TERRE HAUTE — After Jan Medley finished reading “The Little Engine that Could” to her kindergarten students, they talked about its message.
Students shared experiences in which they had reluctantly, and maybe even fearfully, tried something new and were successful. Some described riding a bike without training wheels for the first time.
With the start of a new school year, students will be learning many new things, Medley said. “I don’t want to hear anyone say, ‘I can’t do this.’ I want to hear you say, ‘I think I can’ or ‘I’ll try.’”
That discussion was likely mirrored across the state and country Thursday as part of a national effort to set a world record for the number of children and adults reading the same book in a single day.
All classes at West Vigo Elementary read “The Little Engine That Could” as part of a national initiative by Jumpstart, a not-for-profit organization that helps build literacy skills of at-risk preschool children.
All other Vigo County elementary schools were expected to participate, said Jenny Williams, a West Vigo teacher and president of the Wabash Valley Council of the International Reading Association. She coordinated the effort in the school district.
The Wabash Valley IRA provided two copies of the book for each elementary school to float throughout classrooms Thursday.
The book has a message for all ages, Williams said.
The national Read for the Record campaign aims to raise awareness about the early education crisis and provide tools to address it. Each year, one in three children enters kindergarten unprepared to succeed, according to Jumpstart. Other national partners in the project included Starbucks Coffee and American Eagle Outfitters.
One of Medley’s students, Kaden Alkire, thought it was “awesome” to be part of a national project to set a world record for reading. Another student, Molly McClain, agreed it was “pretty cool.”
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
National effort aims to set reading record
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2013 Government Directory now available
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