Students at Solon Intermediate School (SIS) and Lakeview Elementary are celebrating reading in creative ways this month as part of the national Read Across America initiative.

Through rotating book bags representing five different regions of the United States, a schoolwide reading map, and region themed activities throughout the week, students were able to discover new stories while also working collaboratively to track their progress.

SIS Principal Melissa Holtz says that the overall goal is simple: to build excitement about reading and help Solon students discover new genres, authors, and more.

The weeklong effort encouraged students to read books from different regions of the United States while also participating in themed activities designed to spark excitement about reading.

Holtz, who helped organize the activities, said the initiative grew out of collaboration with school staff who are passionate about literacy.

“Really it’s just working closely with our media specialist, March Sutton,” Holtz said. “She really wants to help us encourage kids to continue to read and to maybe read outside their normal bounds or interest areas.”

Working alongside Lakeview Elementary Principal Holly Westlund, staff developed the program centered around exploring literature from different parts of the country, with the central most feature of the program being the large map displayed near the office that tracks students’ reading progress.

Students read books from created themed bags representing five regions of the United States, including the Midwest and Southwest. As they complete books, students help fill in the map by placing a sticker on it.

“Our hope is that one, just being able to have that recognition that they’re reading books,” Holtz explained. “And then making them more aware of what other types of text and genres are out there that they might be interested in.”

Each classroom also keeps its own smaller version of the map to track the regions that each individual class has explored.

“So the five different regions of the United States are represented in bags of books,” Holtz added. “Each classroom has their own paper-sized map, and as they read a book from that bag they can color in their class map, so they’ve read a book from each region of the United States as well.”

All classrooms within the schools are participating.

Holtz said the goal is not simply completing the map but encouraging students to develop a lasting interest in reading.

“We know that reading is so pivotal to their success, regardless of what their path might be,” Holtz said on student’s media literacy. “We just really want to invite a love of reading for students because it is such a critical component for success.”

Creative library programming has also helped keep students engaged.

Holtz added that Sutton recently hosted a “book tasting,” where tables were decorated and students were invited to browse different books as if they were in a restaurant.

“They had tablecloths and some flowers and a faux candle, and then just different books for them to peruse,” Holtz said. “They call it a book tasting so that they can really get excited about the possibilities for reading.”

Holtz said that staff has noticed that the fun activities have sparked more conversations about books among students.

“The more we do that, the more you hear kids talking about their books or getting excited about stories,” she said. “Or they learn that they like a particular author or genre and have an opportunity to dig into that a little bit.

” One of the most exciting parts for students included themed dress-up days to add energy and fun to the book celebration.

Holtz said that the activities were also partly inspired by the United States’ upcoming 250th anniversary.

“It’s just one way to add a little extra pizzazz to the week,” she said, adding that one of the most popular themes so far has been Iowa school spirit day.

“Today was Iowa school day, so there’s a ton of Hawkeye gear around the building,” Holtz said. “A sprinkling of Cyclones, but for the most part it’s Iowa Hawkeyes.”

Students also particularly enjoyed the guest readers who visited the building on Wednesday afternoon. The celebrated readers were various Solon High School athletes who visited classrooms one-on-one to read to the class.

“Some of them are local celebrities to our kiddos,” Holtz said on the Solon High School guest readers. “Having those opportunities with the high school athletes is important to them.”

For some students, the visitors were even older siblings, making the experience even more meaningful.