2 minute read
ONE SCHOOL, ONE BOOK
With Accelerated Reader programs and little libraries, Lincoln Unified School District campuses promote literacy at all grade levels. This school year, Lincoln Elementary School began its own initiative to encourage reading: the One School, One Book program.
One School, One Book is organized by Read to Them, a national organization for literacy in schools. Becky Sprinkle, principal at Lincoln Elementary, said she adopted the program for her school to make reading a more interactive experience for families.
“One School, One Book really spoke to me about how to connect literature from school to home,” Sprinkle said. Through the program, all students at a school read the same book one chapter at a time, with a reading schedule and activities to encourage personal engagement with the story. The students are assigned at-home reading, and parents or guardians are encouraged to read the selected book to their child.
After researching the program early in the fall 2021 semester, Sprinkle selected three books for Lincoln Elementary students. The first, “Dog Days: The Carver Chronicles” by Karen English, centers on a boy whose aunt gives him a dog to care for, hoping it will encourage him to become more responsible.
“Dog Days” was assigned to Lincoln Elementary students on Nov. 1. Students could listen to pre-recorded readings of each chapter through a website created by Sprinkle and Assistant Principal Jonathan Gillig. In addition to the assigned reading and discussions, students were encouraged to bring photos or pictures of their pets to school, comparing their own experiences with those of the main character and his dog. All these pictures are posted on a bulletin board in the school’s cafeteria. Though students finished reading “Dog Days” on Dec. 8, Sprinkle said she is still receiving pictures two months later. For the next book in the program, Sprinkle would like to see teachers request submissions for similar activities.
“I want them to create something so that as we’re walking through campus, kids are talking and looking and exploring other things that other grade levels have done,” Sprinkle said.
The March book at Lincoln Elementary is “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by Kate DiCamillo. Like “Dog Days,” this book was endorsed by Wendy Filippone, the school’s library aide.
Filippone said she had been pleasantly surprised by the positive reception to One School, One Book at all grade levels. She hopes for students to personally connect to all books in the program and that these books will bring them closer to their families.
“I think any time families sit together with a relaxing activity to escape the outside world and to come together is a great thing,” Filippone said.
