Fun with reading at Barclay Brook

NJ Secretary of State breaks it down with a kindergarten class.

By: Melissa Hayes
   MONROE — Kindergartners at Barclay Brook School learned how much fun reading a book could be when New Jersey Secretary of State Regena Thomas visited the school and read two books to the students Dec. 16.
   "I am traveling from one end of the state to the other visiting classes in pre-K through third grade because there are some fourth-graders in the state of New Jersey who can’t read well," she explained to the students.
   Students in Denise Cassilli and Stephanie Zykorie’s kindergarten classes sat attentively in Ms. Cassilli’s classroom as Ms. Thomas read "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom," a book that teaches students the alphabet.
   After completing that book, Ms. Thomas read her favorite book, "Five Little Penguins Slipping on Ice."
   She read the book in its entirety, playing the parts of each penguin slipping on ice and sliding down hills. She then read it again and had the students act out the part of the penguins.
   "We’re gonna break into this, we gotta get a little move going on. You know, J Lo? We gotta get a J Lo move," she said. "I need you to get your little groove on because reading is fun and I’m showing you how reading is fun."
   The classroom full of kindergartners danced around as Ms. Thomas read the story.
   "Have some fun, break it down, all the way down," she said.
   After the students danced along with her, Ms. Thomas further explained the importance of reading.
   "I know they told you we were going to read, but we had to get a little gym in there, a little exercising," she said. "See how we made that book fun?"
   Ms. Thomas urged the students to have their parents and older siblings read to them. She also suggested that they read to their younger brothers and sisters and make games out of the stories.
   She asked students to promise to read one nonschool book a month. As part of her reading program, themes have been assigned to the different months and lists of books that fit that theme were given to teachers to distribute to students.
   November and December were the Pillar of Integrity, January and February are the Pillar of Justice, March and April are the Pillar of Kindness and May is the Pillar of Determination.
   Ms. Thomas told the kids that their teachers will be keeping track of the students who read all the required books and said they will be invited to a minor league baseball game in the spring.
   "They’ll be hot dogs and popcorn, we’ll get to watch a baseball game, but you’ve got to read," Ms. Thomas said.