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Streaming storytime

Phillips principal uses internet to read to students each night

JANELLE PATTERSON The Marietta Times Phillips Elementary first-grader Zander Nunn, 7, of Marietta, reads about volcanos in his school's library Monday.

Inspired by the outside-the-box thinking of one Texas elementary principal, Phillips Elementary Principal Kristi Lantz jumped into pajamas over spring break and read to her students from wherever they were and is continuing that pajama night tonight for a third time–for Tucked-In Tuesdays.

“I follow that maxim that children are made readers on the laps of their parents,” she explained. “But nowadays with varied schedules and different family structures than the traditions we grew up with it’s hard as a parent to find that time. Here’s hopefully a time when the whole family can get involved for a few minutes and enjoy a fun book together with me.”

Utilizing Facebook Live for the last two weeks, she has sat in her home and encouraged her students to have their teeth brushed, faces washed and sit in pajamas from wherever they are to enjoy the streaming storytime.

The first night was Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”–a 1969 classic still popular today– and the second featured one of author Mo Willems’ 2003 classroom favorites “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!”

Tonight another exposure to a love of reading will take place at the same time, 7:30 p.m.

JANELLE PATTERSON The Marietta Times Phillips Elementary Librarian Peggy Bloomfield plays a rhyming game with first-grade students Monday as they discuss how the endings of words can sound similar but be spelled differently.

This time that video broadcast will be of a classic fairytale and the myriad spins on it from differing authors.

“I’ll even have special pajamas for this one, and get to talk about how different authors take the classic fairytale and change and make it their own,” explained Luntz.

The broadcasts thus far have lasted under 15 minutes, just enough time to keep a kindergartener’s attention, and expose small lessons and continued reading for families to talk about on their own.

First-grader Zander Nunn, 7, said Monday that he watched last week’s video with his mother.

“I liked yelling (along),” he said with a smile. “We can’t let the pigeon ride the bus.”

Nunn said he couldn’t wait for the next book to be broadcast by Lantz tonight, a sentiment shared across the grades at the school.

Second-grader Mackenzie Tackett, 8, said she was checking out another Eric Carle book Monday because she likes the vibrant illustrations the author incorporates.

“I like all of his colors in here,” she explained, holding onto the school’s copy of Carle’s “From Head to Toe” with a large gorilla standing on the front cover. “I have a neighbor boy who when I go up to his house he has some of these books.”

That’s one of the points Lantz made in her first broadcast about Eric Carle, that many families can recognize the most popular books by children’s’ authors, but that there are more to explore and to learn about how authors illustrate.

“In these last couple days I’ve heard the buzz in the halls and had students running in to get the worksheets and coloring sheets to go along with the last book, you hear them talking about who they were watching the video with at home and there’s an excitement,” she explained. “But in the video, I’ve also talked about the authors themselves, or the ways they illustrate. I want kids to see that whatever they want to be, reading is a chance to explore the world and that the only one holding them back from their dreams would be themselves.”

Lantz isn’t the only Marietta City Schools employee jumping to utilize the capabilities of social media technology though, according to Jona Hall, director of curriculum and technology.

“We’re currently signing up teachers and administrators across the district for 52 weeks to begin a nightly reading over the summer,” she said. “And if people in the community want to be a guest reader they can get a hold of me at the board office, too. We think this has such a great potential to reach all of our students and get people engaged in loving reading at home.”

And the movement is exciting for state associations as they hope to invite Southeast Ohio schools like Marietta’s to encourage reading at all levels.

Kelly Silwani, past president of the Ohio Educational Library Media Association and a current board member, said this time of year is the perfect time to recreate a buzz about reading as teachers plan required and suggested summer reading lists for their students and librarians look to stock their shelves with new titles.

“We’re a partner in the Buckeye Children’s and Teen Book award which is awarded every year after students submit nominations,” she explained. “Then when voting opens in September after they’ve had a chance to read the top five nominations, only students can vote on their favorites.”

Silwani explained Monday that focusing the award on new books from the most recent year allows librarians and teachers to foster the excitement most visibly seen with the Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson series and other children’s books with much-anticipated releases.

“There was such an excitement for those to come out, people waited at post offices and book stores, and yes, students today still enjoy Harry Potter, but this creates a memory too for them, remembering when a newly loved book came out,” she said.

Nominations, she said, are taken through the beginning of March each year, with top nominations to be released on April 1 at http://bcbookaward.info/current-nominees/.

If you watch:

1. Visit the Phillips Elementary School Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/PhillipsElementaryFB

2. Like the page and search for the page videos.

3. Review the two Facebook Live videos (“Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” and “The Hungry Caterpillar”) and select the bell on the video to receive notifications when the school goes live.

4. Each Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Principal Kristi Lantz will again stream live to Facebook with a new children’s book, encouraging students to settle in and engage in Tucked-In Tuesdays.

Source: Kristi Lantz and Times research.

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