Principals Promote Reading Aloud With Special Award
Are you a principal who is looking for a special way to recognize Children’s Book Week this year? You can share your love of reading and set a great example for students by reading aloud the five books that are nominated for the 2008 Principal’s Read Aloud Award.
Which Book Will Win?
Principals can take part in this year’s Read Aloud Award program by reading the five nominated books to their students and voting online for their favorite. The five books nominated for the 2008 Principal’s Read Aloud Award are
Big Al, written by Andrew Clements and illustrated by Yoshi
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin
Dogzilla, written by Dav Pilkey
Sweet Tooth, written by Margie Palatini and illustrated by Jack E. Davis
The Wide-Mouthed Frog, written by Keith Faulkner and illustrated by Jonathan Lambert
Principals can gather those books from their school or local libraries, or they can order them at a discount through NAESP. To learn more, see 2008 Read Aloud Award Program.
NAESP is also taking nominations for the 2009 award. If you have a book you have enjoyed reading to children, submit your name and the title, author/illustrator, and publisher of a book currently in print and readily available to childrensbookaward@naesp.org.
The deadline for voting for the winner of the 2008 award is November 30, 2007.
This year is the second year principals will present the Read Aloud Award, which is bestowed at the annual convention of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). The organization developed the award as a way to recognize quality literature and encourage principals to read aloud to students, according to Raven Padgett, director of communications and public relations for the organization.
“Reading aloud demonstrates to students how much a principal enjoys reading and just how much fun reading can be,” Padgett said.
“When a principal reads to students, it sends a message to students, parents, and staff that reading is valued,” added Bill Rich, who is principal at McFall Elementary School in Middleville, Michigan, and chair NAESP’s Read Aloud Award focus group.
“We do a lot with reading in my school,” Rich told Education World. “But it’s not just all about teaching kids to read. We have to inspire kids to want to pick up books too. Passing along a love of reading, not just the ability to read, is the greatest gift we can give to children.”
Rich reads to each of his school’s teams for 30 minutes a week. In addition, he often reads aloud to adult audiences. “When I was president of the Michigan state principals association, I would always bring along a read-aloud,” said Rich. So it was natural that, when he got involved in NAESP on a national level, he would work reading aloud into his Zone Director’s Report.
“I approached NAESP leaders about initiating this award not only to recognize a good title but to maybe inspire other principals to take an opportunity to read a tried-and-true read-aloud book to students,” he said.
Rich’s inspiration for reading aloud and this award comes from Bill Martin, Jr., author of such popular children’s books as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom .
“Bill Martin was my mentor,” said Rich, who ended up getting involved with Martin’s summer literacy institutes. Rich even presented a session on “Bringing Books to Life” at those institutes.
“The institutes were like ‘summer camps’ for adults who share the passion of reading aloud,” added Rich. It is through the institutes that Rich has developed lifelong friendships with many children’s book authors. One author, Mike Thaler, even dedicated one of his books, The Principal from the Black Lagoon, to Rich.
“It’s not just all about teaching kids to read. We have to inspire kids to want to pick up books too.”
The first Principal’s Read Aloud Award was presented in 2007 to Jon Scieszka, author of many award-winning children’s books, including The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, which earned him the principals’ award. In his acceptance of the award, Scieszka said he was honored to be recognized by principals because his father was an elementary school principal for more than 30 years.
Rich considers himself fortunate that the staff at McFall shares his passion for reading aloud. “My librarian and I are always trying to one-up each other by sharing the latest, greatest read-aloud,” he said.
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