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Reading Counts Quiz List Interactive
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Library Media/Technology Program
Reading Counts Quizzes--School List
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Library Media/Technology Program
The McKinley-Thatcher Library Media Center (LMC) is the school's literacy hub. The LMC houses a collection of over 6700 volumes of print material and 30 networked Macintosh and Dell computers. All students ECE (age 4) to Grade 5 participate in the Library Media Technology Program. The activities the students engage in are a vital part of the balanced literacy program at McKinley-Thatcher as we strive to prepare our students to become competent and contributing citizens of the 21st century.
Scholastic Reading Counts
In the fall of 2000, McKinley-Thatcher implemented a new motivational, independent reading program by Scholastic called Reading Counts. This program uses technology to support and encourage children in their independent reading. Children earn points by reading books of their choice and passing 10 point quizzes on the computer to check their comprehension.
There are over 2000 books currently in the McKinley-Thatcher Library on the Reading Counts Program and more are added daily. Many of these books are classic children's books and current popular books that the students may also have in their home libraries. Books are assigned a point value based on their reading level. First grade students have a goal of earning 5 points each month. Second grade students have a goal of 10 points each month, and the goal for students in Grades 3-5 is 12 points each month. Charts tracking the students' progress toward meeting their montly goals are in the hallway by the LMC.
Parents are invited to visit the library any time to see how the program works. We are very pleased by the increase in independent reading by our students since the inception of this program. A student's ability to read well is the number one predictor of academic success, and our goal is to help all our students become excellent and self motivated readers.
A current list of all the books in the Reading Counts Program may be seen on the Reading Counts Quizzes--School List link in the menu on the left of our web page, or click on this link http://mckinleythatcher.dpsk12.org/stories/storyReader$793 to take you to there to see all the books in our Reading Counts Program. Many of these books are books your children may already have in their home library.
Students also have an opportunity to improve their writing with a computer based editing program called Perfect Copy Writing Skill Development Program. Perfect Copy was introduced to our students in late fall of 2001 and will be used with all students in grades 2-5. The students work independently on the computer to edit writing excerpts taken from children's books. The students enjoy the opportunity to edit the writing sample as many times as necessary to get a "perfect copy." The goal of this program is to improve the writing skills of our students by giving them practice, support, and instant feedback. Visit the LMC and give Perfect Copy a try. It is a great way to help children improve their writing conventions.
Students in the ECE and Kindergarten classes come to the library for a one half hour lesson each week. Activities include story time, music, poetry, art, book checkout, and introduction to computers.
Students in Grades 1-5 receive two hours of instruction per week in the Library Media Center. They participate in a variety of lessons involving literature, information literacy skills, music, book check out, keyboarding, word processing, and desktop publishing.
There is a strong multicultural component in the library media program. Children develop an appreciation for cultural diversity through exposure to the literature, music, traditions and fine arts of many cultural groups.
To prepare our students to use the tools of the age, the Computer Literacy Program provides students with training in accessing, organizing and processing information using computer based technologies. Internet resources complement the print media in the LMC and extend learning though fun, creative, content based activities.
As part of the computer literacy program, students begin keyboarding lessons in Grade 1 using the program Type to Learn and continue to develop their keyboarding skills through the fifth grade.
Children in the primary grades use KidPix, a paint and draw software program, to create pictures, stories and slideshows. Intermediate children build on the skills they learn in the primary grades. Activities in the intermediate grades include keyboarding, word-processing and desktop publishing using ClarisWorks, and structured online research activities involving research databases and the Internet.