SANTA ANA : Program Rewards Children Who Read
Concerned about the number of children who spend more time watching television than reading books, Panorama Elementary School is participating in Books Across America, a federally funded program designed to encourage literacy and increase parental involvement in their children’s education.
The program is pairing 100 schools in California with 100 schools in New York. It is hoped that the children in partner schools will read a total of 1 million pages by the end of the school year, said Ellie Topolovac, a director of special projects for the Solana Beach school district and the creator of Books Across America.
In keeping with the format for Books Across America, Panorama has set up a giant map of the United States in the school. Students “travel” cross-country, making progress with each page turned.
As the students reach certain goals, they receive small prizes such as pencils or gift certificates provided by local businesses. At Panorama, the two students who read the most books by the end of the school year get to take over the principal’s job for a day.
“They will sit in my office, and I will go to their class and do their homework,” said Panorama Principal Cynthia Belongia.
Moreover, Panorama students will communicate with the children in their partner school in Courtland, N.Y., as part of the program.
Parents are also urged to participate in the program by reading to their children and recording their own recreational reading.
“We want to encourage the students to spend more time reading and less time in front of the television,” Belongia said.
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