Salk builds a community of readers

The Levittown School District’s “community of readers” formally gathered to discuss and analyze a novel that every middle school student was required to read: “Counting by 7s,” a novel by Holly Goldberg Sloan that is about being an outsider, coping with loss and discovering the true meaning of family.

Students at Wisdom Lane and Salk middle schools — the latter of which takes in residents of northern Wantagh and Seaford — were asked to read the book this summer. They presented their thoughts and ideas about “Counting by 7s” at a special exhibit, called the READ Showcase, on Oct. 27.  

The Levittown Public Library was the first designated hub of book discussion, as students met in the building to talk about the “community read” in August. Kerin Slattery, the district’s Director of K-12 English, said that “reading the same book creates a bond and collaboration among students and staff by giving everyone something similar to discuss.” 

In addition to the book talks, the district officials said that they made a dynamic website available. Here, community members downloaded student and teacher/administrator blogs and video clips of staff discussions. The website also included opportunities to upload additional reading material and engage in related book activities. 

Each time they completed an activity, students were entered in a raffle for prizes or the opportunity to have lunch with the author. Sloan is slated to visit Levittown later in the academic year, according to the district. 

The book talks continued at the READ Showcase, which was held at the Levittown Memorial Education Center. District leaders explained that the expo was designed to highlight the various projects that students completed in the classroom this fall. 

“Students expressed their creative sides through art, English language arts and technology, connecting these three different disciplines with literature,” Slattery said. 

During the event, students and their families read essays and class reports, made observations about art projects and tried their hands at technological games. In addition, the district held a Makerspace room activity that allowed middle schoolers to make holiday cards for hospitalized children.