Imagine 300+ families reading one book simultaneously.
At G. Stanley Hall Elementary School we accomplished this through a project called “One Book One School.” We know bringing families together through literature can be a strong bond to help connect parents to their children's schooling by a single book. We also know that many parents want to help at home. One of the best ways to help is by reading aloud. With One Book One School, our building came together to read one chapter book at the same time, usually over the course of a couple weeks. I had the chance to embark on the reading adventure with the book The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary.
A night assembly where parents were invited to school to learn about the journey and chance to enjoy a book with their children kick-started the experience. Each family received a copy of the book. Families who spoke Spanish as their first language received the Spanish version of the book. We gave them a schedule of when to read what chapter and showed them a website that was set up to accompany them. The website featured the schedule and videos of featured guest readers. We were off!
Each morning a question about the book blared from the speakers. Students were given strips of paper to record their response. I collected the responses as a class, and we discussed the question. Correct answers were brought to the office and entered into a drawing for a chance to win a prize, usually something sweet shaped into a mouse or a car. Students were buzzing each day for a chance to answer the question.
By sharing one book with students across all grades and their families, we shared the love of reading with our entire school, not just one class. Students enjoyed having a chance to share their thoughts about the book with their friends, and the event helped spark further interest in Beverly Clearly, as some students continued to check out her other books.
Other teachers were willing to help those students whose parents chose not to participate by allowing them to watch the readings of the chapters or reading the chapter aloud to their class. It was just another chance for teachers to share their love of reading. Also, teachers were able to hit those ever-important Standards while discussing the book.
Many families in our school do not have the money to buy books, and this event put a book in their hands. One Book One School is a start. For the school, the cost of the program starts with the book, but the only other expense would be for prizes; a website is certainly optional.
In the end, parents appreciated the support they found in One Book One School. Through the program, they found a new way to interact with their children by sharing parts of The Mouse and the Motorcycle they loved and discussing why the author may have chose to write the way she did. In the end, it felt like this successful journey came to an end too soon.
Garrett O’Dell is a fourth-grade teacher at G. Stanley Hall Elementary School in Nebraska.