Best-selling author Krosoczka speaking at school district
Wednesday, April 4, 2018 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3
BOOK from Page 1
beyond one book as classrooms
have participated in an author
study that explored the diverse
range of works by The New York
Times best-selling author and il-
lustrator Jarret J. Krosoczka.
through the year, classrooms at
Hammonton’s early Childhood
education Center (eCeC) and
Warren e. Sooy Jr. elementary
School have each read nine pic-
ture books, chapter books and
graphic novels by Krosoczka.
eCeC Principal Darla Salay
said the school-wide author study
has been well-rec eived at the
eCeC, and has effectively forged
connections between teachers and
students of separate classrooms.
“a whole-school author study
creates a connection among all of
our students and staff while build-
ing excitement about reading and
writing. it is great to see students
in the hallways reading and view-
ing student work from other class-
rooms based on our ‘One Book’
every year,” Salay said.
eCeC Kindergarten teacher al-
lison tippin has read several of
Krosoczka’s books with her stu-
dents, including, Punk Farm, Bag-
head and Naptastrophe. tippin
said many of Krosoczka’s books,
such as It’s Tough to Lose Your
Balloon, have contained themes
that parallel the lessons she and
other eCeC teachers try to teach
students.
“at the Hammonton eCeC, we
encourage our students to use
a growth mindset for learning,
with resilience as one of the mind-
sets to keep us growing as learn-
ers. [It’s Tough to Lose Your
Balloon] has been helpful for re-
inforcing this with my little
ones and encouraging them in the
classroom,” tippin said.
Disregarding the number of
classrooms that have read the
written works of a single author,
Sooy elementary second grade
teacher Natalie Scaffidi said read-
ing any book aloud with a large
group of students is an essential
element of the learning process
that unifies and enriches several
fundamental academic and per-
sonal skills.
“reading a book together can
build a strong sense of community
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among students, teachers, staff
and parents. the benefits of read-
ing aloud are amazing; it helps
students listen better and longer,
strengthens vocabulary, helps stu-
dents better understand concepts
through discussion and, overall,
they feel more confident and pos-
itive about reading. everyone is
on the same, level playing ground
while listening to a read-aloud.
there are no struggling readers,
only avid listeners,” Scaffidi said.
the dispersion of the One
School, One Book program and its
influence has expanded beyond
the classroom for many Hammon-
ton students. Sooy elementary
teacher of media Jennifer Brittin
said introducing the school to so
many of Krosoczka’s books has
inspired students to read more of
his work independently by check-
ing out his books from the media
center.
“it is obvious when talking to
students that they have enjoyed
reading many of his books. His
popular Lunch Lady series is
checked out all of the time in the
media center, and since we started
this study, his other books are
checked out as soon as they are re-
turned to the shelves,” Brittin said.
the shared reading experience
created by the One School, One
Book program will culminate on
april 12 with visit from
Krosoczka himself. During his
visit to Sooy elementary and the
eCeC, which has been funded
and sponsored by the Hammonton
Home and School association,
Krosoczka will give four different
presentations tailored to the differ-
ent age groups and books that stu-
dents have been reading
throughout the school year.
after last’s year’s successful
One School, One Book author
visit from John Newbery Medal-
winning author Katherine apple-
gate, Sooy elementary Principal
Dr. Kristina erman said the stu-
dents and faculty are excited to
welcome another author to the
school in Krosoczka, whose visit
will be an inspiring and educa-
tional experience for many stu-
dents, especially for those who
have a passion for writing.
“author visits can demystify
the writing process for students.
Often, students feel like writing a
book is something that only spe-
cial people can do. Meeting an au-
thor in person and hearing them
talk about their own writing strug-
gles and triumphs makes the
process accessible to students.
also, we’ve had authors confirm
many of the things that our teach-
ers have been saying on a daily
basis during writing instruction.
these ‘ah-ha’ moments for stu-
dents can make a big difference in
their own writing lives,” erman
said.
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