Date: Fri 06-Dec-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

schools-reading-Merryhill

Full Text:

SCHOOLS with cut: Reading Friends

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

You're never to old (or too young) to share a good story. And when sharing

books includes a walk around the block with your classmates on a lovely fall

day, so much the better.

Twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring, Middle School reading

teacher Pamela Kohn takes her seventh grade reading class to the Merryhill

Child Care Center at 49 Queen Street for a group reading session, with the

12-year-olds reading to the 3-year-olds.

"We do it to encourage oral reading and develop reading fluency," said Mrs

Kohn, after the class's most recent excursion to the Merryhill center.

After the seventh graders were introduced to the pre-schoolers, the children

paired up and found a comfortable corner apart from the others to read

together.

Usually, that special place ended up being on the floor, with the students

sitting Indian style on the foam mats the preschoolers use every day for their

naps. Some adventurous souls, however, found it was better to go outside and

read on the playground.

"We enjoyed the chance for our children to interact with the older children.

This reading-together time is a great enrichment to our overall program," said

Therese Hychko, Merryhill Child Care Center director.

Middle School students who participated in the reading program were: Kevin

Adams, J.T. Barrett, Karissa Bergeron, Zachary Berkman, Jon Brower, Lee

Caldwell, Dustin Conley, Ryan Drake, Timothy Frawley , Jacob Gleason, Jeremy

Graves, Krissy Hatfield, Mark Hazel, Jennifer Koch, Melissa Mucci, Joe

Murphey, Jennifer Perry, Jason Petrasanta, Mary Pires, Adam Prokop, Emily

Stefanko, Eddy Vayan, Vincent Velthuizen, Eddy Wilson, Matthew Wolowitz and

Justin Yllanes.