After School Programs Work With City-Wide Book Club

As we all know, reading comprehension is critical for a child’s future success. Reading and written communication skills are a primary focus during the school day, but what happens when the school day ends? Well, for nearly 600 students who attend after school programs with the Partnership for Community Schools in Malden—a whole lot of reading, writing, math problem solving and fun.

During our two after school programs—A to Z University for grades K to 5, and Channel Surfing for grades 6 to 8—reading is a big part of each afternoon. Whether it’s in Oprah’s Book Club, Stories of Eric Carle, Once Upon a Time, Living in the Time Of, or many others, our students are spending their time reading and taking part in related activities. As we have seen from data we have collected, these students are not only significantly improving their reading comprehension, but are having fun and learning that reading can be enjoyable, not a chore.

We are very excited that we will be an integral part of the Malden Reads program. This program not only gives us an opportunity to expand reading opportunities, but will help the children feel a part of their community. The reading and activities will use the themes of “The Soloist,” and will help our students become active participants in their daily lives.

In our A to Z University programs we have designated each Friday from March 4 to April 15 as Malden Reads Fun Fridays. Throughout this time students will participate in a number of activities as they read books related to the themes of “The Soloist.” For example, during Friendship Week they will read “The Friendship Tree” and “Owen and Mzee” and make friendship bracelets, create a friendship puppet show, and write acrostic poetry. During Music Week they will read “Mole Music” and “Peter & the Wolf” and listen to classical music and write about what they feel. During Homelessness Week they will read “The Teddy Bear” and “Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen” and prepare care packages for the homeless and make “Stone Soup.” For Perseverance Week they will read “The Little Engine That Could” and “The Boy Who Held Back the Sea” and participate in Team Building activities. And, during Mental Illness Week they will read “Whoever You Are” and “Ian’s Walk” and write I Am Poems.

Our students in grades 3-5 and 6-8 will be able to join age-appropriate Oprah’s Book Club where they will also read books related to the themes of “The Soloist.” Some of the books selected for these students include “We Beat the Streets” and “Moon Runner” (friendship), “A Crooked Kind of Perfect” (music), “How to Steal A Dog” and “Homeless Bird” (homelessness), “The Young Man and the Sea” and “One-Handed Catch” (perseverance), and “Summer of the Swans” (mental illness).

Activities for these students include a Rap Music contest where students will write original rap songs about friendship. Throughout our spring session students will hold fundraisers that will be used to donate money to Hope for Creativity, a non-profit, youth-led organization that provides art supplies for homeless children. Students will also submit essays to Youk’s Kids Reading Group, as well as engage in activities around cartooning, classical music, poetry, teambuilding, and various types of writing.

We hope that the activities we have designed as part of Malden Reads will help children better understand the importance of reading in their daily lives, and take them on a path that will help them become more compassionate as they grow toward adulthood. We truly believe this small piece of learning will have a significant positive impact.

Karen Steele is the Executive Director of the Partnership for Community Schools. She can be reached at ksteele@malden.mec.edu.