“We just want to build a strong foundation for reading because its critically important in every aspect of success,” said Kim Fish, the district’s communication coordinator.
Kindergarten teachers throughout the district helped select the books that would be read, choosing texts that taught additional skills like rhyming or counting.
“The teachers will be teaching the same book in many cases that the kids are going to be taking home with them,” said Fish.
The cost of the initiative is about $3,000 for books and blank DVDs, plus volunteered time to record and duplicate the readings.
The DVDs are scheduled to start going home with students this week.
“This is a great thing,” said Lagonda Elementary kindergarten teacher Duncan Highman. “It’s so exciting to see kids get excited about reading.”
For many families that don’t have time to read at home, the DVDs are an interactive way for children to practice their literacy skills after school. Hopefully, it will also encourage families to do more reading outside of school, he said.
“I hope it looks like it’s just so easy and that it doesn’t have to be fancy,” said Highman, who reads “The Mitten.” “It’s just something fun that the families can enjoy.”
The reader on the DVD starts off with an introduction and then explains what book they’ll be reading. Next, they look through the pages, asking questions about what might happen based on the book’s illustrations before starting the reading.
“We are trying to make this fun for them, so it’s interactive,” said Leigh Hastings, a Wittenberg student who read “Quick as a Cricket” and helped organize the effort.
Reading books that had once been childhood favorites of her own like “Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type,” made the experience fun, said Liz Guyer, a Wittenberg student and tutor.
“I was really excited to get to read childhood books that I read and loved,” she said.
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