By Izzu Scheiderer, communications intern
On Thurs., Nov. 29, literacy night was held at both Licking Heights elementary schools. This yearly event brings students and families to the elementary school to hear fun stories, write their own books, and participate in other activities. Staff works with students at each station. I was given the opportunity to run a station, which was helping students, from kindergarten to second grade, write their own stories. The students were creative.
Including a writing aspect into that night was a great idea. Students were allowed one book with lines and images which they filled in, including a title and an “about the author” paragraph. The students had a great time making up their own stories and coloring their drawings with their parents. The families were able to do the project together as well and parents enjoyed working on a story with their kids. Along with writing their stories, students were able to learn about how to create their title and what they would include when writing about the author.
The activities students participated in ended up being a huge success as well. All the games that the students played taught them a little more about different aspects of literature. For example, one of the games at literacy night included a fly-swatter. When a teacher said a letter, the student would have to hit the same letter on these little papers. Many of the activities were related to insects.
The hallways promoted the school’s theme with bright yellow colors and animal decorations. The decorations came to be very welcoming and fun for the event. There was “The Reading Hive,” a small tent for students to read in. The kids had a great time reading good books to each other. There was also a small stuffed bear holding a sign with a saying which was: “‘BEE’ a Reader!” Students even wrote about “The BUZZ about bees.” Small paper honeycombs had responses from students explaining why bees are important and they were hung on a bulletin board. It was all very organized and many people liked the way the hallways were decorated.
The many families that came to the elementary school that night ended up having a great time. They were brought together by working on small projects and playing fun games. Creativity and confidence was brought out by students as well. They shared their ideas with each other and they were able to create some very nice projects. These students show a passion for reading and writing, which is what the staff have been promoting this year. South principal Kurt Scheiderer says that they are working to help students “‘BEE’ passionate about learning.”