Glen Oaks teachers make literature fun

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Students play “'Dr. Seuss Jeopardy” at Glen Oaks Elementary School in Hickory Hills. | Supplied Photo

Updated: March 13, 2012 8:01AM

Glen Oaks Elementary School in Hickory Hills recently held its annual Read-A-Thon, an event in which teachers come up with a unique twist on literature lessons in an effort to make them fun for the students.

The all-day event saw students rotate through stations, where they participated in a variety of reading-based activities. Teachers saw students in 20-minute intervals. All told, each teacher saw some 350 students throughout the day.

Some teachers presented read books, others presented skits, and some put a new spin on literature by hosting game shows on their SMARTboards.

In Stephanie Calahan’s second-grade class, students were treated to a few rounds of “Dr. Seuss Jeopardy.” At the touch of a finger, students selected and then answered questions based on “Dr. Seuss” books they have read.

Teacher Kristen Morphew read students a story and asked them to visualize what they heard. They were then given a sentence from the story and asked to draw a picture of what the sentence described.

The day ended with a “Teachers Reader Theater,” where Christine Pulgar, Andrea Hogan, Kim Dignin and Jennifer McCormick acted out a skit from the book “Sweet Tooth” by Margie Palatini.

“The teachers do a great job every year,” said media specialist Christine Pulgar. “They deserve all the credit for making it fun for the kids, but also for providing them with another way to enjoy literature. This is my favorite day of the year.”