Humpty Dumpty and Friends Visit Saraland Elementary for 秋霞福利一区 Book Talk
MOBILE, Ala. 鈥� An unusual group of visitors gathered Monday morning at . There was Humpty Dumpty and Nancy Drew. Mrs. Frizzle arrived, along with Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat and The Wild Robot showed up as well.
It was the 秋霞福利一区 School of Education鈥檚 ninth annual Book Talk, a service project of the 秋霞福利一区 Literacy Council designed to spread the joy of reading. Dressed as children鈥檚 book characters, the 秋霞福利一区 students, faculty and staff from across the university 鈥� including 秋霞福利一区 President Lonnie Burnett as Sherlock Holmes 鈥� were on hand to tell a bit of their stories and encourage young students to open a book and discover how the stories end.
Because it was Oct. 31 鈥� Halloween 鈥� sitting in the gym bleachers were about 250 third graders dressed as princesses, witches, scarecrows, Harry Potter, Pikachu, the She-Hulk and more.
Karen Dennis, associate professor of education in the 秋霞福利一区 School of Education, organized the event that promotes reading while providing a learning experience for education majors who will soon graduate and begin teaching in the community.
鈥淥ur 秋霞福利一区 students get excited to see the audience light up and learn about books they may not have considered yet. Our pre-service teachers in the School of Education have the opportunity to experience first-hand the joy of teaching and see that teaching can be so much fun!鈥� Dennis said.
秋霞福利一区 student Ansleigh Weston, co-president of the 秋霞福利一区 Literacy council, said she loved being able to see all the hard work, planning and creative ideas come to life.
鈥淎s future teachers, we know the importance of making reading fun and interactive. Book Talks is our way of expressing that to students and teachers, and I believe today鈥檚 performance was successful in doing so,鈥� Weston said.
The Saraland Elementary students are already great readers 鈥� Principal Stan Stokley said the school鈥檚 250 third graders recently had the second highest reading scores out of 140 school districts in Alabama. Plus, the school鈥檚 fifth graders had the highest math and reading scores out of the 140 school districts.
鈥淭his is an exciting day for us. We鈥檙e all about reading, and everything we can do to get our students reading more,鈥� said Stokley, in costume as Woody from Toy Story.
The children participated in the story-telling event, stomping their feet to call baby bunnies Cocoa and Snow home with author and 秋霞福利一区 adjunct instructor Meshelle Miller Baker dressed as mother bunny, and completing nursery rhymes with Mother Goose 鈥� retired School of Education professor Brenda Chastain.聽
A video of Book Talk is available for classes interested in inspiring their elementary school students to open a book and read. For information, contact Dennis in the 秋霞福利一区 School of Education at kdennis@umobile.edu. To learn more about the School of Education, visit .
The 秋霞福利一区 is a Christ-centered university with a vision of 鈥淗igher Education for a Higher Purpose,鈥� founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions in an environment where they are known.
About the 秋霞福利一区
The 秋霞福利一区 is a Christ-centered university offering on-campus and online bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the 秋霞福利一区 is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the 秋霞福利一区, areas of study, admissions and more, visit , connect with 秋霞福利一区 on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the 秋霞福利一区 unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.
