While many unforeseen changes have taken place in the U.S. over a very short period of time, Gladwyne Montessori’s Elementary teachers are finding creative ways to support students in their learning through the school’s Distance Learning Program.
Throughout the year, nine Elementary students diligently prepared for the Reading Olympics competition, held in a virtual format this year on May 14, that tests their comprehension of 53 books on the 2020 Reading Olympics Elementary School Book List.
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit's (MCIU) annual Reading Olympics competition is a countywide reading event that encourages students to increase the quality and quantity of books they read for enjoyment. The Reading Olympics Program is based upon the belief that good reading habits form the foundation for a productive and successful life. Due to the unforeseen changes that have taken place due to COVID-19, the in-person Reading Olympics competition was cancelled.
In response, our school decided to host its own virtual competition. Under the leadership of Gladwyne Montessori’s Librarian, Sacha Page, the original nine-student team (the Mind Readers) split into two teams, captained by Tala Qubain and Chimere Nze. Our students embraced the challenge of ensuring that their smaller teams would be well-positioned to respond to questions about all 53 books.
The format of the virtual event includes three moderated rounds, each containing 40 questions, with Gladwyne Montessori faculty and staff serving as moderators, time-keepers, and scorekeepers. Moderators for each round include, Round 1, Upper Elementary Teacher, Jemma Lloyd-Helliker; Round 2, Lower Elementary Assistant Teacher, Dan Stearne; the final round, Head of School, Carrie Kries. With 20 seconds to respond to each question (if answered incorrectly, the question is posed to the other team), teammates confer with one another over a conference call, then Team Captains provide responses. The final tally for each team and the proclaimed winner are submitted to the MCIU.
- distance learning
- elementary
- reading olympics