By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
This summer, K-2 students in the Brandon School District will be getting books for free from Kids Read Now.
“This is a research based program in which our students here in Brandon, each student will receive eight books at not only their reading level, but their interest level mailed out to their homes once a week throughout the entire summer,” said Carly Stone, executive director of curriculum and instruction. “Students will receive a catalog and it is color coded with grade levels and topics where they, along with their teacher, will select the books that they receive over the summer.”
The books range in topics, and can be fiction or non-fiction. After students choose which books they want to read, along with their teachers, parents will receive the necessary information.
“There are some really fantastic books from all walks of life,” said Stone.
The program also has an app for families that will remind them weekly about the new book coming and check in on books that have already been received.
“Each book comes with a sticker on the inside that has prompt questions that a parent can ask their students as they’re reading the book,” she said. “So they can engage in a dialogue that’s based off the book the student is reading.”
Stone said this fits in with programs that the school is already doing.
“By promoting this, we feel it really compliments our early literacy program,” she said. “They will get their first book before school is out, and at the end they get a blank book with a bunch of pictures and the kids get to write stories about the pictures that they see.”