Read Across America

Today was a great day.  We celebrated Read Across America.  I know what you're thinking.  That day was yesterday. Yesterday we had a little ole benchmark to give.   But I would like to know why we have to designate a special day to read.  Why can everyday be Read Across America day?  On my way to school, I started thinking about our kids and reading scores.  I would really like to do a study where I track a few kids around all day and record the amount of time they actually spent engaged in the act of reading.  I think I might already know the answer. 

I follow Kylene Beers on Facebook and Twitter.   Tonight she posted a couple of very powerful statements.  First she said, "Reading at the right Lexile level will never be as important to a kid as reading the right book."  This is such a powerful statement. It breaks my heart when I have a kid come in the library and I share a book that I think he/she might like to read. Then the kid says, "I can't read it because it is below(or above) my level." I'm very tempted to take a pen and mark through the level and say, "Hmmm. How about that. It's on your level now."  The other day, I had a kid come in looking for another book in the Here's Hank series.  He had already read two or three of the books.  He checked out another Here's Hank, and about three minutes later he was back.  He said he couldn't check out the book because it was below his level.  He told me his level was a 4.0 - 5.0.  The book was a 3.9 (According to Accelerated Reader).  I was this close to changing the level.  I know you can't see my hand gestures, but it was just a smidgen.  When I asked him what he liked about the books he said that they were funny, easy to read, and he could actually finish it.  That was the right book for him.  There are only about five books in the series.  Once he has read all of those we can move on to something else. On my list of books to read is Reading Ladders:  Leading Students From Where They are to Where We'd Like Them to Be  by Teri Lesesne.  I think this guru along with Kylene will provide some powerful documentation to my argument. 

The next thing Kylene posted was this beautifully written ditty about reading.   I love it so much, I would get it in a tattoo.  Well, I'm not really a tattoo kind of person, but I would have posters made and plaster them in every teacher's room and every administrator's office.  I have much to research before I can really start my rant on this subject.  So for now, I will just pass along the good stuff I find from the experts.

 

 

 

Now back to the fun day we had today.  We started off the day with 30 minutes of DEAR time.  Everybody read including secretaries and Coach!   In honor of Dr. Seuss, my principal brought her dog and read What Pet Should I Get? by Dr. Seuss to every class.  That was 26 times.  Teachers and students dressed up as their favorite book character.  We had a couple of kids from the Baseball Card Adventure series, Fern from Charolette's Web, and the spy from Evil Spy School just to name a few.  I asked one student who she was dressed as and she told me Esperanza.  I told her I loved that book.  She said yes, it was a very emotional book.  Oh, and you will be glad to know we found Waldo! I can just imagine all the little book talks that went on today when a kid asked, "Who are you?"

 

 

I adored Ms. Porter our paraprofessional  who dressed up as Maddy from Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes.  Ms. Porter was a walking talking book commercial all day long. She even carried the book around to show and share with the kids.  Every time a kid asked who she was, she whipped out the book and did a book talk. 

 

 

 

So here's to reading E-V-E-R-Y-D-A-Y!

 

Happy Reading!