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Why are dictionaries such a big deal? All teachers know the answer to this, but Mary French, founder of The Dictionary Project in South Carolina says it best.
A dictionary is perhaps the first and most powerful reference tool that a child should own. Its usefulness goes beyond the spellings, pronunciations and definitions it lists; it is a companion for solving
problems that arise as a child develops his or her reading, writing and creative—thinking abilities. Students benefit from increased self-reliance and resourcefulness inspired by the maxim, "look it up."
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Why get involved with kids in school if you don't have kids in school? Literacy is the basis of our society. Without the ability to read and write, it is
impossible to fully participate in our community. And yet, every city in our nine-county area faces problems associated with literacy. While Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan., lead the area in
percentage of adults reading at the lowest level or below (at 25%), even the communities of Lenexa, Leawood and Lee's Summit report that 5 to 10% of their adults are |
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unable to read and write at a level allowing them to fully partake in our society. (These statistics come from a baseline survey performed by
the Heart of America United Way, published April 1999.) Not surprisingly, illiteracy links strongly with unemployment, crime and poverty. Strong students make for strong adults make for strong communities. |
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Why do third graders get dictionaries, instead of second or fourth graders? Generally, third-grade is the point at which children begin to experience the magic of words. Although the typical third grader can read and write, this is the point
where spelling becomes important. Third-grade is the time at which students are learning that there are different ways to express the same thought, but that sometimes a slightly different word changes the
meaning. And third grade is where they are curious about how words work. All teachers tell us that third grade is the crucial time to capture and focus excitement and curiosity about language. |
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