The Bennett Elementary School Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the building’s Adopt-A-School partner, Microsoft, teamed up to once again offer the Bennett Book Club during the 2014-15 school year. Open to all K – 5 students, it was designed to provide reading and comprehension practice in a fun, casual environment. More than 150 students and 20 adult leaders (a combination of Bennett parents and Microsoft volunteers) participated in this year’s program.
Students read an assigned book each week, then met with their grade level peers and an adult leader each Friday morning in March before the start of the regular school day for book discussion.
The Bennett Book Club has been offered for ten years, the last five of which have been coordinated by Microsoft Adopt-A-School volunteer Cindy Bloom. “We have 25 to 30% of Bennett’s students choose to participate each year. Given the program was offered on Friday mornings which can be a tricky time for parents to work into their family’s schedule, we feel very fortunate to be able to successfully reach so many students,” said Bloom.
One week’s reading list included these books (you might want to put them on your family’s summer reading list!):
- Kindergarten – Stripes
- 1st Grade – How I Became a Pirate
- 2nd Grade – Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson
- 3rd Grade – The Stories Julian Tells
- 4th Grade – The Voyage of the Frog
- 5th Grade – The Borrowers
“A primary driver for kids’ interest in the program is certainly the fact that they all like books, but I also think they really enjoy the social aspect of getting to connect with their peers in something outside their standard classroom interaction,” shared Bloom. “The Bennett teachers and staff have also been great supporters and offer a lot of encouragement to the kids to be involved in Book Club.”
There was a small fee for students to participate in the program, which covered the cost of materials, books, and a book bag. Scholarships were available and Bennett PTA and Microsoft also subsidized the program. Students also received a completion pin to add to their book bag for successfully concluding the reading program.
Practice reading skills over the summer months with the Fargo Public Library’s fun-themed Summer Reading Programs, which kick off on June 1:
- Every Hero Has A Story for children through age 12.
- Unmasked for teens.
- Escape the Ordinary for adults.
