Reading for Life

“Building a Reading Life” is a multi-faceted initiative in Scheck Hillel's Judah and Maria Diener Lower School, designed to foster a lifelong love of reading in students' earliest years. To kick off the effort, students are organizing their classroom libraries to become familiar with genres and titles. As they explore and read, they will begin to develop preferences. Teachers, too, will share their own interests and reading habits, inspiring children to embrace reading for fun.

The initiative will unfold throughout the year with bulletin boards displaying student art about favorite books, reading across subjects and increasing reading stamina: the ability to read for extended periods of time, a skill developed with practice. For example, in math, students will read books like The Math Curse, The Greedy Triangle and Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi. 

This week, Grade 4 learned from Ken Derby, a published author and Scheck Hillel Grade 4 teacher, who read from his book: The Top Ten Ways to Ruin the First Day of School. Students were inspired by Mr. Derby’s writing journey and received tips and tools for writing along the way. He is one example of how Scheck Hillel faculty serve as resources for budding writers and readers.

Stay tuned for more throughout the year, and partner with Scheck Hillel to build a reading life at home. See a few ideas here.