TES Teachers Challenge Students to Read
From the youngest to the oldest, all the children at Temple School are required to read, read, read. They read in class, they read in the library, they read during whole school reading, and they read just because! They are also required to read at home or be read to everynight. Reading is one of the best ways a parent can help a child succeed in school. It's one way parents and teachers can work together.
In order to meet this goal, every kindergarten through second grade child HAS to read at least 15 minutes a night and every third and fourth grade child HAS to read at least 20 minutes a night.
The Temple teachers are challenging every student to read for an accumulated total of 500 hours over the first three weeks of February.
This will only work if EVERY child participates. If this challenge is met, on March 4th, Read Across America Day, there will be a special celebration which will include a whole school reading session and a sledding party complete with hot chocolate and cookies. We have confidence that this challenge will be met and surpassed. Let's make it happen!
Take a few moments to see what a difference you can make.
LET'S FIGURE IT OUT --- MATHEMATICALLY!

Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;

Student B reads only 4 minutes a night;

Student C does not read;

Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.

Student A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100 mins./week

Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes.

Student C reads 0 minutes x 5 times a week = 0 minutes.

Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.

Student A reads 400 minutes a month.

Student B reads 80 minutes a month.

Student C reads 0 minutes a month.

Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year.

Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year.

Student B reads 720 min. in a school year.

Student C read 0 min. in a school year.

Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year.

Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.

Student C gets the equivalent of 0 school days of reading practice.

By the end of 6th grade if Student A, Student B, and Student C maintain these same reading habits;

Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days.

Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.

Student C will have the equivalent of 0 school days.

One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance.

How do you think Students B and Student C will feel about him/herself as a student?

Some questions to ponder:

Which student would you expect to read better?

Which student would you expect to know more?

Which student would you expect to write better?

Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?

Which student would you expect to be more successful in school....and in life?
WE DID IT!
We met and beat the challenge! During week one we read 219 hours and 13 minutes with our top reader reading 595 minutes.

During week two we read 252 hours and 46 minutes with our top reader reading 1,050 minutes.

We ended our three week challenge by reading a whopping 449 hours and 13 minutes with our top reader reading 1,363 minutes.

We read a grand total of . . . (drum roll please)

921 HOURS and 12 MINUTES!

What a great party we had!
We even read in the snow!