Wisconsin's first lady RPCV Jessica Doyle introduces reading club to Green Bay students
Wisconsin's first lady introduces reading club to Green Bay students
Caption: First Lady Jessica Doyle launches the new online book club, 'Read On Wisconsin,' during a visit to Franklin Middle School in Green Bay Wednesday (photo by H. Marc Larson).
Online club to reach kids statewide
By Anna Krejci
News-Chronicle
Wisconsin's first lady went to school in Green Bay on Wednesday, as did all of the city's children for the first day of school. Jessica Doyle, wife of Gov. Jim Doyle, introduced a new, online reading program to students at Franklin Middle and Tank Elementary schools in Green Bay.
The program, "Read on Wisconsin," is a book club for students where they can submit comments to the club's Web site and read comments posted by other children. On occasion, Doyle will travel the state to talk to kids about the books.
On Wednesday, Doyle promoted a book titled, "My name is Maria Isabel" by Alma Flor Ada. Doyle asked students to relate to one of the book's characters preparing for the first day of school.
A majority of fourth-grade students in one class raised their hands when Doyle asked who had trouble sleeping on first-day-of-school eve, but even more raised their hands when she asked who would sleep better the night after.
Third-graders, their faces propped on their hands and legs dangling back and forth, heard Doyle read part of the book.
The students listed some of their favorite books for Doyle; they included the "Arthur" books by Marc Brown and Dr. Seuss books.
Having a forum for student discussion will better inspire children to read, Doyle said after the classroom presentations.
Doyle reasoned that kids want to relate to each other.
"If they can do it from reading, I think it's an excellent learning opportunity," she said. Doyle said as a parent, her favorite time to sit down with a book was before bedtime with her two sons.
The state's first lady, former learning coordinator and employee of several Madison schools, is featuring different books each month for infants to high school students.
The featured books for September are: for infants, "Baby Goes Beep" by Rebecca O'Connell; for preschoolers, "Jessica" by Kevin Henkes; for elementary students, "Two Old Potatoes and Me" by John Coy; for intermediate students, "My Name is Maria Isabel" by Alma Flor Ada; for middle school students, "Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman; for high school students, "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson.
To join the book club, visit http://readon.wisconsin.gov.
