Reading night encourages enjoyment

Ready for bingo

Eugene Field Elementary School hosted its annual Title I reading night on Thursday.

“The reading night is just a time for parents to come in and do something fun with their kids,” said Leigh Beth Alsup, Title I reading coordinator for Eugene Field. “They don’t have any outside bothers. It’s a time for them to stay with their kids and concentrate on them.”

Title I is a government-funded program, which requires participating schools to host some sort of parent night once a year.

Although all students were invited to participate, Title I students are those who are not meeting the target for their grade level.

“They have not been diagnosed with a learning disability,” Alsup said. “A lot of times kids struggle with reading, so we want to show them it can be fun.”

Kids had the opportunity to participate in age-appropriate word bingo. Kindergarteners identified letters in order to receive a blacked out space on the bingo board while fourth graders had to identify multi-syllable words.

For every bingo earned, the student selected a free book.

“I hope they can see how much fun reading can be,” Alsup said. “A lot of times, kids who struggle think of reading as a chore, and I want them to see how reading can take you to different places. No matter what you’re into, it can take you to that place.”

More than 45 families attended the reading night.

“This is the best turnout I have ever seen,” Alsup said. “We thought maybe we would get 30, but we’re blown away by this.”