Jenks students celebrate Literacy Week

by Emily Plowman, Friends of Jenks for The Local
Posted 3/18/21

What is your favorite idiom? Or has the cat got your tongue? That was one of the questions asked during Literacy Week at Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences, which kicked off National Reading Month on March 1.

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Jenks students celebrate Literacy Week

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What is your favorite idiom? Or has the cat got your tongue? That was one of the questions asked during Literacy Week at Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences, which kicked off National Reading Month on March 1. Students and staff participated in a series of fun activities, including Heroes and Villains Day, Poetry in Pajamas, Non-Fiction Day, and Dress as an Idiom Day. Kindergarten teacher Kassidy Beach took the opportunity to share her favorite idiom: a bun in the oven (which is rather fitting since she is expecting a baby boy next month!). Ms. Beach, now in her fourth year of teaching at Jenks, shared that, “Literacy week is one of my favorite times of the school year because I get to share my love of reading with my students and teach them how fun it can be.” That certainly sounds like best of both worlds!

The students also celebrated Read Across America, which was recognized on March 2. Started in 1998 by the National Education Association (NEA), Read Across America highlights “books that students can see themselves reflected in, as well as books that allow readers to see a world or a character that might be different than them.” Since the start of their virtual school year, the students at Jenks have had a free subscription to Epic!, an online reading and learning platform that offers a vast virtual collection of books and videos. During the online school day, it’s common for students to sometimes have their head in the clouds, and encouraging them to read a story allows them to harness their imagination and learn about infinite new subjects.

Ms. Beach also shared that her favorite activity during Literacy Week is D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read), when “students choose their favorite book and read silently, curl up, and listen to quiet music.” When the teachers announce that it’s D.E.A.R. time, students are instructed to grab a favorite book and begin reading on their own. They quickly discover that time flies when they’re having fun. For Ms. Beach, D.E.A.R. time reminds her of her own elementary school days, which instilled her love for reading. “It’s ultimately why I decided to become a reading teacher; so that I could share that love with others!” Sometimes the children select a book they think will be about one topic and then are taken completely by surprise when they learn something they weren’t expecting. After all, Literacy Week also teaches students to never judge a book by its cover!

(This article mentioned SIX idioms. Can you find them all? Answers below!)

 

Cat got your tongue, bun in the oven, best of both worlds, at their fingertips, head in the clouds, time flies when they’re having fun, judge a book by its cover.

National Reading Month, Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences