal at Mispillion Elementary, nominated Warnock for her leadership. Carter shared, “Shannon models lessons for our teachers, as well as teaches lessons at all grade levels. She inspires students and encourages teachers with positive feedback.”

Warnock implements the Bookworms K–5 Reading & Writing curriculum at her school and shared a success story with us. She explained, “One of the several classroom success stories that I love to share is about a second grade student at Mispillion with an IEP. This student entered first grade reading 0 words per minute. Half of his Kindergarten year did not happen due to Covid. He remained remote for majority of his first grade year. By the end of his first grade year, this student was reading 17 correct letter sounds and 0 whole words. Now, in second grade and attending in-person, this student is now reading 77 WPM with 99% accuracy. WOW!  This a direct reflection of Bookworms and the results you receive when educators implement Bookworms with fidelity.” 

And she offered one more reflection: “I have several favorite things in regards to the [Bookworms K–5 Reading & Writing] curriculum. However, my favorite thing is the significant student improvement from implementing the full curriculum with fidelity. Our students are moving mountains that have never been moved prior to implementing Bookworms. ”

Open Up Resources is a non-profit on a mission to increase equity in education by making excellent, top-rated curricula freely available to districts. You can learn more at www.openupresources.org.