One Million Books Sent to Students
Students in Nova Scotia's public schools have a million more books to read since Active Young Readers began in 2000.
The milestone was achieved when a shipment of nearly 5,500 books arrived in grades 7 and 8 French immersion and extended core French classrooms.
"In three years, we've infused Nova Scotia classrooms with a million books to help children become strong readers," said Education Minister Jamie Muir. "That's a million opportunities for our students to develop and improve the literacy skills they need to succeed in school and in life."
Active Young Readers began in elementary grades, then expanded into junior high as Active Readers in 2002. They are part of the province's Learning for Life plan.
The initiatives are putting a wide variety of books into classrooms so that every student can find something of interest and at the right reading level.
Teachers are receiving resources and ongoing professional development to help their students use the books to develop strong reading skills.
To date, classroom teachers have been supported by 500 of their peers who helped implement the reading initiatives. Donna Robson, a primary and Grade 1 teacher at Gowrie Memorial School in Port Morien, Cape Breton, has been involved from the start.
"I teach in a small rural school, so the fact that my students got all the same books and opportunities as everyone else across the province has done a lot for the learning environment in my classroom," said Ms. Robson. "These initiatives have generated a wholesome feeling of support for teachers, so we can deliver a balanced literacy program with books suited to all students."
The reading material includes fiction and non-fiction, and ranges from story books and novels to magazine and newspaper style publications.
Non-fiction topics include geography, the human body, astronomy, Maritime inventions, skateboarding and Vikings. Some of the books are set in Atlantic Canada. Many link to other subject areas such as history, art and science.
NOTE: A photo of Donna Robson reading with her students is available on the Communications Nova Scotia website at www.gov.ns.ca/news/photos/readingbooks.jpg .A caption for the photo follows:
Krista Whitfield, Miria Ferguson and Brett Hopkins work on their reading skills in Donna Robson's primary and Grade 1 class at Gowrie Memorial School, in Port Morien, Cape Breton. Students across the province have a million more books to read since Active Young Readers began in 2000.
Communications Nova Scotia Photo