One of the most important factors in academic achievement is the ability to read and learn from what is read. There
may also be other benefits of experiencing success in reading, such as improved self-esteem, positive self-concept,
appropriate social skills, and overall social competence (Adams, 1990; Lyon, 1997).
Elementary Programs
Take-Home Reading Program—Many schools have a take-home reading program that reinforces the Accelerated Reader program. This leveled reading program allows students to check out a book on their level, take it home to read with an adult, and return it for another book. As their reading comprehension increases, the student progresses to a higher level. PTAs often facilitate this program by providing supplies and volunteers. A local boy scout is often willing to help increase the number of books available through his Eagle Scout project. Coordinate this with your media center specialist/librarian.
BOOK IT!—This program motivates children to read by rewarding their reading accomplishments with praise, recognition, and pizza. The program is simple, flexible, fun, and free to use in your classroom! BOOK IT! was created in 1984 and currently reaches more than 14 million students and 37,000 K-6 grade schools annually. Each student sets a reading goal for the month. When they meet their monthly goal, you get to recognize them with a Reading Award Certificate from Pizza Hut, good for a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza.
KUED’s Annual Reading Marathon—Students track their minutes of reading throughout the month of November. Minutes are submitted online. As a reward for children who reach their reading goals, an invitation-only Super Reader Party is held the following January. At the Super Reader Party, children participate in fun activities with PBS pals Martha Speaks, Sid the Science Kid, Super WHY and Buddy from Dino Train; and take home free books and goodies from community partners. Get more information at kued.org/kids.
Ken Garff ’s Road to Success Program—The purpose of Road to Success is to have every child read alone or be read to twenty minutes every day. This way, adults and children learn the power of reading together. Every participating school will set its own reading goals. Prizes and fun activities will encourage participation throughout the year, encouraging young readers to set their own objectives and measure their performance. Youngsters who meet their goals will be given prizes along the way, and they will be eligible for a drawing to win a bicycle at the end of the year. Get more information at rtsutah.com.
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record—This program aims to set a new Guinness World Record for the greatest number of people reading the same book on the same day. A different book is chosen each year and the event usually happens in October. Events at schools, libraries, and community centers can engage your entire community in literacy awareness. The Jumpstart website has many planning, publicity, and activity materials for your use. Get more information at jstart.org/read-for-the-record/.
Read Across America on March 2—National PTA proudly supports the Read Across America initiative. This reading motivation and awareness program calls for every child, no matter the age, to celebrate reading on or around Dr. Seuss’s birthday, March 2. Resources and activities to observe Dr. Seuss’s birthday and keep children and youth reading year round are available to parents, educators, and PTA leaders. The event can be tailored to the specific needs of your local unit and the website includes some ideas for events, such as a birthday party for Dr. Seuss, invited guest readers, read-a-thons with parents and students, a book donation drive for child-care centers, community centers, or hospitals, etc.
The web link below sends you to the “Create a Reading Event” page; there are additional links to help with activity ideas, resources and materials, publicity tools, and everything you need to make your event successful. Be sure to coordinate with your unit’s Teacher Vice President in case teachers are already thinking about event ideas. Make the partnership between PTA and the faculty a positive one! Get more information at readacrossamerica.org.
Elementary and Secondary Programs
America’s Battle of the Books—A reading incentive program for students in 3rd through 12th grades. Students read books and come together usually in groups to demonstrate their abilities and to test their knowledge of the books they have read. The student competitions are usually similar to the TV series Family Feud or Whiz Kids styles of competitions. However, the structure, format, and rules of the competitions may vary depending on the educational goals, student needs, local resources, and personal preferences at various school sites, school districts, county libraries, or offices of education.
Drop Everything and Read ( D.E.A.R.) Day is on April 12—In a continuing effort to promote literacy, National PTA supports Drop Everything and Read Day on the birthday of beloved children’s book author Beverly Cleary.
Participating in D.E.A.R. Day is a wonderful way to encourage children and youth to read more and families to make time to read together. A variety of activities can be planned to support this reading initiative and the website can help with planning. Get more information at dropeverythingandread.com.
DYAD Reading Method—Dyad reading is based on the Neurological Impress Method (NIM), a reading intervention developed by R. G. Heckleman in 1969. NIM was first introduced with an adult reader chorally reading along with a child as the pair sat side-by-side, sharing the same book. The key to the success of DYAD reading is providing a struggling reader with supported access to challenging texts through choral reading with a stronger, more fluent reader.
Read Today—KSL’s Read Today offers a program to engage parents and community members in helping your school. Read Today is a high impact literacy program that pairs struggling readers with volunteer tutors. Their mission is to connect families, local businesses, organizations, and religious groups to their local schools to make a difference in their communities. Read Today works directly with AmeriCorps in the schools. AmeriCorps administers the program, trains volunteers using the STAR tutoring program (see below), collects data, and ensures quality and consistency. KSL creates awareness, recruits tutors and provides incentives and celebrations, some of which could include Chopper 5 landings and literacy events. Partners include: United Way, the Utah State Office of Education, PTA, and Prosperity 2020. Learn more about the program at readtoday.com.
STAR Tutoring Program—The Utah State Office of Education (USOE) has produced a tutorial reading program, Student Tutoring Achievement for Reading (STAR), to support struggling readers. Trained adult tutors meet with students twice weekly for thirty minutes and support students as they practice reading. Struggling readers benefit from increased reading time, targeted practice, and a rewarding reading experience.
The STAR tutoring program also has materials and training for a cross-age tutoring program, which enables older students to tutor younger students, and the STAR parent tutoring program for parents to support struggling readers at home. The USOE provides tutoring materials for all public schools at no cost.
The STAR parent manual is available in English and Spanish and includes lessons and a list of the best books for parents to read aloud to children. Parents can receive training at no cost from the literacy coach at their school.
Organizing STAR Tutoring at your school will be easier than ever before, now that Read Today is partnering with many community groups to help local schools. Contact your school’s literacy coach. If there is currently no coach, contact the USOE for more information. schools.utah.gov. Schools can request volunteers through justserve.org.
Book Fair—Education Commissioners are often asked to organize the book fair. There are several ways to do this, and companies such as Scholastic, A+ Book Fairs, Barnes & Noble, BYU Bookstore, and others can provide you with the books you need to sell. Children’s Bookstore is a completely, 100% online book fair. Work with the PTA treasurer to ensure all financial procedures are followed. A book fair can be a great opportunity for the PTA to sponsor literacy events in conjunction with the fair. Choose a theme for the fair and plan the reading activities to relate to the theme. This can generate excitement for the fair and increase literacy in your school.
Need More Literacy Ideas?
- Encourage all parents and guardians to read with their children for twenty minutes each day.
- Support the school in enlarging and updating the books and materials in the library collection.
- Hold Read-a-Thons or other organized reading activities.
- Early morning Dads and Donuts, Moms and Muffins, or Guests and Goodies are great forums for small group reading sessions.
- Publish a reading calendar suggesting books and activities that promote reading on a daily basis at home.
- Partner with the library/media specialist to post and distribute lists of books, such as Caldecott, Newbery, and Utah Reading Award books.
- Recruit grandparents or other adults to volunteer as reading tutors at the school. Coordinate STAR tutoring training with the Administrative Vice President. Have your school request reading volunteers through justserve.org.
- Encourage all parents (even neighbors with preschoolers who are not yet involved in PTA) to attend book festivals, reading conferences, or reading summits. Watch the education page of the Utah PTA website for information.