JACKSON, MI – Scary books are one of the reasons Kariel Holmes loves to read.
“I like guessing the words,” said 6-year-old Kariel, a first-grader at Bennett Elementary School.
Making sure he knows how to help his daughter figure out the words she reads is important to Kariel’s father, Dajaun Lee. That’s why he’s participating with her in the 100 Word Challenge at Bennett this fall.
“When I was 6, we did things differently than they do now,” Lee said. “It’s a lot more hands-on now. She’s loved books from day one and I want to make sure that we can encourage that.”
The 100 Word Challenge for first-graders at Bennett, Cascades, Frost and McCulloch elementary schools and a similar Alphabet Challenge for kindergarteners at the same schools are after-school family engagement events.
In this pilot program, students play games related to reading and the alphabet, and parents and grandparents learn tips for helping them gain stronger reading skills.
The programs, led by Jennie O’Brien, Jackson Public Schools’ elementary school parent liaison, are funded entirely by Title I funds for at-risk students.
“It’s all about helping families understand how they can help their kids,” said O’Brien, who is a certified elementary school teacher with a master’s degree in reading.
The 100 Word Challenge focuses on “sight words,” those words that frequently show up in books, such as “and,” “that,” and “this.” A variety of hands-on games help students recognize these common words by sight.
“Hopefully, this will help them get their sight words in so they can become better readers,” said Sandra Bearinger, a first-grade teacher at Bennett. “And we can show parents they can do these things at home and have fun at the same time their kids are learning.”
Adults also learn how to use items they have at home to recreate the games they played at school. They also took home tips for reading stories aloud to their kids.
“This is a wonderful activity,” said Bennett Principal Jackie Brock. “We really need our parents to be involved in their child’s education. That creates a bond.”
Elyia Lamb found a couple of games that worked well for her 6-year-old son Nehemiah Jones, who she describes as “very active.” The game, “Hippity Hop,” involves words written on rectangles of paper that are placed in a circle on the floor. Kids call out the words they read as they jump on them.
“This is a nice activity,” Lamb said. “I’m getting lots of good ideas on different ways to help him learn his words.”
— Know of a unique or interesting classroom or project in any Jackson County school? Let me know about it for this In the Classroom feature, which runs weekly during the school year. Contact Leanne Smith, education reporter, at 262-0720 or email@example.com.