Everyone has a Right to Read

by Tori Tasch

On Thursday, Nov. 17 McNicholas High School welcomed Kate Rohlfs’ second graders from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School. Senior English students taught by Anne Jones created myth books to share with the second grade class.

Right to Read Week, a popular custom for elementary schools, was being held at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart the week of the field trip.

“Their eyes were as big as saucers,” Rohlfs said of her second grade students on their walk from the bus to the McNicholas library.

After exploring high school and listening to the myths read by the seniors, the second graders and seniors united to play a trivia game about literary characters while snacking on popcorn and juice boxes.

The myth books were originally essays suited for an adult audience. Then the myths were revised for 2^nd grade readers. The book of 32 pages was divided into spreads of 25 words each that was then illustrated. “I learned how much time it actually takes to put a book together and all the planning that goes into it,” said Amanda Burress, a student of the senior English class.

Once the senior student read their myth book aloud, the second graders were given the books to keep. “We wanted it to be creative and wanted the kids to enjoy the book to the point of showing others,” Katey Schroeder said, of working with partner Katie Keegan on their myth about penguins. Once the second graders returned to school, they showed friends, brought books home to parents, and then brought them back to school the next day to share the books with their grandparents on Grandparents’ Day.

Rohlfs joined with her daughter, Jones, to organize this field trip. “We thought it would be fun for kids to have role models,” Rohlfs said. This simple lesson was eventually transformed into an out of the ordinary writing project that united two age groups. “For my students, the project was an exercise in concise writing, choosing the right details, and writing for a specific audience. It was a writing assignment, but also a service project,” Jones said.

Right to Read Week at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart was indeed successful, thanks in part to the experience at McNick. “The ride back was the quietest bus ride ever and when I looked back, all the kids were reading [their myths],” Rohlfs said.