A good read

By Jeannie O’Sullivan
Times Staff Writer

Word on the street is that there’s a lot of reading going on in Philadelphia schools.
The students, it is said, read silently to themselves and aloud to each other. They read to their teachers. A few have been known to read to their stuffed animals. They read to learn and for fun, and many times the two overlap.
Fantasy novels, like those of the Harry Potter series, are hot right now. Then again, old standbys can’t be beat. During last week’s various Read Across America Day celebrations, Philadelphia students read classics like Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. The books were fitting choices, as the day would have marked the author’s 101st birthday.
Founded by the National Education Association in 1998, Read Across America Day encourages schools to promote literacy with fun activities that focus on reading and writing. The day is celebrated on March 2 to commemorate the birthday of author Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Geisel died in 1991.
In the Northeast schools, parents were invited to join the students in a day of book readings, writing projects and Dr. Seuss-themed activities. Both students and administrators proudly donned Dr. Seuss hats, the day’s accessory of choice.
The Cat in the Hat made his rounds, visiting the classrooms in the Edwin Forrest and William H. Loesche elementary schools, among others. During assemblies at Loesche, students read their favorite Dr. Seuss quotes, and eight of them won tickets to the Walnut Street Theater production of Mrs. Nelson is Missing.
The Anne Frank School hosted a special breakfast for parents and students. Afterward, parents visited the classrooms to read with the students.
At Edwin Forrest School, students dug into a special lunch of green eggs and ham — pizza, provided by Papa John’s, also was available in case the oddly colored eggs didn’t go over well — and wrote essays about their personal experiences with reading.
Excited students crowded around the Cat in the Hat while volunteers served up the eclectic buffet. Principal Patricia Epps surveyed the hectic scene, her blue-and-red-striped Dr. Seuss cap bobbing as she glanced around the bustling cafeteria.
"This is definitely the biggest Read Across America day we’ve had yet," she said.
Big it was, perhaps because of the increasing number of literacy initiatives the school district has implemented in recent years. The scope of reading and writing reaches far beyond the two-hour daily minimum that teachers must spend on reading, said Jenny O’Kane, event coordinator at Forrest School.
"I definitely see the positive effect on students," said O’Kane, who teaches first grade and serves as the school’s designated literacy leader.
Certain requirements, like keeping science "journals" and writing math solutions in essay format, enable students to incorporate literacy into all subjects. With the goal of honing reading comprehension and writing skills, standardized tests like the SAT and PSSA now feature an increased number of critical-thinking and analysis questions.
O’Kane also pointed out the importance of a parent’s role in "modeling" the idea of reading at home by stocking the house with reading materials, actively reading in front of the kids, and, most important, reading to their children.
CCA Baldi Middle School also got into the action. Seventh-graders visited the Anne Frank School to share stories and read books to their first-grade "buddies."
"Reading aloud and reading independently are two components of the comprehensive literacy framework of the Philadelphia school district," noted Fran Darby, spokeswoman for the district’s Northeast Regional office.
While the administrators and teachers viewed the day in terms of its impact on the district’s literacy-initiatives progress, the kids were just busy having a blast.
Which is precisely the point, said O’Kane.
"The bottom line is that if kids don’t love to read, they won’t read," said O’Kane. "So we make sure they love it." ••
Reporter Jeannie O’Sullivan can be reached at 215-354-3038 or osullivanj@phillynews.com