Summer Reading at Hopkinton Rec!

Mr. Ricci visited the first day of the program and snapped this picture!  :)

This summer marks the fifth consecutive year of the Hopkinton Recreation Summer Read Aloud Program!  The program invites Chariho staff members to volunteer an hour of their time to read aloud to the camp's participants.  (The reading program is also taking place in Charlestown!)  The students are so excited each week when they know one of the teachers who has shown up to read to them.  They never know from session to session who will be the day's "special guest stars"!

Like last year, I started off the first session by introducing the children to the available books with a short "book talk".  Then each child was allowed to select which reading group to join.  In the past we split them up by grade, but we've decided that it's even better to offer them a choice.  Not only did that increase their excitement, but it also introduced them to titles that they might decide to pick up and read on their own!   

This year's chapter book selections from the list of RICBA nominees!

We've got three groups who are each reading a chapter book selected from a list of books nominated for the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award (RICBA).  During the school year, students are encouraged to read at least three of the books from the list in order to vote for the winner.  In addition, several of the schools (including Ashaway) hold competitions called the Rooster Games based these nominees.  By selecting books from this list, the children participating in HopRec will already have one of these books completed by the end of the summer!  
I signed up to take the same group every week, and we are really enjoying RICBA nominee Legend of the Ghost Dog by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel.  Before I close the book at the end of each session, I read the first sentence or two from the next chapter as a teaser.  The author does an excellent job of building suspense; as I closed the book last week a student groaned, "Mrs. Mann, you're killing us!"   :)  I love that they're looking forward to continuing the story each week.

In addition to our three "chapter book" groups, I also bring along a bin of picture books with related activities.  Here's our own Mrs. Gray reading Sylvester and the Magic Pebble to a group of campers.  (That's one of her daughters on her lap!)

Some of the older readers have chosen to take more of an "independent study" approach.  I provide a bin of alternate selections for those who would like to browse a variety of offerings.  

This fifth grader discovered one of my own all-time favorites!

No matter which group a child joins, every one of them is spending an hour each week interacting with some excellent books.  It truly is a wonderful program, and I'm very proud to be a part of it.  My sincerest thanks go out to the fabulous staff at the camp who have been so accommodating in order to make it all possible and to the teachers who have volunteered to participate! So far this summer I've been joined by "special guest stars" Mrs. Potter, Mrs. Medina, and Mrs. Cherenzia from CMS as well as Mrs. Gray and Mrs. Pearce from Ashaway School!  Mrs. Pearce's daughter Bomina also came by and offered to read aloud to a group!  (Thanks, Bo!)

Look who's getting a jump on her summer reading requirement!