Energy-Express-1

Energy Express has always held a special spot in my heart

by Enrichment IdeasReadingVolunteer Readers

By Bob Johnson

Energy Express has always held a special spot in my heart. Several years ago, the local WVU Extension agent told me about the need for Read Aloud volunteers during the six-weeks-long reading and nutrition program (with two meals served daily) held during summers. The whole process clicked with me. Since I am a part-time teacher, my summers were free. Why not volunteer to read with kids?

Bob Johnson reads to Energy Express students at Cherry River Elementary in Nicholas County.

My first opportunity coincidentally came at my alma mater elementary school. I had spent grades one through eight there. Yes, that dates me, but I fondly and clearly remember the teachers who had taken the effort to read aloud with my classes. There was a warmth in those classrooms, where teachers said, in effect: “I have a beautiful story that I want to share with you.” In my mind’s eye, that is effective instruction.

Over the summers since my first readings, I have subsequently been able to read in three more locations in four sessions with Energy Express. I often use the classic stories of Seuss, since each one holds a nugget of morality which students need to hear from an adult. Sometimes, the readings are supplied by the Energy Express site. While that is convenient, there is no time to rehearse the reading selection, one of my personal rules of reading aloud. Sitting with students is the expectation of many Energy Express locations, but I prefer reading while standing at a music stand or other platform at a convenient height, so my old eyes can easily focus on the reading. It is also the only way I have found to ensure that inflection is heard, and gestures, body language, and expressions are easily seen by listeners.

Energy Express and Read Aloud WV share some common goals: 1) Get valuable books into the hands of students, and/or 2) into the ears of listeners by reading aloud. I am privileged to know the directors of both programs. Mark Swiger heads Energy Express with West Virginia University, while Dawn Miller is at the helm of Read Aloud WV. Both leaders have only one thing in mind, which is reaching readers at many grade levels with enriching opportunities that expand interest in books.

Adult volunteers are an essential part of both reading efforts. Please consider sharing your reading skills with students at every opportunity.

To learn more about Energy Express, go to: extension.wvu.edu/youth-family/youth-education/energy-express

Bob Johnson is a member of the Read Aloud WV of Nicholas County Chapter Board and teaches in a Save the Children US, after-school program at Cherry River Elementary School in Richwood

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10 to Try: Juneteenth

by Book Reviews and RecommendationsBooksParents and FamiliesReadingResourcesVolunteer Readers

Juneteenth is the anniversary of June 19, 1865 when the news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the enslaved people of Texas, the last state to get the news. We decided to celebrate this Juneteenth by collecting a list of book recommendations from our volunteer classroom readers and supporters.

Our readers know the importance of exposing children to diverse texts. It helps every child find books with characters that look like them and their communities, but it also ensures that children are exposed to new cultures, ideas, and experiences that will help them become more accepting, empathetic adults. That’s why it’s important for books like these to be staples in your library all year long, not just today.

Nobody Owns the Sky: The Story of “Brave Bessie” Coleman by Reeve Lindbergh (Grades 2 and up)

Every year I read this book about “Brave Bessie” Coleman to my school group to let them know that with persistence, dreams are possible. Bessie Coleman became the first licensed African-American aviator in the world.

— Jeannie Plumley, Kanawha County

Jackie & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) by Dan Gutman (Grades 4-6)

— Helen Herlocker, Morgan County

Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson by Katherine Johnson (Grades 4-6)

I read the Jackie Robinson book to 6th graders at PawPaw Elementary (they loved it so much that I read it again to the following year’s class) and I’m planning to read the Katherine Johnson autobiography in the fall. Both are particularly relevant to our current Black Lives Matter national issue.

— Helen Herlocker, Morgan County

Juneteenth For Mazie by Floyd Cooper (Grades 1-4)

The illustrations were beautifully done. We enjoyed how the importance of Juneteenth was translated into a way children could understand it. It was done in such a way that I was able to open up with my children about how the history of Mazie’s family was different than our own. It allowed them to sympathize with a social issue by sympathizing with another child. It helped them to grasp the benefits they have that others did/do not.

— Nicole Walls, Marion County

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson (Grades 3-7)

What do we tell our children when the world seems bleak, and prejudice and racism run rampant? With 96 lavishly designed pages of original art and prose, fifty diverse creators lend voice to young activists.

— Caitlin Gaffin, Kanawha County

Zoey & Sassafras series by Asia Citro (Grades 1-5)

— Tess Jackson, Putnam

Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol series by Andres Miedoso (Grades K-4)

Both “Zoey and Sassafras” and “Desmond Cole” feature people of color as main characters without the narrative being based around race. Zoey and her cute cat Sassafras use the scientific method to care for mythical creatures. Desmond and his best pal, Andres, investigate paranormal happenings.

— Tess Jackson, Putnam County

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (Grades 6 and up)

This book poignantly tells the story of how 9-year old Cassie Logan and her close-knit family face violence and racism during the depression era. I read this book to my high school seniors and they loved it. A great book to read aloud!

— Meg Ashby, Nicholas County

New Kid by Jerry Craft (Grades 5-8)

I suggest you search the Corretta Scott King Book Awards Web Site for many wonderful books with their descriptions for all ages. This is a valuable resource any time of the year. Why wait for Juneteenth for diversity?

— Ghee Gossard, Kanawha County

What Color is My World?: The Lost History of African-American Inventors by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Raymond Obstfeld (Grades 3-7)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball legend and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, champions a lineup of little-known African-American inventors in this lively, kid-friendly book. Offering profiles with fast facts and framed by a funny contemporary story featuring two feisty twins, here is a tribute to black inventors whose ingenuity and perseverance against great odds made our world safer, better, and brighter.

— Peshka Calloway and her 9-year-old son

The links above will route you to the online store of Charleston’s Taylor Books. You can still have your books sent to you, as with most online retailers, and your purchase will benefit a West Virginia small business and help to keep local bookstores open!

Lunchtime reading a big hit

by ChaptersReadingVolunteer Readers

By Lesley McCullough McCallister

As first year Read Aloud West Virginia volunteer Patrick Ashton, Assistant Principal at Mountain Ridge Intermediate School in Gerrardstown, Berkeley County, was attending his Read Aloud training, he was so excited thinking about reading to one classroom that he began to contemplate how to reach his entire school. Then it hit him, the best time to reach as many students as possible at once—lunchtime!

Typically, on “Theater Thursdays” students were allowed to watch a movie during their lunch period. Building on that idea, Mr. Ashton believed Read Aloud sessions would be a fun instructional activity that also could be tied to the curriculum. During the fall semester, Mr. Ashton began weekly Read Aloud sessions for approximately 200 students during each of three lunch periods for the third, fourth and fifth graders.

The students’ positive feedback was immediate. “I had kids asking me multiple times every day if I could read every day,” said Mr. Ashton. “Even the boys were requesting!”

This semester he read Wonder to the fourth and fifth graders and noted when it got close to Christmas he read Christmas stories and poems and put Wonder on hold.

Just before the holiday break, Mr. Ashton was promoted and will not return as Assistant Principal in the new year. Thankfully, Principal Autumne Frye has agreed to continue the lunchtime Read Aloud sessions for the students.

When asked why reading to students is so important, Mr. Ashton explained, “Enjoyment, imagination, relevance, comprehension, fluency, decoding, phonemic awareness, etc. I could go on and on. Kids need to  see that adults are excited about reading. I especially wanted to do this Read Aloud with our students to promote the idea that men do like to read and it’s not just for girls/women. And although I’m far from ‘cool,’ I am very active in their lives and I wanted the kids to see that reading is not just a forced act inside the classroom. Reading is exciting and enjoyable.”

While he won’t be at Mountain Ridge full time in the future, Mr. Ashton hopes his new position will allow him the flexibility to come back and continue reading to the students on occasion. He also hopes the idea of lunchtime Read Aloud sessions spreads to other schools throughout the state.

Lesley McCullough McCallister is a Read Aloud supporter, volunteer reader, newsletter contributor and a freelance  journalist.