Presented By Corisa Walker and Katey McAuliffe School Library Media Specialists One District, One Book A program uniting the Verona Elementary Community in Literacy

What is One District, One Book?

One District

Reading One Book

Every family in Verona will get their own copy of the same book, and a reading calendar to follow.

Families will read aloud together for 15 minutes every night. One District, One Book is designed to be a shared family experience, and a shared school experience. Even older students who are fluent readers should have the chapters read aloud to them.

Everyone will read the same chapter on the same night.

Each day in school, we will talk about what was read the night before.

Each night, you can visit our One School, One Book website and participate in the nightly blog post. Blog

Every blog post includes a chapter synopsis, and discussion questions.

Families can respond to the questions, and comment on each others responses.

The Mission of ODOB is to unite the ENTIRE school community in a shared reading experience.

What Parents and Teachers are Saying About One District (School), One Book “I would say when we did One School, One Book it opened up a whole new reading world to________.” “I never thought my child could sit and listen to a chapter book before One School, One Book.” “I saw a lot of growth in my son over the course of the program.” “My kids loved it! I think they especially enjoyed reading the comments from other kids in the school after they posted their thoughts. I think it makes them feel part of a project.” “Since my child started reading on their own, I rarely sit and read to them. This was such an enjoyable way to spend time together and reconnect.” ”I had a wonderful experience! It was a true reading community. Having dialogue & discussions about the books were so meaningful & purposeful learning, in my opinion.” “The city (town) that opens the same book closes it in harmony!”

Why Should We Read Aloud to Children?

Improving listening comprehension Increasing vocabulary Providing fluency models Promoting conceptual understanding Lengthening attention spans Creating a positive attitude toward books and reading

Reading Aloud Increases Vocabulary Reading Aloud with older readers provides the knowledge base required to understand content area subject matter. A better developed vocabulary increases comprehension skills.

Reading Aloud increases Test Scores Reading Aloud increases students background knowledge and introduces them to various story structures. One of the most important activities for building the knowledge required for eventual success, is reading aloud to children, at all ages.

Reading Aloud Builds a Sense of Community The Community of Readers built through reading aloud supports the kinds of interactions and responses we want students to construct. As reading role models we demonstrate what competent and life long readers do, encouraging students to share their responses and ideas with us and each other.

Reading Aloud Provides Opportunities for Extended Discussion By sharing their ideas, students learn that there is more than one interpretation for works in literature. Through discussion, we learn more about a book than we are able to on our own. This is the foundation for the learning in a community of readers.

Most importantly… Reading to children strengthens the emotional bonds between the adult reader and the child, providing those positive parent-child connections essential to a child’s psychological health and academic growth.

Tips for Reading Aloud

Read aloud with animation. Listen to your own voice and don’t be dull, or flat, or boring.

Emphasize or Punch Words Children’s Literature is filled with vivid, descriptive, and colorful language. As you read aloud, keep your eye out for those beautiful and special words. Feature those words with your voice, by “punching”, emphasizing, or changing the speed in which you read them. James and the Giant Peach Chapter 9

Pause, Slow Down, Whisper These techniques will bring everything that you want out of the prose, and allow children to savor the language. These three Reading Aloud techniques are Attention Re-setters!!! Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Chapter 2

Use Accents and Voices Children don’t care how good your accent is, only that it is the same each time you read. Accents and voices can bring characters to life. Be consistent. Use voices when appropriate, but don’t let them overtake the reading. Grandmother with a “Norwegian” accent from The Witches by Roald Dahl

Ask Questions  The primary goal of ODOB is to ENJOY the reading experience. It shouldn’t feel like work for you, or for your child. Asking questions is ok, as long as it doesn’t feel like a quiz or test.  While reading, stop to paraphrase or explain things that are happening.  After reading, ask a few “thick” questions…. How do you think the character is feeling? What would you do if you were in the character’s position? What do you think is going to happen next?

In conclusion… In the time of busy lifestyles, and hectic schedules, the time to just enjoy reading aloud to our children often falls to the wayside. By implementing this community wide reading program, we are recommitting to this important family time, while building upon the home-school connection.

“Children are made readers in the laps of their parents.” Emilie Buchwald

Suggested Chapter Book Read-Alouds My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White Stuart Little by E.B. White The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant The Twits by Roald Dahl Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater Poppy by Avi The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel +1 Dog= Chaos by Vivan Vande Velde Mrs. Noodlekugal by Daniel Pinkwater Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald Dominic by William Steig

References Read to Them Jim Trelease on Reading Reading is Fundamental