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Temple Elementary School creations based on “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” -
All of Temple Elementary School gathers on Fridays for activites based on their reading of “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” -
Dottie Judd works on a diorama of one setting in “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” -
Teacher Kelli Bruns leads a discussion of story developments in “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” -
A penguin greets visitors at TES. -
“Mr. Popper’s Penguins” was published in 1938.
A program to provide common reading experience for anyone interested is underway in Temple, including all students at Temple Elementary School.
This month, the school and the Mansfield Public Library rolled out its book-in-common project with “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” Kelli Bruns, a grade three and four teacher at TES, learned about a “One Book” project last summer, and ran with it.
“I have noticed a decline in reading with my students over the past 10 years or so and wanted to find a way to help support reading for fun beyond the required reading for school,” she said.
Bruns noted the importance of children being read to, not simply being directed to read for school.
“When caregivers/families read together, it not only strengthens literacy skills, but cuts down on screen time and builds connections. I brought the idea up with the TES staff, who fully embraced it,” said Bruns.
Unlike a book assigned to a specific grade level, the book-in-common is from all students at the school as well as Temple young people learning elsewhere and anyone else in town.
“We reached out to the town library, and got to work planning. We opened up the book selection to the staff and Beth Crooker, director of the town library. Our committee consists of TES staff, parents and Beth – truly is a team effort,” said Bruns.
“Mr. Popper’s Penguins” is the work of Richard Atwater, who began the book after seeing a documentary about Antarctica in the 1930s. Atwater had a stroke during the effort, and his wife Florence completed it. It was initially rejected by some publishers before going on to become a Newbery Honor Book in 1939 and won the Young Reader’s Choice Award in 1940. The story follows a house painter who acquires a penguin, then another, then many more.
The town library funded the book purchases with the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) grant, and fundraising at TES has helped to provide associated supplies for activities. On Fridays, the school comes together to discuss developments in the story and engage creative tasks, or as was the case on a recent Friday, hear a presentation by Cora Nichols of Temple, who has been to Antarctica and all the other continents.
“We’ve been joined by children and their families who do not attend TES as well as family members of our students, and even some adults from the community without children,” said Bruns.
To truly engage families in the project, all of the reading happens at home, not in classes. Families came to the Friday gathering last week and students built dioramas of various settings in the story after a recap of that week’s chapters.
Julia Pickman, age 4, is not at TES yet, but has been reading the book with her grandmother Robin Downes. Thomas Judd has two children at the school, and is reading the book with his first-grader, but his third-grader has plowed through the story already.
“I really, really like reading,” said Dottie Judd on Friday.
Arnie and Jeannie Thibodeau do not have children in the school, but are volunteer readers.
“It’s been a great project,” said Jeannie.
The book was made into a film in 2011 starring Jim Carrey and Angela Lansbury, and the Wilton Town Hall Theatre will be showing the movie on April 5 free of charge to support the project.
“We will have a final celebration on Thursday, April 17, in the evening so that all families will be able to attend,” said Bruns. Asked whether the book-in-common experience would be repeated next year, Bruns was emphatic.
“Yes.”