Westview School found a way to get every single family involved in reading.
For the second time, they’ve started a One Book, One School adventure that promotes literacy and gets kids from kindergarten to Grade 8 to read. This year the school chose Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White to bring children, teachers and parents together.
Principal Cheri Haberstock explained why they decided in favour of this particular piece.
“This book is rather inexpensive. We could find a really inexpensive copy to purchase for all our families. Plus it’s just a really great book. And we wanted to choose something that all children could get engaged in,” Haberstock said.
Even though this book might be a little hard for kindergarten kids, and a little easy for older students, according to Haberstock, regardless of the age kids are very enthusiastic about the reading.
“Many kids are reading the story with their moms and dads at home. And some of them actually come to hear the story read to them again at school. It’s getting kids excited about reading,” Haberstock said.
Every second day Haberstock reads a chapter or two out of the book to students in the music room. Then they get to answer questions about the book and receive sweet prizes for correct answers.
“Last year we gave out other types of prizes, but candies are what they love. But the kids are just really motivated to read,” Haberstock said.
Only one kid gets a reward in each class every day, yet that doesn’t affect their willingness to get to know where the story goes.
“It’s really not about the prizes, I think the kids are just enjoying that we are all reading the same book, that we are all able to talk about it. It just makes it fun when every kid is reading the same book, and their parents are reading the same book, the teachers are reading the same book. So it just makes it fun that we are all doing it together,” Haberstock said.
One Book, One School activity is used in different schools all over the world. For the Westview School it was an opportunity to get families involved in reading.
“We were very focused on reading in our school, on getting our parents reading with their kids at home. And we thought if we purchased the books for the families and set up an incentive to read that the kids would engage their parents into reading with them. And that’s been very successful,” Haberstock said.
According to Habestock, the last day of the program promises to be as exciting as the entire adventure.
“We are having our big wrap-up night celebration on Jan. 31. We are going to show the movie, we are going to have parents and children invited to come to watch the movie. No admission. And we are going to dress like characters from the book, so it should be lots of fun,” Haberstock said.
The principal also noted that based on the level of enthusiasm students were showing for reading, next year there will be another great book to be read by everybody in the school.
