Each fall third
graders jump into reading with one preselected title. For several
years, students have enjoyed hearing the story of the mischievous
antics of a boy named Otis read aloud to them in class. Otis
Spofford, created by the beloved author Beverly Cleary, is always
stirring up trouble at school and with the neighborhood girls.
This title, originally written in the 1950s, gives our students a
glimpse of the schools of yesteryear and the varied recreational
activities children of that era enjoyed such as ice skating and
listening to the record player while drinking soda pop. Upon
completion of the book, all students are invited to play in the Otis
Trivia Game staged in the cafeteria. Much like our version of the
Battle of the Books, students are randomly placed on teams with all
team members being given an important job to oversee. The teams,
named after types of bugs, are quizzed about questions relative to the
story's plot and various loveable characters. Extension
activities include students prepping for game day by taking an
Accelerated Reader Quiz and visiting Otis online at the author's
website. The character Otis Spofford quickly becomes a favorite
reference person for the Ross School third graders and Beverly Cleary
quickly becomes one of their favorite authors as a result of the Otis
Trivia Game and read aloud.
This year in honor of the
United States Presidential elections, third graders enjoyed the preselected
title, "The Kid Who Ran For President" by Dan Gutman. A humourous
story, students were introduced to the 12 year old character Judson Moon
and his colorful cast of friends. Judd, who knows very little about
government or politics, decides to run for President of the United States.
The excitement of a Presidential campaign moves full speed ahead complete
with special interest groups, fundraisers, political promises, and the
ever present glare of the media. You'll have to read the story to
see if Judd Moon won his election bid. I can tell you all of the
third graders who competed in the Judd Moon Trivia Game after reading
this title were true winners. As with all of our trivia games, teams
were randomly picked with each member chosing what important job they
were best suited for thus insuring their team's success. Also a
chance to learn about our government, teams were appropriately named after
the Branches and Departments within our federal administration. Inquisitive
minds were welcomed to visit the Office of the US President and the White
House for Kids online to prep for Game Day which was held in mid November
as part of our National Education Week - Celebrate America festivities.
