Read-aloud programs are some of my favorite activities, especially when the readers are young Optimist Club members.
As an end-of-the-year school activity at Vision Charter School in Caldwell Idaho, the JOOI students, part of the Middleton Area Optimist Club, coordinated a read-aloud program for grades kindergarten through second grade.
Focusing only on books written by Dr. Seuss, the read-aloud program was called "Seuss on the Loose." The young students, anxious to be dismissed for the summer, were enthralled with the freshman and sophomore readers as they sat in small groups around the soccer field.
Some students acted out parts of the stories, changed their voices, and tried out other storytelling tricks to keep the younger students engaged.
Some students acted out parts of the stories, changed their voices, and tried out other storytelling tricks to keep the younger students engaged.
All enjoyed so much that they hated to hear the bell ring that dismissed them not only from the activity, but also from school that day.
Annually, JOOI (Junior Optimist Octagon International) promotes literacy through the JOOI of Reading. As with any Optimist Club program, the club is encouraged to make it their own.
About 150 students participated in the Seuss on the Loose program. They did a great job and plan to do something similar again next year.
The coordinating group and readers are shown to the left.
