Klein ISD
Reading for pleasure is glamorous with the OSCAR program by Jennifer LeClaire
W
underlich Intermediate had a single goal: Make reading fun. But reaching that goal required changing the Klein ISD school’s culture to one that encourages independent reading across all grade levels, creates a joy for reading among the students and, ultimately, increases STAAR scores in the process.
The school accomplished this cultural shift through the Our Students Care About Reading (OSCAR) program, which launched during the 2012-2013 school year. The acronym refers to a key component of the initiative: an Oscars-style awards ceremony at the end of the year. Just like the star-studded event you see on TV, students dressed up in their finest, walked the red carpet, had their photos taken and won awards. They were stars among the literary crowd for a night. A committee of teachers, administrators and the school librarian got the ball rolling last year by brainstorming an eclectic list of books they thought students might enjoy reading. The only missing ingredient was funding to buy the materials and awards program — but the group found support fast: $25,000 from the Klein ISD Education Founda-
tion and an additional $50,000 in Title 1 funds. “The books were placed in ELA and math classrooms, and students were given 15 minutes of independent reading time in both classes,” says Jessica Berberger, Wunderlich’s ELA department chair. Students were asked to draft summaries for every book they read. They also were challenged to create “movie trailers” that encourage others to read the book. The kids took photos of their own or found existing pictures, imported those images into movie-making software, developed scripts, added soundtracks and applied any number of creative touches they felt inspired to incorporate.
Superintendent Jim Cain
“We scheduled time during the school day for students to work with teachers who are skilled in digital technology,” Berberger says. “Those teachers helped the students learn everything they needed to know about using the digital camera — how to convert files, how to create a photo store or movie. Some students did it at home.”
See Klein on page 26
Former Wunderlich Intermediate Principal Brian Greeney leads the opening presentation at the OSCAR awards ceremony.
Texas School Business . Bragging Rights . 2013-2014
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