Book ClubsGlenmary School Peace River, Alberta Canada “Way more fun than doing a book report” said one student at Glenmary School about the seventh and eighth grade book clubs. The Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) started the book clubs two years ago in response to increasingly complex reading tasks on required tests and low parent satisfaction with the amount of reading children do in their free time. The ATP chose book clubs to help support the school improvement goal of increasing reading comprehension. More... Sherry Davies Rhodes, (780) 624-4918 rhodes.s@hfcrd.ab.ca Type 3 | High School| Reading |
Book Grabbers–A Book Club for Fourth GradersSteeple Run Elementary School Naperville, Illinois Book Grabbers, an after-school book club for fourth graders, was created when two parents wrote and presented a proposal to the Building Leadership Team. A group of parents met with the school’s reading specialist and the fourth-grade teachers to compose a list of grade-appropriate books. Once the book list was agreed upon, the administration provided funding to purchase the books, allowing every interested child to participate. Parents supervised and facilitated the after school book club. More... Christie Littell, (630) 961-6131 Type 3 | Elementary Grades| Reading |
Fairy Tale BallDelmae Elementary School Florence, South Carolina Fancifully attired “Lords and Ladies” danced the minuet at the Delmae Elementary School Fairy Tale Ball. These second-grade students celebrated the culmination of their integrated unit of reading, art, and music focused on fairy tales and medieval times. Parents received written invitations from their children to join them in the night’s festivities. More... Roy Ann Jolley, Principal (843) 664-8448 Type 3 | Elementary Grades| Reading |
I Love to ReadHenry W. Longfellow Elementary School Cleveland, Ohio Students at Henry W. Longfellow Elementary School read a total of fifteen books per month at home, as part of the I Love to Read program for Pre-K through third grade. Parents and students document and sign forms verifying their reading efforts, and then turn in the forms to the classroom teacher. Students who complete the I Love to Read program have their names listed on the Loves-to-Read wall and in the monthly parent newsletter. They also receive a monthly incentive from the school’s community partnership with McDonalds. Students who complete four months of the program receive a skating party sponsored by the School Parent Organization (SPO). More... Phyllis Jackson, Family Liaison (216) 541-4377 pljacksonus@yahoo.com Type 3 | Elementary Grades| Reading |
Kids Around the World Story TimeThomas Jefferson Elementary School Wassau, Wisconsin Twice a month, students and parents from Thomas Jefferson Elementary School attend a Kids Around the World Story Time. As each family arrives, they receive a book depicting a story from the country featured that evening. While teachers read from the book, families follow along in their own copy, which they get to keep for their home library. After the story, students present information about the country through music, art, theatre, dance, food, or costumes. So far, students have studied and presented such countries as France, Russia, Ireland, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Africa. They have also learned about Native American cultures. More... Judy Joles, School/Family/Community Coordinator (715) 261-3040 jjoles@wausau.k12.wi.us Type 3 | Elementary Grades| Reading |
Mother Goose on the LooseCook Elementary School Syracuse, Utah The goal for Cook Elementary School was to engage parents of young children in literacy and math strategies to promote school readiness. A subcommittee of the Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) looked to previous collections of Promising Partnership Practices and the Utah Family Reading Project for ideas. They decided to adapt Mother Goose on the Loose for their preschool audience. More... Helene Van Natter, Principal (801) 402-2200 Type 4 | Elementary Grades| Reading |
My Family ReadsCary Elementary School Hampton, Virgina Cary Elementary School’s family literacy program allowed kindergarteners to borrow bags of books from school to expand their reading choices at home. My Family Reads began with a family kick-off dinner and ended one month later with classroom celebrations. Each Monday during the four weeks, teachers at Cary Elementary School gave kindergarteners a bag of four books to take home and a slip to complete about their favorite book. The completed slip and the bag of books were brought back to school on Friday, so that students could receive new books again on Monday. More... Betsy Taylor, (757) 848-2374 bbtaylor@sbo.hampton.k12.va.us Type 4 | Elementary Grades| Reading |
Reading about Science on Dr. Seuss’s DayJohn F. Kennedy School Windsor, Connecticut John F. Kennedy School experimented with a new way to celebrate Dr. Seuess’ 100th birthday. This year’s celebration focused specifically on literacy in science to engage first through fifth-grade students and their families with books that focus on science in everyday activities. During an early morning breakfast on March 2nd, children received a new science related book and enjoyed quality reading time with their parent or caregiver. More... Denise Novak, ATP Co-Chairperson (860) 687-2060x143 dnovak@windsorct.org Type 4 | Elementary Grades| Reading |
Reading Birthday PartiesWilliam Cullen Bryant Elementary School Cleveland, Ohio Parents and teachers wanted to increase students’ independent reading in a way that would also involve parents. The Cleveland Teachers Union suggested the idea of grade-wide birthday parties at which children receive books as gifts. The librarian and family liaison planned the birthday parties for grades Pre-K, one, and two. More... Laura Gump, Family Liaison (216) 351-6343 Type 6 | Elementary Grades| Reading |
Reading Mentoring ProgramBanyan Elementary School Miami, Florida Banyan Elementary School’s Reading Mentoring Program began when a high school student approached the principal asking to tutor third graders. She recruited 40 of her classmates from St. Brendan High School, and offered to start a weekly reading tutorial with 42 third graders experiencing reading difficulties. More... Dyona McLean-Fisher, District Administrator (305) 995-1239 dmclean-fisher@sbab.dade.k12.fl.us Type 6 | Elementary Grades| Reading |