Elementary Essays: Reading Races at St. Michael Elementary School

St. Michael Elementary School fourth-graders Ava Windel and Lauren Welle submitted an essay to St. Michael Patch about their school's reading initiatives this school year.

The essay explains the various reading competitions each grade is involved in, and what students find helpful about them:

Reading in our School

By: Ava Windel and Lauren Welle

We interviewed a boy and a girl from first, second and third grade to see what they think of our reading programs at St. Michael Elementary. Our principal Sheila Bichler purchased a bike for each grade level. Every student will have a chance to win the bike for their grade level. If they read at least 300 minutes they will get 1 ticket for the drawing, but if they read 600 or more they will receive 2 tickets for the drawing. Each grade level is also doing a different reward for reading.

Here is what 1st grade is doing:

They are doing reading royalty. Each child took a picture of them with a reading royalty cape on. If they read 50 books they receive a crown for their locker. 100 books= a reading royalty t-shirt. 150 books= small jewel for crown, recognition on the school news, and a Culvers certificate. 200 books= small jewel for crown, extra recess with Mrs. Bichler, and a Subway certificate. 250 books= large jewel for crown, reading kingdom (school) tour, and a reading royalty certificate.

Here is what 2nd grade is doing:

They are doing Knightly Reader. Every time they read 300 minutes they get to color in a puzzle piece on a picture of a Knightly Reader coloring sheet that hangs upon their lockers.

Here is what 3rd grade is doing:

In a month third graders must read 300+ minutes in order to earn their special reward: a free kids pizza from Pizza Hut.

Here is what 4th grade is doing:

All of the fourth grade students participate in an activity that lets them be able to earn ice-cream –real ice-cream, but they must read a total of at least 900 minutes out of September, October, and November. If they read that many minutes they get one scoop of chocolate or vanilla ice-cream. If they read 1,200 minutes they get 1 topping for their ice-cream. 1,500 minutes= 2 toppings. 1,800 minutes= 3 toppings. 2,000 or more minutes= 4 toppings. Any students who read 3,000 minutes get to participate in a game.  

Here are the interviews:

Luke from Mrs. Pearson’s 1st grade class likes filling out a reading calendar, because it tells him how many books he reads in a month. He also likes having a chance to win a bike because he wants a new bike.

Halin from Mrs. Huls’ 1st grade class likes filling out a reading because she likes to know how many minutes she has read in that month. She also likes the chance to win a new bike because she wants a new bike.

Elise from Mrs. Beaumont’s 2nd grade class loves reading, but thinks it takes too much time to fill out a reading calendar. She does not want a new bike because she has 1 already.

Joshua who is also from Mrs. Beaumont’s 2nd grade class likes to fill out a reading calendar to see how many minutes he reads. Yes, he does like having the chance to win a bike because he thinks he needs a new bike.

Rachel from Mrs. Rabe’s 3rd grade class likes to fill out a reading calendar because she always loves to find out how many minutes she has read in that month. She also wants to win a new bike, because she would like a new bike.

We also interviewed Caleb from Mrs.Rabe’s 3rd grade class. He likes filling out a reading calendar because he likes to know how many minutes he has read. He wants to win the new bike because he needs a new one.

Well, that is reading in our school.