April is Literacy Month, and here at Knightdale, our library celebrates by hosting a series of activities and events over the course of four weeks, designed to engage students at KHS and highlight the benefits of literacy and reading. 

We began planning for Literacy Month as a class back in January, when the semester started. First, we gathered research about student engagement in reading both at school and at home. What we found raised questions about how we could encourage students to make time for reading and genuinely enjoy it. As a team, we brainstormed ideas to help foster a reading culture here at KHS, but first, we needed to hear directly from the students. We conducted a survey to understand why students weren't reading or why they lacked interest. The majority of responses indicated that they either didn’t have the time or preferred other forms of media. With this information, our team brainstormed ideas to address these concerns and make reading more appealing. Many students said they would read more if there was an incentive or reward involved. This led to ideas like offering candy for checking out books or entering students into a raffle if they were caught reading. We also encouraged students to visit the library during lunch by offering unplugged activities like creating bookmarks, crafting cosplay ducks, and trying blackout poetry. 

Of everything we offered during Literacy Month, the incentives and prizes in the library were the most successful in encouraging participation. However, our unplugged activities didn’t fare as well. They were often cancelled or postponed, and we didn’t advertise them as heavily as we could have.

 My favorite part of Literacy Month was creating the display and going on the field trip to the elementary schools. Reading to the younger students is always a highlight for me. I loved getting to know them, talking about books, and encouraging them to read. It's something I truly enjoy when working with them. One area I think we can improve for future Literacy Months is advertising. We could make better use of our overhead announcements and actively promote the unplugged activities in a fun and inviting way. I hope that Literacy Month helped spark an eagerness in students to develop a love for reading and learning that will last throughout the year.