Madison Elementary holds book exchange
Madison Elementary School has been in need of more books for the Accelerated Reader (AR) program.
To combat the issue, the school is holding an AR Book Exchange Oct. 5 and Oct. 6, where students will trade gently used books.
The school needed more books for the program, and initiated the exchange as an efficient way to collect more.
“We started this because our students love to buy books and read them,” said Stacy Blair, reading specialist at Madison Elementary. “They have a stockpile at home and we thought it would be a way for them to replenish their personal collections. Our school library has plenty of books, more than 15,000. This was started as a service just for the kids.”
The exchange requires students to bring in at least eight books to donate to the program, and in exchange, students have the opportunity to take home five books of their own.
Blair said she collaborated with a parent volunteer to head up the organization of the exchange. She said the parents collect, organize and set up the book exchange.
“Madison Elementary requires all students to read, read, read,” she said. “We have embraced the philosophy that the more you read the better reader you become.”
Accelerated Reader is a computerized management system used to help keep track of the books students have read. The students are given a reading goal each grading period. Once a book is completed, the student takes a computerized comprehension test. They are awarded points based on their score. The students can redeem their points for various prizes throughout the year.