TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Students flooded the media center at Oak Ridge Elementary on Tuesday and they all got to pick out two free books to take home. <\/p>\n
In all, 460 students received books to kick off the first of three \u201cLet\u2019s Read\u201d book fairs. <\/p>\n
Those students spent the day searching for the perfect books. <\/p>\n
This book fair is part of \u201cLet\u2019s Read,\u201d a partnership between WCTV and Midtown Reader, aimed at boosting literacy in Leon County\u2019s Title I schools.<\/p>\n
Leon County Schools\u2019 Director of Federal Programs, Dr. April Knight said it\u2019s important for kids to read to learn but also to love to read. <\/p>\n
\u201cImmediately after receiving their books, everyone wanted to go read their books, so that\u2019s what Let\u2019s Read is all about,\u201d Knight said. \u201cThe students, even a pre-Ker can take ownership of what it is they are reading and maybe not as much realizing at this stage, that they are taking ownership of their learning.\u201d <\/p>\n
More Tallahassee news: <\/p>\n
Parents like Natasha Acoff understand how important literacy is.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiteracy is important and being able to read, being able to express yourself, and being able to understand what you\u2019re reading and comprehend that, just opens a world of learning,\u201d Acoff said. <\/p>\n
With a kindergartner and a third grader, Acoff said these books are more than just stories, they\u2019re tools to help build a home library. <\/p>\n
\u201cHaving those books at home allows me as a parent to be able to add to what they\u2019re already getting at school,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Oak Ridge Elementary principal Michael Landrum said research shows reading on grade level by the third grade is closely linked to long-term academic success. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen students are able to read, they can be very successful in school, and it also sets them up for life,\u201d Landrum said. <\/p>\n
For many families, access to free books helps remove a barrier. <\/p>\n
For the team at Midtown Reader who put on the fair, watching students pick stories they\u2019re excited about is the whole point. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are creating and sparking a lifelong love for learning and reading and that\u2019s the most exciting part about it,\u201d Caylee Wilson, the manager of Midtown Reader said. <\/p>\n
There are two more book fairs coming up at Ruediger and Hartsfield Elementary Schools. <\/p>\n
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