THUNDER BAY – Reading for pleasure isn’t a lost art yet, and members of the Fort William Rotary Club want to ensure it never is.
On Monday several Rotarians descended on Lori Robinson’s Grade 1 class at Westmount Public School, armed with personalized copies of the I Like Me book, which features the names of each student in the story, along with their friends, teacher and school.
It’s a great way to encourage students to want to read, said Craig Sandberg, the literacy chair at the Fort William Rotary Club.
“They’ve never had a book written about them before,” Sandberg said.
“It seems like it’s their story. It’s their book, so it has a huge impact. We’re hoping they take these books home and they’ll share them with their families and show their parents and guardians how they can read.”
Seven-year-old Anna Towell said it was great to get a book like I Like Me.
“It has a lot of information for me and I think that they’re awesome,” she said. “It’s really cool because they’re my friends and I like them a lot.”
Anna added there’s a very good reason for children to learn to read, proving just how forward-thinking the youngster might be.
“So when they grow up they can read when they have a job,” she said.
Robinson said students have teachers, parents and older siblings sharing in their learning experience and it’s even more encouraging for them to have outsiders take an interest.
Rotarians sat and read with the students individually on Monday, asking questions about the story as they went.
“It shows them that people in their community care about their learning and their reading, not just their immediate family and immediate teachers,” Robinson said.
The I Like Me program, which has been in place since the mid-‘90s, inspires students to continue reading on their own.
“The book is always a thrill for them and for them to be able to see and read their own name, and their friends’ names and their teacher’s name was exciting for them. They really looked forward to this experience.”
