What is One School, One Book?
One School, Once Book is a program designed to create a shared reading experience within a single elementary school community. A chapter book is chosen, every students receives a copy, and every family reads that book at home over the course of a single month. Activities at school coordinate, promote and enrich the shared reading experience.
What do we have to do?
We are asking families to spend some time each weekday evening reading a chapter of the book aloud (approximately 10 pages). Fairmount teachers, administration and PTA have been working together to design a variety of activities at school to heighten and promote interest in and discussion of the book. Activities include a school-wide assembly, daily trivia and discussion questions. These simple activities create daily awareness of the book and encourage in students deep, attentive, and personally gratifying listening habits. Students take pride in being in command of the book's details. In addition, students will be encouraged to support the community through giving and acts of kindness.
Why should we do this?
The benefits of reading aloud are remarkable -- studies have shown that reading to children helps them to listen better and longer, build bigger vocabularies, understand concepts better, feel positive about both books and learning, and more. When an entire school reads the same book the buzz and excitement around the book being read increases these benefits, and there is the added joy of building community.