Paleontology inspires reading
<p>Alberton sixth graders Emmah Baughman and Tala Lamme become paleontologists as they excavate chocolate chips from a cookie during the 'I Love to Read' celebration.</p>
ALBERTON – A month of work culminated in a day of fun as students at Alberton Elementary School had a day of activities for their annual “I Love to Read” celebration.
The month of February was dedicated to a celebration of reading in Alberton. Throughout the month the elementary school classes did a variety of activities and projects based around reading. Wednesday, March 5, was the grand finale as the kids presented their projects and shared what they had learned.
This year’s theme, selected by School Librarian Rachael Clavenger, was dinosaurs. She felt this subject would be a big hit for all the students.
“I knew I had to come up with something that would grab their attention this year,” Clavenger said.
She assigned the projects and worked with each class to help them get started. Because there was not much time in the day to work with the students, the projects needed to be tailored for the grade levels.
“Some classes, I only met with them three times and some classes I only had them four times,” Clavenger said. “So to do all this just in four hours for each class is not very much time.”
The sixth graders made PowerPoint presentations about different dinosaurs. Some of the younger classes made models of dinosaurs as well as their skeletons with construction paper and macaroni. Another class presented a project about the Maiasaura, the state fossil of Montana.
At the end of the presentations Clavenger presented prizes for students who spent extra time reading. The kids who spent the most time reading outside of school were rewarded with dinosaur stickers and pocket models.
Students had to do mini book reports to qualify. The top prizes, given to the kids who did the most reading in grades K-3 and 4-6, were $25 Barnes and Noble gift certificates. There were also two mountain bikes donated by the Masonic Lodge in Superior.
Clavenger estimated approximately 80 percent of the K-6 grade students did the extra reading. While some did more than others the event seemed to be very popular.
“The point of ‘I Love to Read’ is to get them to read more and enjoy reading,” Clavenger said. “Some of them really do, others are still just learning.”
After the prizes were handed out, the kids went around the various classrooms and participated in more dinosaur themed activities. While fun, they all had an extra educational component through interactive learning.
In one room, the kids became paleontologists as they excavated chocolate chips from cookies. In another room the kids made a dinosaur mural, which would be hung in the lunchroom later.
As a way to burn off some energy, the kids got a lesson in predator and prey. This was done in a game of “T-Rex vs. Herbivores” tag. The kid who was the T-Rex had to chase down the other kids before they crossed the half-court.
The tradition of “I Love to Read” month has been going for approximately eight years. According to Clavenger, the celebration will not be dying out any time soon. She said the kids love the event and enjoy doing the projects. She also said everyone looked forward to the March celebration all year.