At Winfield Elementary's Family Reading Night, students and their families engaged in numerous activities related to reading.

Around Thanksgiving, many gather to “gobble up” turkey, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Just before Thanksgiving, Winfield Elementary students and their families gathered to devour books at the school’s annual Family Reading Night.

Held on Tuesday, November 21st, Winfield Elementary’s Family Reading Night had as its theme “Gobbling up Books.”

Kindergarten through fifth grade students at Winfield are enthusiastic participants in the 100 Book Challenge program. This program uses individualized assessments of student reading ability and promotes independent reading to advance students’ academic progress. Teachers serve as reading coaches for their students.

Through the 100 Book Challenge, each day, students enjoy reading books at their own independent-reading levels. Students receive credit for every fifteen minutes of reading, and accumulated credits qualify them for various incentives and rewards. In addition, the schools participating in the program receive thousands of books that will inspire students to read more.

To begin the evening at Winfield Elementary, Denise Hunt from the American Reading Company (which created the 100 Book Challenge) presented an animated PowerPoint presentation on how parents can support the program. Also in attendance to lend support was Cheryl Brooks, specialist from the Office of Equity and Assurance, who coordinates the 100 Book Challenge in Baltimore County.

Following the presentation to parents, students and their families rotated through three stations where they participated in a variety of reading activities. At one station, the students created individual turkeys after reading a set of directions to perform this task. Another station offered the students the opportunity to role play as they participated in Reader’s Theatre presentations. Finally, students were able to gain steps towards their 100 Book Challenge goal by reading books for 15 to 30 minutes.

Participants could “gobble up” a variety of refreshments during this celebration of reading, too.

It was clear that parents loved the opportunity to share quality time reading with their children. One parent comment on an event evaluation form – “We should do this more often!” – expressed the enthusiasm virtually all the parents seemed to share.

In addition to Winfield, the 100 Book Challenge Program is in place at the following elementary schools: Mars Estates (grades K-3), Chase (grades 3-5), Pleasant Plains (grades 3-5), Deer Park (grades 3-5), and Randallstown (grades 3-5). The research-based 100 Book Challenge combines access to great books, a leveling system (based on students’ individual independent reading levels), reading at school, reading at home, accountability, and professional development to involve the entire school community in achieving measurable results in raising reading test scores. The 100 Book Challenge is used in more than 600 schools, 95 districts, and 24 states, plus the District of Columbia.

All of the schools participating in the 100 Book Challenge, and many other Baltimore County schools, hold annual family reading nights.

 

Story by Ellen Segall, Reading First coach, and Donna Schwartz, reading specialist, at Winfield Elementary School. Photos courtesy of Winfield Elementary School.