Ocean Palms Elementary School students are discovering that reading is fun – especially when you do it with a friend.
Through the “Reading Buddies” program, students in Mrs. Elizabeth McCall’s 2nd grade class and Mrs. Neeti Gregg’s 1st grade class get together once a week, pair up, and spend time reading with their reading buddy from the partnering class. The students take turns reading and then discuss the books they read. When both grade levels are studying the same topic in science or social studies, McCall said, the students focus their reading on that topic. Other times, the students may select books of their own choice to share with their partner.
“This is an activity that the students look forward to each week,” McCall said. “They have fun and have wonderful book recommendations for each other. This is a great way for students to read for enjoyment and model the pillars of Character Counts.”
The two classes have been working together since January, Gregg said, meeting every Friday at the end of the day for 30 minutes.
“If we can spark a love for reading, their reading skills will progress naturally the more they read,” Gregg said. “It is also a great way to end a hard-working week with spending time with a ‘buddy’ they enjoy.”
