February is upon us, and with that comes more snow and some frigid temperatures (still). That’s part of living in Manitoba - winter sticks around longer than we may want. There are many great activities we can take part in - skating, snowshoeing, skiing to name a few - but on those days that it may be too cold to venture outside, what better way to spend a day than with a good book, or two?
Did you know that February is also “I Love to Read Month,” where the entire month is dedicated to promoting a love of reading and being read to? The tradition started many years ago and in Canada, what better month than February to do so; spring is still a few months away, a perfect time to pick up some books to read and/or share.
The Manitoba Reading Association has announced the I Love to Read Month theme for 2022 as “Moving Forward with Hope,” a theme that relates to a variety of issues. For instance, we all move forward with hope as we recover from the past couple of years living with the pandemic. One example of moving forward is easy to see: guest readers in the past visited the schools to read and share books with classes during I Love to Read Month. Guests are still welcome to share their favourite book but are now doing so virtually over platforms such as Microsoft Teams.
Across Mountain View School Division, each school has themes and plans in place to promote the love of reading. For instance, Ecole Macneill, Ethelbert School, Grandview School, Lt. Colonel Barker V.C. School and Smith-Jackson Ukrainian Bilingual School all have plans in place to invite guests virtually to share a book with classes. The students from Henderson Elementary School are highlighting local authors and sharing books such as “Where I Come From,” by Clare McBride and “Anna Banana,” by Melanie Toews, along with other books by local talent. They also plan to send questions to the authors about their books and then video chat with them for answers.
At Gilbert Plains Elementary School, they are planning to host a classroom “I Love to Read Olympics” and a “Global Citizen Reading Challenge.” The Roblin Elementary School is keeping it local by having guest speakers weekly from within the school. The administration, custodial staff and in-school specialists will be sharing their favorite books with classes. The students at Whitmore School are taking part in in-class activities that promote literacy such as “I Love to Read Bingo.” The library at Whitmore School is also planning for other activities during the month to encourage reading.
At MacKenzie Middle School, activities such as “Awesome Authors,” where each class will profile a different author and “Getting Caught Reading,” where students may receive a prize or be entered for a draw, are planned. These are just a few samplings of the activities that the schools have planned for the month. I encourage you to create a conversation with your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc. about the fun reading events that are happening in their schools. Share a story with them or ask them to read a story to you!
The one common item that we hear from all the schools is D.E.A.R. - Drop Everything And Read. This is an educational strategy that involves getting learners to stop what they are doing and read for ten minutes. It is a method that helps build learners’ literacy skills, especially when they can select a book that interests them. D.E.A.R. is also useful for assisting learners in getting more depth of knowledge on subjects being taught when they are provided with an article or a book to read to help them gain more insight on the lesson. The strategy is also an effective way of getting students to spend time learning about a topic and integrate literacy into the daily activities.
Growing up, we have all heard it said that reading is good for you; however, cultivating a love for reading is easier said than done. Teaching a child to read is great but helping them to build a love for reading is even better, because they will more than likely pass that love for reading on to someone else someday, just as you have done.
So grab a book, curl up somewhere nice and warm and enjoy.