Saturday, November 27, 2010
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It was hard for Dylan McBride (right) to stay still while listening to so many exciting stories, but he managed to sit respectfully as Sarah Saunders read her story.
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After the story time was over, the kids had time to talk about anything and everything. DiShawntae Mayes (left) and Callie Helminiak (right) discussed what they’ve been studying in school.
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Erica Ferguson (right) wrote about a haunted house that had her reading buddy Sapphire Connelly on the edge of her seat.
By SARAH FOOR
“I think that sometimes, kids forget the joy of reading and being read to.”
That was the sentiment of Frank Ohl’s Jeff Swavel, whose fifth-graders read to Watson’s first and second-graders on Oct. 27.
His informal reading event, now in its second year, began in early October as his fifth-graders wrote their own ghost and goblin-filled mystery stories. In the process, Swavel works to sharpen his student’s grammar and storytelling skills.
“This is one project where I see my kids do their work and love it, too,” Swavel reflected. “I have some students that struggle in reading, but I can see them improve when they become these heroes to the young kids they read to Watson.”
After taking the walk from Frank Ohl with his fifth-graders, Swavel visited six Watson classrooms, where his students read their stories to eager first and second-graders.
After a busy story time in Jamie Simpson’s classroom, her first-graders erupted into an impromptu “Thank you!” to which Swavel’s students answered, “Anytime, kids!”