Sunflower's
One School
One Book
The World According to Humphrey
January 2, 2020
The World According to Humphrey
By Betty G. Birney
Dear Parent/Guardian:
During the month of January, our school will be embarking on a special project, an all school book club called One School, One Book. Every family will receive a copy of the same book – Betty G. Birney’s The World According to Humphrey - and be asked to read it at home over the next four weeks. We are personally asking you to make the time so your family can participate in this special activity.
Reading aloud at home is valuable because it better prepares your child to be an effective reader. But it is also a fun, worthwhile family activity. With the One School, One Book program, we aim to build a community of readers at our school. Everyone - students, parents, teachers, even administrative staff - will be participating, and we can all reap the many benefits.
Your child will receive his/her copy of The World According to Humphrey at a special school-wide
assembly introducing the program and the book. When the book comes home, you will receive a tailored reading calendar so you can keep up at home. Generally you will be asked to read a chapter each night – about 15 minutes per night.
In school, your child will be invited to answer weekly trivia questions to encourage and reward
attentive, and aggressive listening. You will soon find that your child will take pride in knowing and anticipating the details of the story. In class, there may be various activities which discuss and explore the book. You will want to make sure your family keeps up so your child can be included. Throughout the month, everyone will be talking about The World according to Humphrey!
One School, One Book is a novel program in that children at all grade levels will all be listening to the same book. Strange or daring as that may seem, it actually makes sound educational sense. Reading professionals recommend reading material out loud that is beyond a child’s own reading level. We also believe that you can and should continue reading chapter books with your older children, even when they are able to read by themselves. We have selected a title that can be followed, understood and enjoyed by younger students, but that will still captivate and stimulate older children.
We hope to talk with both you and your student sometime this month about this inspiring hamster named Humphrey! When a whole school reads a book, there’s a lot to talk about! With your help, we can build a community of readers at our school.
Sincerely,
The One School One Book Committee
Reading Calendar
The World According to Humphrey Calendar.pdf