A shakeup is coming to the way reading is taught in Fort Worth ISD.   

The district is adopting a new reading program that thrusts kids into stories about topics they enjoy.

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The district tried it out this year at a handful of schools with huge success.

Meadowbrook Elementary was chosen this year to try a new way of teaching reading.

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Random stories are gone. Students pick something they're into.

"I want to be a soldier when I grow up and I like hearing about war stuff," said Logan Rivera.

So Logan read about the American Revolution. Brandon Martinez likes the history of how things came to be, so he read about inventors.

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"We got to make our own invention. Thomas Edison, he made the lightbulb and it took him many tries so we made something and it took us many different times to make it," said Martinez.

The program takes topics the kids care about and pushes them to read about them, do active projects and not just read it but retain it, and increase their comprehension and vocabulary.

"It's really having a deep connection with the lesson you're working on," said Amore Davis, a student.

This year after the pandemic some students walked in as many as three grade levels behind, and now more than 80% are caught up.

"We realized this is a lot more rigorous than what we've done in the past so for those kids coming back in person, the rigor is high but the students are rising to that," said Kathryn Cottrell, teacher.

The district plans to implement the program district-wide this fall.