Learning Literacy With Taft Elementary

Reading and writing are essential skills that take time to learn, but with the help of the National English Honor Society (NEHS) and engaging games, students were able to expand their literacy skills. On December 4, Taft Elementary hosted a literacy night for children of all ages. 

Parents, teachers and NEHS members created an eventful night with plenty of learning activities. Some of the most popular activities of the night were Happy Feet, Popcorn; Sink or Float, Madlibs and Word Scavenger hunt. 

At the Happy Feet station, students practiced pronouncing and forming sentences. Each student selected a penguin on the SmartBoard. The penguin they chose revealed different words that they had to pronounce and formulate a sentence with. This activity helped enhance their vocabulary and sentence constructive skills. 

Along with Happy Feet, Popcorn; Sink or Float had a big turn out with the students. At this station, each student was challenged to create a raft out of given materials. The goal was to fit the most amount of popcorn on the raft without the raft sinking. This station allowed the kids to express their creativity and use of problem-solving skills.

At the Madlibs station, NEHS members asked each student for words to fill in the blanks of a story. The Madlibs taught different parts of speech. The outcome of the story had the students smiling and giggling with each other. Rocco Circosta, a student, shared his excitement. “My favorite station was Madlibs because It’s really fun and I got to win a prize. I won a pencil with infinite ink and a composition notebook for my sister.”

Although the purpose of the night was directed towards the kids, parents and NEHS members were there to support and help the children have a successful night. Gianna Perez, a junior at Washingtonville High School and a NEHS member, believes this event is more than just a fun night out. She is a firm believer that students at young ages should have an understanding of literacy. She expressed, “I think this event is important because it helps teach kids a lot about the importance of reading and of English in general. Learning about vowels and reading books is important. I think this is all really helping them gain a lot more knowledge.”

Each station allowed students to learn at different paces and levels with a variety of contrasting strategies. Some students preferred interactive and verbal activities while others enjoyed sitting down and reading a book to themselves. Each child's concepts of reading and writing vary. Literacy Night ensured that each student felt included with a positive environment for learning.