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Surprises or Broccoli?

Surprises or Broccoli?
When the children in Mrs. Fratoni’s preschool classroom at Garfield Elementary School in Revere are asked, “What do you like more? Surprises or Broccoli?!” there was a unanimous cheer of “SURPRISES!” heard throughout the classroom.

A boy in Mrs. Fratoni's classroom looks at their gift of books and crayons from KPMG.

On November 21, 2011 surprises in the form of bags filled with books and crayons from KPMG were given to children in Mrs. Fratoni’s classroom as part of their Raising A Reader MA program.

Reading is just as good for you as broccoli but don’t tell this to the children in Mrs. Fratoni’s class.  Mrs. Fratoni’s preschool classroom at Garfield Elementary School has a Raising A Reader MA nook with reading chairs, our signature red book bags and an easy to read chart to keep track of what books children bring home. Teacher Gia Fratoni gleams with pride as she showcases the time she and her students devote to early literacy with support from Raising A Reader MA. On Friday afternoons the children line up to grab their red bag and pick out the books that they want to bring home. Children choose from Raising A Reader titles like Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you See by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle and Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd. Mrs. Fratoni generously adds classroom favorites to complement the titles available through Raising A Reader MA. On Tuesday students bring bags back, Mrs. Fratoni then prepares for the next book rotation. “The best thing about this program is how excited the children get. Getting children this energized about reading is a really great thing,” says Mrs. Fratoni as she describes the impact of Raising A Reader MA on her students.

Mrs. Fratoni's classroom has a section devoted entirely to Raising A Reader MA. There is a place to store books, organize who is bringing home what books and cozy reading chairs.

Lauren Butler, Regional Program Manager for Raising A Reader MA is equally excited about the program at Garfield Elementary School. “There is a culture of enthusiasm about Raising A Reader MA. The excitement of staff members like Roxanne Aiello (Parent Liaison for Revere Public Schools) who I work with trickles down to the teachers, their excitement trickles down to the children, and their excitement trickles down to the parents. It’s a testament to see the level of promise that the Garfield School has as a Raising A Reader MA partner. Raising A Reader MA works best when there is commitment on all levels.”

Mrs. Fratoni’s classroom occasionally provides an additional, voluntary Raising A Reader MA assignment for her students to do called extension activities. These might include asking them to draw a picture of their favorite character from the book they brought home for the weekend. Extension activities increase their excitement about reading. They call it “homework” and they love to do it. It helps them to learn about the story and really think about what they are reading.

Raising A Reader MA is an essential part of many public preschool classrooms across Massachusetts. Given the choice between reading and broccoli, children who struggle with reading may have a tough decision to make. However when early literacy skills are developed using Raising A Reader MA as a fun and enthusiastic activity for young children and their families, there is no question about what they’d prefer!

Reflect or Take Action:
-What are the “go to” books that kids in your life read over and over? Consider purchasing a copy of the book to donate to your local elementary school or early literacy center.

-Provide an optional assignment to your children when reading to them.