Read Aloud WV

Previous news stories, 2007-08

Kanawha's 'Food for Thought' schools chosen

Students at five Kanawha County schools, including the first-ever middle school, will have an opportunity to buy books for $1 apiece during Kanawha County Read Aloud's annual "Food for Thought" event.

Anne Bailey, Chamberlain, Overbrook and Weimer elementary schools and DuPont Middle School were chosen to participate this year. The books have a retail value of $4 to $10 or more. Some are paperback; others are hardback but all are brand new. Recognizing that book ownership is critical to stimulating interest in reading, Read Aloud West Virginia of Kanawha County started the program in 1992.

Food for Thought gives students an alternative to spending their money on snack foods and offers them a chance to begin building their own personal book collections. Students are asked to pay for the books to reinforce the lesson that books are valuable -- and last longer than a simple snack.

 
Over the years funding has been provided by a variety of foundations.  Funding for the 2009 program is provided, in part, from the Jacobson Foundation.  Last year the program was underwritten by the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.  Additionally, money raised by the sale of books during one year are used to buy books for the next year.

W.Va. picture book featured in gardeners' catalog

West Virginia author Anna Egan Smucker's newewst book is featured in the Stark Bros. nursery catalog as part of a grow-your-own fruit tree kit.

Smucker's book Golden Delicious: A Cinderella Apple Story (illusstrated by Kathleen Kemly) tells the true story of how the Golden Delicious apple was discovered growing on a Clay County hillside by Anderson Mullens more than 100 years ago. Mullens sent a box of apples to Stark Bros. nursery in Missouri. One of the Stark brothers traveled to Clay County to see the tree, buy it from Mullens and send grafts back to his nursery. All Golden Delicious apple trees are descended from that tree.

The nursery's kit includes a copy of the book, a Golden Delicious Dwarf Apple tree ready for planting, "My Apple Tree" planting guide for kids, a children's tree care kit and a patch. It sells for $41.97. It looks great for classrooms, Scout troops and youth groups.

Listen to an interview with Anna Egan Smucker about her new book Golden Delicious: A Cinderella Apple Story, chosen for AEP's 2008 Read to Me Day selection.

Free training Nov. 6

at Columbia Gas

The public is invited to a free orientation at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008 at Columbia Gas, 1700 MacCorkle Ave., Charleston. The meeting will be in Room 1178.

Read Aloud West Virginia is committed to motivating children to want to read. Our volunteers serve as personal “commercials” for reading. The excitement that we generate can lead reluctant readers to improve their own reading skills.

Because an uninspiring read aloud session is not an effective commercial for reading, we strive to offer children consistently high-quality sessions. To accomplish this goal, Read Aloud West Virginia asks all volunteers to attend a one-time 90-minute training/orientation session.

Reading silently to oneself  is quite a different  experience from reading aloud to a classroom of students.  The orientation has been designed to provide a rewarding experience for the students and the volunteer.  Each session addresses the why, what and how of a classroom read aloud session.  Among the topics covered are:  Research based educational benefits of read aloud, classroom (and/or other public setting) guidelines and expectations , choosing books that are age appropriate for various ages, techniques to engage students in the read aloud experience and finally, procedures for being placed in a particular classroom or setting.

 

Read Aloud presents awards to schools of Art Contest winners at West Virginia Book Festival

Read Aloud West Virginia presented a new book to 16 schools whose students were winners in the annual Read Aloud Art Contest.

Each winner's school library received a copy of "I Ain't Gonna Paint No More" by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by David Catrow.

Forty-seven students were recognized at a reception at the West Virginia Book Festival on Oct. 12.

Read Aloud presented books to the following schools:

Sacred Heart Grade School
St. Agnes Elementary
Cross Lanes Christian School
Sharon Dawes Elementary
Holz Elementary
Central Elementary
Overbrook Elementary
Kenna Elementary
Chandler Elementary
Chesapeake Elementary
Alum Creek Elementary
Ruffner Elementary
Mary Ingles Elementary
Bridgeview Elementary
Weimer Elementary
Alban Elementary


We asked children who participated in our Read Aloud Art Contest to tell us who some of their favorite readers are. Here's what they said:

My Mom
My teacher
Mrs. Brenda Cantrell
Mrs. Chris Grizzell. Anyone who reads rhyming, funny or scary books
My Gandma
Mom and Dad
My stepmom
Grandpa
My sister
Mrs. Peniz
Mrs. Rinehart
Mom and Dad
Terri Moore
Mrs. Churchill
My Dad

 

Free Training Oct. 28

Point Harmony Elementary School

Adults who want to help children succeed in school are invited to a free Read Aloud training meeting at 8:30 a.m. at the Point Harmony Elementary School library in Cross Lanes. Trainings last about 90 minutes. Bring pen and paper if you want, but no materials are necessary.

Why go to a training? Of course, you already know how to read. You may even read to your own children. But reading in a school or other public setting is a little different. One short training session will give you a clear idea of what is expected of you, and what you can expect of your classroom teacher and school.

Trainings offer tips and suggestions for getting started. Teachers consistently say trained Read Aloud readers are the best readers they have.

Free Training Session Oct. 8 in South Charleston
Adults who want to help children succeed in school are invited to a free Read Aloud training meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the South Charleston Public Library's Dow Auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008.

Children who enjoy reading will practice on their own, grow better with practice and then excel in school and beyond. Read Aloud helps children pick up the habit of reading for pleasure by sending parents and other adults into classrooms to read to them. Meetings are about 90 minutes. Volunteers get tips for getting started, choosing books and being effective at encouraging young children to develop a love of reading. Teachers consistently rate Read Aloud readers as their favorites.

Read Aloud Art Contest Winners to be Recognized
Read Aloud Art Content Winners to be recognized at West Virginia Book Festival. Children who illustrated their favorite read-aloud books will be honored at the West Virginia Book Festival at a ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 at the West Virginia Book Festival.

The event will be at 1p.m. in Room WV 104 in the Charleston Civic Center. Schools of winning children will receive books to put in their school libraries. Other book-related events and author presentations will be going on throughout the weekend. The festival is free and open to the public.