READO

Reado is a program to encourage children to do independent reading in a variety of genres. A child reads at home all year, with the goal of reading 10 or 25 books, depending upon the student. The program is optional, and goes above and beyond what is required in school. The overall goal of the program is to help children become lifelong readers, enjoy reading, and improve their ability to read. The more children read, the better readers they become.

Each child must do a minimum of five projects. These projects are chosen from five different categories, and a child is required to do one project from each category. The teacher conferences with the child after they have read the book, and helps them to pick a project. A child may do a project that is not in any of the categories, if they discuss the project with the teacher first. Once a child has completed five projects, they can write summaries for the rest of the books they read. The teacher is always available to help children select books, and the teacher always reviews the projects and summaries.

At the end of the school year, the children who have read ten books get a  dessert, during the lunchroom recess. The children who read 25 books get a pizza lunch with the teachers, and the dessert. All the children also receive a bookmark, a pencil and a certificate, signed by the teacher and the principal.  All of these things are simply extrinsic rewards. The real intrinsic reward is the sense of accomplishment the children get from achieving their goal, and the improvement in reading they make from reading the books.

 

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