Date: Fri 05-Sep-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

schools-reading-program

Full Text:

Reading Is A Tie That

Binds Kids Over The Summer

Lead teacher Karen Martin helps fifth graders Stephen Greytak and Mathew

Benson organize post cards by state for the display.

B Y M ICHELE H OGAN

One hundred and fifty Sandy Hook School students travel the country and

oversees, and send postcards to their teachers at Sandy Hook School.

Why? Karen Martin, lead teacher at Sandy Hook School, says that this is one of

many activities that teachers and parents came up with to "create authentic

writing experiences" for young people.

The young writers, like adult writers, are expected to write something

meaningful to a real audience. The specific activities vary widely, including

entries like: "submit a story or news about your school or town to an online

publishing homepage" (some are showing up in "Kids' Stuff" on The Newtown Bee

site, http://www.thebee.com); to "write directions to teach someone how to

play your favorite game and then play it together"; and "interview a

grandparent and write about their life story."

This "summer bingo" language arts program is, as far as we know, unique to

Sandy Hook School. Heather Law, a local parent who also runs the Mom & Me

program for preschoolers, came up with summer bingo activities to help her own

children select and attain goals which "educate the whole child - physically,

mentally, spiritually, and in life skills."

Over the course of last year, the Writing Initiative Committee At Sandy Hook

School adapted Mrs Law's bingo to meet the school's language arts goals.

Committee members Jacky McMahon, Judie Mitten, Chris Austin, Sam Haber, Judy

Stone, Donna Page, Lucia Fritz, Gael Lynch and Barbara Bigham suggested and

tried out various writing assignments to create fun and relevant writing

experiences for young writers.

For incentive, children who complete two rows of activities each month, a

minimum of 18 short assignments, get a free lunch with Principal Donna Page,

free ice cream, and their name is entered into a draw to become assistant

principal for a day. Two required activities lie at the center of the bingo -

writing a letter to your next teacher and sending a postcard to the school

from a summer travel destination.

Some children became so involved with the writing activities that parents had

to wonder if the children knew how to play bingo. Instead of completing two

rows, the students worked their way through all 25 suggested activities for

July.

Teachers are hoping that these language arts activities will jump-start

learning in many areas, particularly social studies. Already students are

asking questions about the postcards on the big map in the Sandy Hook

cafeteria. They look for their own postcards, look to see if anybody else went

to a place they have been, and reflect on why some places make better summer

tourist destinations than others.

Stephen Greytak, a fifth grader at Sandy Hook School, notices the uneven

distribution of postcards among the states. Massachusetts and New York State

have so many postcards that they extend half way across the cafeteria wall,

while some of the western states remain empty.

Stephen admires postcards of the ocean and roller coasters, then comments that

"It's too hot and too quiet out west in the summer. There is no one around,

because they are on the East Coast with all the things to do." Stephen then

thinks of how much fun it would be to explore in the western states on

all-terrain-vehicles, and wonders why it's not promoted. People don't know how

much fun they could have out west.

Will Stephen go on to head-up a tourism bureau for a western state? Maybe.

Maybe not. What we do know for sure is that this program is sparking Stephen's

inquiry into geography and tourism, while developing his skills as a writer.

Reading Classics

Middle Gate School and St Rose also enrich elementary students' language arts,

in different ways.

Middle Gate School students participated in the Governor's Summer Reading

Program. Students were given lists of books organized by grade level, and

encouraged to read. The student who reads the most books in each grade will be

allowed to choose any book at The Book Review. Governor Rowland will then

autograph the book and send it to the winning students in the end of

September.

Donna McGough, Library Media Specialist for Middle Gate School, knows that

"reading is key to academic success" and the school is doing everything they

can to encourage it. One third grader exclaimed to Mrs McGough that she had

read one hundred books over the summer, and showed her reading record, signed

by her mother.

If every student reads at least one book, then every child in the school will

get ten Middle Gate bucks, which can be used to get extra recess time, get out

of homework once, or get a discount on books at a local bookstore.

For added incentive, the governor will visit the top six schools in

Connecticut (the schools with the largest percentage of students reading over

the summer).

At St Rose Parochial School students are expected to gain a thorough

understanding of selected works of literature. Students entering grades one to

eight are required to read classical novels and do research over the summer

months.

Kathy Winton, who teaches both language arts library skills at St Rose

Parochial School, believes in "guiding children toward literature which

enriches their lives."

Novels such as The Hobbit , The Secret Garden and Where the Lilies Bloom are

assigned to students for summer reading depending on their grade level.

Sometimes students write book reports, and sometimes more is expected of them.

After reading Where the Lilies Bloom , students are asked to research six

plants discussed in the book and report on their medicinal value, and if

possible actually find wild herbs during the summer months.

Through exposure to great works of literature, Mrs Winton hopes to help

children to become discerning readers.