By CHERYL JENSEN
The Progress
Students at J.L. Bowler Elementary in Bunkerville and Virgin Valley Elementary in Mesquite observed Reading Week on Feb. 27 – March 4, with the theme of “One World, Many Stories.”
A Literacy Night event was held on Monday, Feb. 27 at J.L. Bowler. Students showed their parents the displays and wall posters they had made depicting an imaginary journey around the world to all the continents. The students were challenged to answer 20 scavenger hunt questions as they toured the displays.
Each grade level had been assigned a continent to research and create their wall sized poster and crafts. Pre-school students used their photos to make penguins from Antarctica. Kindergarten classes made undersea life from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. First graders made baskets and face masks from Africa. Second graders explored all the European countries. Third graders studied and depicted the rain forests of the Amazon.
Fourth graders made Koinoboi windsocks from Japan and Chinese lanterns that were hung from the ceiling in the 4th grade area. They also created a Japanese cherry blossom tree of pink and red tissue paper hanging on the wall.
The fifth grade had pictures of all the Presidents of the United States with short history written by the students about each one’s accomplishments.
Students were invited to the library for story reading. Parent and community volunteers who read stories to students included: Jaylee Bullock, Amy Marshall, Metro Officer Jones, firefighter Terron Leavitt, and principal Chris Jenkins.
Parents were given reading strategies for home reading and everyone enjoyed making a craft and having cookies at the end of the tour of the continents.
“We want our students to enjoy reading and READ, READ, READ!” Jenkins said.
Virgin Valley Elementary held their literacy night on Tuesday, February 28. Book covers were hung from the hallway ceilings while trees and storybook places decorated the halls.
There were three activities for parents and students to enjoy: storytelling, book making and family reading area.
Students told stories or folk tales from various countries on the stage in the multipurpose room. Some were individual and some stories were told by a group of students.
Students and parents had fun creating their own little books with all the art supplies provided such as templates to fold and draw their story, colorful napkins to use as book covers, or paper bags to bind together for a small book. A favorite place to snuggle with a parent to listen to a fairy tale or a folk tale was the decorated hallway with cushions and seats.
Each day during reading week the students at both schools could turn in a record of their time reading at home. These were tickets for a chance to win a book or a prize.
Some of the activities the kids could do at home included finding a new spot to read a book, read with a family member or read a book that takes you someplace far away. There were dress up days including wearing a hat, dressing up like a favorite book character, wearing pajamas, or dressing to represent a country from their continent.
Parents at both schools received a packet of ideas for increasing their reading time at home with their children. Everyone received cookies to enjoy on their way home.
Many thanks are given to the teachers for organizing the week-long reading fun and helping at the evening activities.
Reading week has been celebrated for almost 40 years across the country with a different theme each year. This serves as a year long campaign that culminates in a celebration in March to promote a lifelong love of reading.
