Literacy League Expands to Include Elementary School Students
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Literacy League Expands to Include Elementary School Students
~ Highly popular state reading club now brings students and authors together ~TALLAHASSSEE - The Florida Department of Education announced today that it has expanded its Literacy League book club to include book titles specifically for elementary school students. Previously designed for middle school students, the unique reading and literacy program will now also allow younger students to connect with Florida authors.
"We have received many requests from teachers to expand the program to their elementary classes," said DOE Just Read, Florida! Executive Director Stu Greenberg. "With the club's growing popularity amongst teachers, students and authors, we are pleased to be able to offer the program to a larger audience. Literacy is the cornerstone of education and this is just one way to foster enthusiasm for reading."
The Department launched the Literacy League in the spring of 2010 for students in grades six through eight as a way to encourage and sustain reading throughout a child's educational process. Each quarter, a book is selected and students are then able to submit questions via email, or video for the authors to answer through a recorded video. Videos are posted on the Department's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/educationfl.
The first book selection for elementary students is The Secret Life of Mitch Spinach by Hillary Feerick and Jeff Hillenbrand, with questions due from students by Dec. 16. Middle school students are currently reading Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon, with questions due Oct. 31. Students are encouraged to send their questions to .
To help readers locate this book at their local public library, the Department also offers a unique interactive tool called "Find a Book." Through "Find a Book", users are able to build custom reading lists based on their interests and reading levels. To use the Find a Book tool, visit http://florida.lexile.com. To learn more about the Department's Literacy League, visit http://www.fldoe.org/literacyleague/.