A new employee at Roopville Elementary School awaited students to report on the first day of school. As the clock neared the start of the academic day, he heard no talking or other sounds associated with morning arrival. He wondered where the students were. Since it is a small community, he thought maybe the students didn’t arrive until the last moment. Minutes before the bell, he stepped from the confines of his room only to find the halls full of students sitting along the walls reading silently.
That’s only part of the culture of the Roopville Reading Revolution! That may also explain how fewer than 400 students have checked out over 15,000 books – double the circulation numbers of many schools twice its size.
A number of schools have Accelerated Reader programs in which students earn reward points for passing quizzes on the books they read. Roopville Elementary takes it to a whole new incredible level. Before the midyear break this year, students have taken over 16,300 tests – that’s averaging of over 42 quizzes per student!
But, all text sources do not fall under the Accelerated Reader umbrella. This year, RES began a program called SQUIRT – Super Quiet Uninterrupted Reading Time. One Friday a month, the first two periods are designated exclusively for reading. Students who choose to read something other than an Accelerated Reader endorsed article or book may complete projects that will earn reward points. These projects include mock interviews with characters, drawing pictures depicting pivotal scenes, creating a board game based on the book, and creating their own test questions.
Author and storyteller, Carmen Deedy has told that reluctant readers are only that way because the right book hasn’t found them yet. One can believe the right books are finding their way into the hands of students at Roopville Elementary School!