Everyone is reading at the Number Five School

Students and families take part in ‘Million Minute Reading Challenge’

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One of the old fashioned “Three Rs” of “reading, ’riting and ‘rithmetic is being promoted through the “Million Minute Reading Challenge” where students in the Number Five School, along with their families and school staff, are seeking to log a cumulative total of one million minutes of reading by Dec. 9, when the school holds its annual Family Literacy Night.
“We hope that our reading challenge will excite our learners to read a wide variety of materials in order to enrich their lives in so many ways; everybody loves a challenge,” said Principal Rina Beach.
Beach said that the challenge for her 367 first- through fourth-graders was spearheaded by reading specialist Victoria Loweree, and incorporates literacy and math skills throughout the subjects studied by the students in every grade level. It will also include the reading of the school’s staff of 40, teachers, aides, custodians, secretaries and a nurse.
“I am always searching for innovative ways to motivate our students to read,” Loweree said. “We want to show our students that we are a ‘community of readers,’ who read often and enjoy a variety of topics and genres.”
By reading a minimum of 100 minutes per week the goal should be reached. And any type of reading counts such as books, newspapers and magazines. According to Beach, research has showed that the amount of time children spend reading independently is one of the best predictors of how well they read.

When reading is more difficult for some children they tend not to do it as much as they should, Beach said. But the recent curriculum change is helping, she said. “The Common Core encourages the reading of nonfiction materials; we have found that has caught the attention of many of our learners,” Beach said. “Families are the best role models for their children. Together we can make a difference.”