Hungry for Books: Monarch School Students Read for the Record
Written by Tara Leonard
SANTA CRUZ (October, 2009) -- Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is about a ravenous young insect on his way to becoming a beautiful butterfly. For children everywhere, the ability to read is critical in helping them to spread their academic wings and succeed in school and beyond. That’s why, on a sunny October morning, students at Monarch School in Santa Cruz joined others around the globe in reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar as part of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record program.
“In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf.” With those words, teachers Michelle McKinney, Joanne Brown, and Lisa Glick drew in a rapt audience of elementary and high school students seated in the school’s multipurpose room. While teachers took turns reading from a large-format edition of the book, two young performers writhed and squirmed like caterpillars on the stage, translating Carle’s simple, satisfying tale into a visual delight. Parent Michelle Moses accompanied them on guitar.
“It was the most fabulous thing I’ve done in a long time,” Moses said, “It was such a creative and integrative approach with the words, music and movement. All of the kids were completely mesmerized. Everybody was really interested to see what would happen next.”
Jumpstart is a nonprofit organization that helps at-risk preschool students develop social, emotional and intellectual readiness for school. The group’s Read for the Record program began in 2006 to bring attention to the importance of early literacy while raising funds for early education in low-income communities. Each year, this international campaign brings children and grownups together to read the same book, at the same time, in communities around the globe. In 2008, nearly 700,000 readers shared the beloved children’s classic Corduroy, setting a new record for the world’s largest shared reading experience. This year’s goal is more than one million readers.
Joining the effort were approximately 80 students from Monarch Community School and Costanoa High School, which share the Branciforte Small Schools Campus alongside the Alternative Family Education program and Ark Independent Studies.
“Reading together is so good for the big kids,” said Monarch teacher Michelle McKinney. “It brings back good memories for them of when they were read to as children. It’s something that every child deserves no matter how old they are.”
“For the big kids to come and give attention to a book that the little kids love gave a lot of validation to them,” added Lysa Tabachnick, Assistant Principal of the Small Schools Campus. “Our high school students are often stereotypically portrayed as tough, at-risk teenagers, but I wish the outside world could see them at this sort of event. They love these little kids and get a lot out of sharing activities together and being part of a community.”
After finishing The Very Hungry Caterpillar, teachers launched into two other Eric Carle titles, Little Cloud and The Tiny Seed. At times, all three read the same text together, an early literacy strategy called choral reading. According to McKinney, adults use this strategy with beginning readers because it’s a good way for them to enjoy the “music of the text” without getting hung up on words they don’t know.
“A lot of time in public education, there are pressures to complete a certain unit on time or score well on standardized tests,” McKinney continued. “But this kind of community-based, interdisciplinary event is just as valuable. It really allows you to cover a topic in depth while making connections with the people who are teaching and learning.”
Afterwards, students continued what McKinney called “a miniature author study” in their classrooms, talking about Eric Carle, other favorite authors, and what you might learn by reading more than one book by the same writer.
“It was fun,” said 3rd grade student Leah Aldridge, whose favorite book is Rich Cat, Poor Cat by Bernard Waber. “I like reading by myself and having someone read to me. So yeah, it was cool.”
“I’ve been a lover of Eric Carle’s work for a long time,” Moses enthused. “It was great to know that this was happening all around the country and the world. What an incredible community!”
It’s not yet known if this year’s participants broke the world record; Jumpstart is still tallying the numbers. But as this event makes clear, when it comes to early literacy the most important number is two. Just find a good book, cuddle up with someone you love, and let the learning and laughter begin.
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email this
Trackback(0)
TrackBack URI for this entryComments
(0)
Subscribe to this comment's feed