Looking it up just got easier for third-graders
Local Rotary clubs donate dictionaries for kids to take home and use to build their vocabularies
By Andres Navarro / The Bulletin
Published: November 04. 2009 4:00AM PST
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Third-grader Andre Alanso, 8, gets assistance from Rotarian Mari Latimer as he tries to find the word “service” in the dictionary Tuesday in a third-grade class at Bear Creek Elementary School in Bend. The Rotary Club of Bend High Desert gave dictionaries to all third-graders at the school.
Photos by Andy Tullis / The Bulletin
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Students clapped and pumped their fists in the air while others cried out, “Yes!” when they learned they got to keep the dictionaries they received at Bear Creek Elementary on Tuesday morning.
The cheers and excitement seen in Bear Creek’s third-grade classes are something all third-grade children in Central Oregon will experience this week when local Rotary clubs donate 2,750 paperback dictionaries to help students with their learning.
The donations are part of a nationwide program called the Dictionary Project.
“We were looking for a program that all Rotary clubs can participate in,” said Walt Schloer, past district governor of Rotary District 5110, which covers Central and Southern Oregon and a sliver of Northern California. “This program worked out for us because the Rotary has a commitment to literacy.”
Each year, District 5110 spends about $20,000 on the dictionaries it donates to schools. Each dictionary costs about $1.25 when purchased in large quantities, Schloer said.
Schloer brought the Dictionary Project to District 5110 five years ago because of the impact a dictionary can have in the classroom.
“The students are at a stage where they start learning on their own,” he said. “With the help of the dictionaries, they can start answering their own questions.”
Bear Creek third-grade teacher Lindsey Manitsas said a program like the Dictionary Project is really helpful to the children.
“They get so excited about getting a dictionary, it’s amazing,” she said. “This really is an eye-opening experience for them since they see how the community cares for them.”
Once the students were allowed to browse the dictionaries, many of them began crowding together, showing each other words they found, pointing out the map inside the dictionary and gasping in surprise as they saw a short list of the longest words in the English language in the back of the dictionary.
Manitsas has 25 students in her third-grade class, and Bear Creek has a total of 75 third-graders.
This will be the second year her students have received a free dictionary to take home.
Other teachers also praised the program.
“This is amazing because the Rotary Club provided an extremely valuable tool to use at home,” said Katy Colt, another third-grade teacher at Bear Creek. “Most of the children don’t have these tools at home either.”
Students in her class use dictionaries several times a week, and this is a great opportunity for them to start learning on their own, Colt said.
One of her third-graders agreed.
“I’m excited about it because when I read a long book, I bump into a word that I don’t understand,” said third-grader Isabella Ainardi, 8. “I always have to ask my mom for help, but sometimes she can’t help because she is working.”
Andres Navarro can be reached at 541-617-7818 or at anavarro@bendbulletin.com.
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