#WasatchReads

Every child. Every family. Every night.
Cada niño. Cada familia. Cada día.

Reading is life-changing. 

Wasatch County School District considers student literacy the number one indicator of student success. Research shows a student’s ability to read has a significant impact on all other areas of their educational experience.

While strong readers are more likely to have higher GPAs and ACT scores, literacy also impacts community well-being and economic growth.

Some of the indisputable benefits of reading include: Mental stimulation, stress reduction, knowledge, vocabulary expansion, memory improvement, stronger analytical thinking skills, improved focus and concentration, and better writing skills.*

Further, reading proficiency also has a direct impact on an individual’s quality of life. If children cannot read at grade level by third grade, they are four-times more likely to drop out of high school.**

The Wasatch County School District encourages you to read with the children in your life tonight. And tomorrow night, and the night after that. It doesn’t matter what you read, as long as it interests you and the child. Take turns reading to your child and having them read to you. Be sure to show us where (and what) you’re reading by posting it on social channels, such as Instagram and Facebook, and including the hashtag #WasatchReads. For more information, please check out our resources listed below!

**The Annie E. Casey Foundation
**Hernandez, D.J. (2011). Double jeopardy: How third-grade reading skills and poverty influence high school graduation. Baltimore, MD: Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Highlights of the WCSD Literacy Improvement Plan

• Instructional expertise
  • Dedicated literacy coach in each elementary building
  • Ongoing professional development to enhance literacy instruction
• Early Literacy
  • Preschool expansion & all-day kindergarten at all five elementary schools to support early foundations in child development
• Sustainability
  • Research-based English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum adoption
  • Increased emphasis on content-area literacy

Literacy Resources

For parents:

Reading Rockets
A step-by-step guide to what parents can do to raise a reader. 

Read Across America
A list of tips for parent on how to get children excited about reading.

Scholastic | Parents
A website for parents with resources to encourage a love of learning.

For students:

Construct-a-Word - ReadWriteThink
Provides a simple, engaging way for students to generate dozens of different words by first choosing an ending (for example -an, -ed, -at, -op) and then adding a beginning letter or blend. 

Starfall: Learn to Read with Phonics, Learn Mathematics
The Starfall learn-to-read website is offered free as a public service.

Storyline Online
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Daytime Emmy nominated, Storyline Online, features celebrated actors including Viola Davis, Kristen Bell, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Wanda Sykes, Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Betty White and more reading children’s books to inspire a love of reading in millions of children worldwide.