12th Annual 1 Book, 5 School Literacy Event

The 12th Annual One Book, Five Schools Literacy Event

Starting next Wednesday, January 29, 2025 families are invited to join a special literacy project.  Families from 5 schools join together for this event - Horace Allen, Isabelle Sellon, Livingstone School, Canyon School and St. Michael’s. Each family will receive a copy of the same book to read at home. Canyon staff will also read along. Teachers may plan various activities at school to complement the book, including a kick-off assembly to reveal the title. Copies of the novel will be sent home with students Jan. 29th — with the youngest K-6 student in the family. Tuesday-Thursday Kindergarten students who are the oldest in their family will receive their books ‘underwraps’ on Jan. 23rd. 

A reading schedule will be included in the book. Parents are asked to read aloud the novel at home to their child/children between January 29 - February 13th. No reading is scheduled for weekends, in case you need to catch up.  Daily readings take about 15-20 minutes. Parents are asked to read aloud at home to their children, no matter what the ages of the children at home. This is valuable modelling and supports your child to be an effective reader. This is also a fun family activity.  Audio recordings following the reading schedule will also be available on our school website. At the end of the project, families may keep their copy of the novel, or return it to the school for a ‘pay-it-forward’ idea to pass on the books to other schools or individual classrooms.  

We invite you to join us for the kick-off assembly next Wednesday, January 29th at 2:00pm. 

Have fun!  "When a whole school reads a book, there’s a lot to talk about.”  With your help, this event will help build a Community of Readers at our school and in our area. We know you will enjoy our 1 Book, 5 Schools event! 

This event would not be possible without the generous support of TC Energy!

 We also thank the Friends of the Crowsnest Pass Library Society for their organizational support.

*What are some values of reading to children? 

1. Oral Language: When you pause during book reading to talk about the story and what interests your child, you provide them with lots of opportunities to think and talk about the story, which builds comprehension and oral language.
2. Vocabulary: The more children understand the better their comprehension will be for reading. You can build your child’s vocabulary by stressing new words, talking about what the word means and relating it to your child’s experience.
3. Story Comprehension: Talking about the important parts of a story (for example, the characters, setting, problem, actions and resolution) makes it easier for your child to make sense of the story.
4. Print Knowledge: Learning about print helps children understand letter’s make sounds and that print represents spoken language.
5. Sound Awareness: To be prepared to read, children must understand that words can be broken down into smaller sounds, and that letters correspond to certain words. Sound awareness prepares your child for reading by making it easier for them to sound out words they read later on.

Tips from Five Books, Five Literacy-Building Ideas! By Andrea Lynn Koohi, Hanen staff writer