Bugs Galore

By Katie-Rose McNulty, Katie Orlando, Carly Filler

Reading is loved in Middle Gate School, but we’ve taken it one step farther by making non-living laminated paper insects. Mrs Huitt, our reading specialist, hoped these bugs would help Middle Gate students want to read more.

Classes got to pick their bugs, such as moths, spiders, butterflies, beetles, dragonflies, and grasshoppers. Then, they put a dot on their bug every time their class reads 50 books.

The largest amount of books read at Middle Gates is by Mrs Miller’s first grade class. They’ve read 500 books since the school year started in September. The whole school has read 5,350 books, which is amazing for a small school of 600 people. On average, each class has read 250 books.

The purpose of this project is to inspire more students to read independently. Mrs Huitt came up with the idea when Mrs Melody Fagan, one of our reading paraprofessionals, saw a bulletin board in the public library that said “Don’t bug me, I’m reading!” Children are reading more because of the excitement of another dot on the class bug.

Mrs Huitt’s favorite bugs are the big round and black beetle chosen by Mrs Fairchild’s class, the bumblebee selected by Mrs Sevarino’s class, and the moth with luxurious wings chosen by Mrs Calero’s class.

The outstanding results of this reading project are very exciting and positively influence Middle Gate’s young minds. Bugs Galore is the way to live.