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Community Impact

August 2009

Children Find Reading Buddies at El Buen Samaritano

Out of a variety of choices for children to spend their summer, the most obvious option for them was El Buen Samaritano's Reading Buddies Literacy Camp. El Buen Samaritano's Reading Buddies Literacy Camp is designed to teach children between the ages of six and 12 important literary components such as plot, characterization, setting and conflict.

Program participants spent their summer taking field trips to the library, reading books and writing a book to their parents. "We got to choose our own books at the library," said program participant Rodrigo Sánchez. "We learned new words and learned to read faster."

Through the Reading Buddies Literacy Camp, this summer, El Buen Samaritano provided 32 Austin children with an opportunity to improve their literacy skills through fun and educational activities while exposing them to a comprehensive program which took them on a journey to a world of literacy.

"We wrote a book to our parents" Rodrigo said. "I wrote about my two-year-old sister Alexa. She is important to me because she hugs me and kisses me. My dad is also important to me because he plays baseball with me and takes me places when he comes home from work."

Writing and illustrating their own book--My Important Story--allowed the students to formulate grammatically correct sentences while encouraging creativity. Each day, the students completed one page in their book, and at the end of the camp, they presented the book as a gift to their parents.

With activities such as library trips, reading scavenging hunts, creating characterization posters and performing in a readers' theatre play, the goal of the program is to spark an interest in reading through fun literary outlets while evaluating their progress in reading fluency, word count, expression and comprehension through pre and post-assessments.

"Books are better than movies," Rodrigo said. "They show more information than movies. I will definitely continue taking trips to the library and keep reading." El Buen Samaritano is currently planning on expanding the program. For information on how to support the Reading Buddies Literacy Camp, contact Mona Izquierdo, director of education.