Read Across America

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more things you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

Read Across America is a nationwide celebration of reading and literacy that takes place in classrooms every winter. The week-long activities coincide with the birthday of Dr. Theodor Seuss, the beloved children’s author and illustrator who brought us The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.

This year, Westbridge Academy approached the event with a sense of fun and purpose. The school hosted a classroom door decoration contest that was scored by guest judges. Every student received a reading “goodie bag,” and winning classes were treated to a pizza and ice cream party in the cafeteria.

“Students learned to generate ideas and share them with others; they learned collaboration and teamwork,” said John Cerniglia, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction.

Three authors, Kristine Lombardi, Henry Neff, and Jacqueline Resnick, came to the school to read to students and discuss their books. For more fun, Bloomfield firefighters read to our elementary students and spoke to older students. While the activities centered on reading, the instructional goals and learning objectives went deeper.

“The activities allowed students to connect the stories to their own lives—they learned empathy through the characters they met,” he said. Students worked on executive function skills as they listened and engaged. And guest authors used differentiated instruction to reach all students: for example, author Kristine Lombardi used her skills as an illustrator as she interacted with the students.

“We tried to move beyond the fun of Dr. Seuss and use the event as a way to address social and emotional learning through reading,” he concluded.