Olympic Reading Event
During the last Olympic games, my friend and I came up with a creative way to get students excited about reading. At the beginning of February we announced a Reading Olympics. Each child has a blank chart with 20 squares on it to be put up on a bulletin board (decorated patriotically with Olympic rings).
Forms are sent home to the parents that say:
- My child, _________, has read for 30 minutes. A book that she/he has read is _________.
Signed [parent signature].
(Time spent reading can be changed according to grade level and ability of the students.) Each time the students bring in a form, they get a book sticker on their chart. This lasts for a month.
At the end of the Olympics, students are awarded medals based on how much reading they accomplished:
- Gold Medal: 600 minutes (every night for 30 minutes)
- Silver Medial: 450 minutes
- Bronze Medal: 300 minutes
We bought the medals through a teachers’ store, but I have even seen them at Target. We have a big ceremony and invite parents who bring patriotic goodies. At the ceremony we give out the medals as well as certificates that state how many minutes each child has read.