On October 22, 2015, students at Irving School read “Not Norman: A Goldfish Story,” by Kelly Bennett, in hopes to break a world record for the most people reading the same book on the same day. Last year’s record was 2,383,645!
Jumpstart sponsors the world’s largest shared reading experience called “Read for the Record.”
This global campaign generates public support for developing the love of reading and enhancement of children’s vocabulary. Irving School has participated in this program since 2008; books are selected by Jumpstart and announced each spring to give time to plan an event.
This year’s selection, “Not Norman,” is about a little boy who thinks his goldfish isn’t a “good pet,” so he tries to trade Norman for one that could run and catch, chase string or climb trees, and sleep in his bed at night. All sorts of things go wrong in his quest to find the right pet, and in the end, he discovers Norman might actually be better than he thought.
At Irving School, students in grades 3 – 5 were paired with students in grades K‑2 to read and discuss the story together. Students in grades K‑3 received a copy of the book to take home and keep in their home library. They were encouraged to share this story with others and read their book to a friend or family member.
Fifth grader Lamont Jefferson said, “Reading to the little kids was cool and I liked showing them that I was responsible.”
Destiny Aitken, a second grader said she liked how the “older kids can read better than second grade.” Destiny also says she “liked the story because the boy in the story should be thankful for the pet he received in the story because she would be thankful if she received a pet.”
Second grader Korynne Garrett said having the older kids read to her was “better than having her own teacher and it was very nice of them to do it.”
Students were ecstatic to receive their very own copy of the book.
First grader Libby Gladwell said that she was excited to get her own copy of “Not Norman” and that she will bring it home to read it to her mom.
“She makes me read a lot of books!” says Libby. Libby says she plans on reading the book for her school-wide reading incentive where students in each homeroom are reading independently at home and completing an assignment in order to try and win their very own class pet, just like Norman in the story.
On Friday, October 30, 2015, Irving School’s Reading Specialists Keely Edwards, Tricia Marini, and Nicole Mastorianni will award two goldfish class pet in honor of Norman to the two classrooms with the highest percentage of students completing their monthly Reading Logs and Reading Projects, which are the foundation of the school’s “Be Enthusiastic About Reading” program.
The goldfish were purchased through a grant from PetSmart called “Pets in the Classroom.”
