Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

2nd Grade - Ready, set, read!

By Wendy Ledbetter

Amelia Bedelia was afraid of fake bats. Jack and Annie spend time in their Magic Treehouse for some wonderful adventures. And Nate the Great is always managing to get into trouble. These are just some of the stories told by second graders in Carla Jesters class.

Theres no doubt that reading is a vital part of any childs education, but second grade students at Gurdon Primary School are taking reading very seriously. Jester, a second grade teacher, said she was looking for a way to encourage additional reading time when she hit upon the idea to issue a challenge. Her students took her seriously.

Last fall, Jester challenged her class to read 500 books before the Christmas holidays. Keeping in mind that the children cant simply say theyve read a book - they must also pass a simple quiz to prove they read the book and comprehended what they read. Jester admitted she was a bit surprised that her students met her challenge, but not before Christmas - before Thanksgiving.

As the school year winds down, Jester said there are many things attracting the attention of the students. Several sports are in full swing, the weathers beautiful and beckoning the children outside. It all combines to lessen her classs attention span when it comes to making time for reading. Thats why shes now kicking off a reading contest for the entire second grade.

Jester said there will be six trophies awarded but said every student who reads at least 10 books will get a ribbon for their efforts. The trophies will be awarded in two categories. First, second and third place will go to the three students who read the most books. Jester will also award first, second and third place trophies to the students who accumulate the most points on the comprehension tests.

The contest kicked off the first week of April and will continue through May 19.

Jester has many books to choose from in her classroom. Jester said she wrote a grant and that Anita Cabe donated $600 for the purchase of the books. That, Jester said, has been a big help as she encourages her students to read. Students can also choose books from the Cabe Library in Gurdon for the contest, but those books must be approved by Jester for inclusion in the contest.

Jester said that reading is an incredibly important part of academic success, but its never more important than in second and third grade. According to information from Jester, A teacher can do everything that has been proven to build reading fluency in their students, but the most significant factor between good readers and poor readers is the amount of time spent reading. In other words, the students who read more become better readers, and those who choose to pick up a book outside the classroom are more likely to accomplish those necessary skills. The way to get that, Jester said, is to help students become enthusiastic about their reading.

Thats why those engaging books are so important. The students in Jesters class tout their favorite books and are eager to share those stories.

So what are the favorite stories of Jesters class?

Junie B. Jones seems to be at the top of the list.

Because she always solves her problems, according to Anna May Clark.

But she always has problems, which is another reason the children seem to love this series.

Its about this little girl, explained Alia Williams. And she always gets in trouble.

The Magic Treehouse is another favorite. Fisher Smith talked about this series of books.

A boy and his sister - Jack and Annie - go on adventures, he said. While Jacks adventures may be pretty exciting, Fisher said hes able to enjoy some adventures of his own - via these books.

And then theres Nate the Great. Ty Norman detailed some of the storyline from this mystery series. Ty said one of his favorite Nate stories is The Missing Key.

He goes out and finds clues, Ty said. And for some reason, he calls himself Nate the Great.

While most of these are fairly new to the childrens book shelves, some older favorites are still around.

Breyan Samuels said her favorite book is Amelia Bedelia, simply because shes so silly.

She got scared of fake bats, Breyan said. And she cried.

The students in Jesters class arent simply learning the stories, theyre also developing reading skills that will last a lifetime. And Jester is even teaching the basics of how they are learning to read.

Schema, explained Candy Bruno. Its the process that happens when you read something, associate it with something you know and understand more fully.