Alpha Alpha Tau
Marian College
Connecting Literacy and Science Skills: A CLASS Act!
Two classroom sets of each of three Magic School Bus titles (Lost in the Solar System, Inside the Earth, and Inside the Human Body) were purchased for the two 4th grade classrooms at IPS 61. The Magic School Bus books were chosen because they are easily readable while also containing a wealth of scientific information. After the IPS classroom teachers spent time reading the Magic School Bus books with the 4th graders, the Marian College students visited at the end of the week and spent an hour doing hands-on science and language arts activities with the elementary students, focusing on the topics highlighted by the Magic School Bus book the children had just finished reading. The following week, the students were featured as “superstar experts” at the Family Nights held at School 61, where they explained the activities and the science concepts they had learned from the Magic School Bus books. Additional Family Science activities were also presented at the Family Nights so that the 4 th graders could enjoy some new and different activities. All directions for the activities at the Family Nights were translated into Spanish because of the large Latino population of the school.
Alpha Beta
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
Reading with the Razorbacks
Our event was called Reading with the Razorbacks and was held at the Fayetteville Public Library. Athletes from the University of Arkansas (called Razorback athletes) came to the public library and read age-appropriate books to the children. Our event lasted three hours and the Razorback athletes read continuously to the children during those hours. Between book readings, the children made bookmarks, which they decorated using stickers and markers. The athletes later autographed the bookmarks. The children also used this time to select their free book to take home. Students were introduced to new reading material by the athletes, through the new books they took home, and by becoming more familiar with the resources at the library. During the event, KDP members assisted students in making their bookmarks, selecting books, and generally guiding students through the event. Some members took pictures and answered questions.
Alpha Epsilon
Western Illinois University
Recording Fathers Reading in Prison So They Can "Read to Their Children"
For this project we continued our assistance to help the inmates at the Canton Correctional Institution receive books they read aloud and recorded on tape for their own children, after first writing messages of love and caring in the inside covers of the book. We had our KDP students help collect money and new book donations to contribute to this worthy project. In addition, for this year, we added a questionnaire for the children of the inmates to fill out regarding their reading habits, because several of the inmates admitted that before this program, they had never even thought of reading books to their children. We are hoping that these books, read by the absent fathers, will awaken a love of reading in these children, as well as help the family members stay more closely engaged with each other despite their long absences. We have had only extremely positive feedback from all participants. We discovered that we could mail out the questionnaires with the books at no additional charge, so we used all the grant funding to buy children's books for the program. We also spent additional money on books, plus received several other boxes of donated books our students helped gather that we sent to the Canton Correctional Institution.
Alpha Eta
Southeast Missouri State University
Anything Is Possible!
Kindergarten and 4 th grade students came to campus for a field trip and to learn career opportunities that are possible with a college degree. During the morning, they toured different areas of campus, with tours led by KDP volunteers. After a lunch in our University Center, students were split into two groups, with the Kindergarten children in one room and 4th grade students in another. In each room, they rotated among a variety of career-based activity stations, with the Kindergarten stations focused more on general careers, and the 4th grade stations focusing on science-based careers. KDP volunteers planned and implemented the stations. Students also visited the "College Bookstore" where they heard a story and got to pick out a book to keep. They also received goody bags of souvenirs from campus, such as bookmarks, pencils, and a window cling of the college mascot.
Alpha Gamma Zeta
Loyola College
Celebrating Diversity through Multi-lingual and Multiethnic Children’s Literature
KDP members met with the ESL teacher at Bollman Bridge to determine which books would be most beneficial to students who were Burmese refugees. Laurel gave students a list of books to purchase to help these students learn English. At an afterschool event, KDP members took the books to the school and worked with the Burmese students on May 7 th. Books were displayed and read to the students. The group wanted to have an evening event with parental involvement, but this proved to be impossible. Books were officially donated to the school.
Alpha Iota
University of North Texas
Reading Road Trip
Reading Road Trip surpassed all our expectations. We read one book to the children, entitled How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman. We used this book and picked out four separate locations that the little chef went to get her ingredients for her pie. The locations were Sri Lanka; France; Italy; and London, England. For each location, we had the children complete a hands-on activity led by a member of Kappa Delta Pi. For Sri Lanka, the children had pictures of elephants, a piece of felt, and sequins, stickers, and other decorations. They placed these objects on the felt that was glued to the elephant’s body, creating a decorated outfit for the elephant to wear during Esala Perahera. This is a festival held in Sri Lanka. For France, the children made Eiffel Towers out of marshmallows and coffee stirrers, while in London the children made a Big Ben tower. Finally, in Italy they learned about Venice and made gondolas that floated in a tub we referred to as a canal. Before each activity, the Kadelpian leading the group gave the students some information about the location featured in the activity. This was an interactive discussion, and questions and comments were encouraged.

The scheduling of the actual activity was complex. The first day, the book was read and the Sri Lanka activity was conducted for five classrooms. On the second day, we divided each class into three groups and had three rotations for each location. We did this for every single classroom. Therefore, Kappa Delta Pi members who volunteered led all the activities for a total of 45 times in one day.

After the activity was completed, we had the children write about the country they most wanted to visit. This could be any place they had learned about during the activity, or if they had another country in mind, they could write about that.
Beta Chi
Northern Arizona University
Paws to Read
Paws to Read is a program in which children read to dogs at their school. The dogs listen and don’t tease or judge the child. The dogs come into the school and the children can select any book they choose to read to the dog and then they sit for 30 minutes and hear the child read. We also have a summer reading program that follows the same lines. The volunteers enjoy their position because they can encourage students through a dog. The dog shows interest in the child and helps them gain confidence as a result. The goal is to promote literacy and a love for reading in Flagstaff children. We started the project in Flagstaff. We placed boxes at various locations around Flagstaff and the NAU campus. We advertised the program in the local paper and put up fliers around the elementary schools. We solicited the NAU campus for gently used or new books. We had the school coordinator come in with her dog to tell us about Paws to Read and explain how the dog training happens. This lasted from April 7 through 25. FACTS (Family and Community Teaming for Students) program took place March 14 through 17. We created projects that would be done by the students. We went to four different schools (Killip, Marshal, Christensen, and Thomas), staying at each school for an hour and a half. We read the fractured fairytales from Stinky Cheese Man, by Jon Scieszka. The students were then given parts of the story to illustrate and asked to create a storyboard of one of the stories . The students then created their own fairytale creature. They wrote a short description of their character, which KDP members helped organize. Then the students created masks matching the description of their character. We then had the students create foam bookmarks that had fairytale characters, books, and stories on them. We also participated in the Young Authors Festival. This was set up by Jim Manley, a professor at NAU. The first task was to provide cereal boxes for the bookmaking at the event. Then we served as guides for the different classes and we led the students to the different workshops. We also assisted the children with their bookmaking.
Beta Upsilon
Washington University in St. Louis
Book Donation and Family Storytelling Night
Our chapter gave books to all children in Kindergarten through second grade at a local high-need elementary school. The students chose their own books, with the help of their teachers, and our chapter ordered the books for the children. We presented the children with their books at a literacy pep assembly that featured a storyteller and a visit from Washington University's mascot.
Delta Tau
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Pregnancy Center
We set up a few committees to get everything in order for the Literacy Alive! event. Before we went to the Pregnancy Center, we put together the booklet How to Read with Your Child, picked out a book and an activity to do with the children, and put together a physical activity for them to do. A small group of us went to the Pregnancy Center on Monday April 14th at 5:00 p.m. We started out the evening by doing a physical activity called "the alphabet stretch" and then we got the children into a circle and read Little Cloud by Eric Carle. We set the children up at a table and had them paint their own "clouds" using white and grey paint, cotton balls, and sponges. At the end of the evening we gave the parents the booklet and explained how they can use it. We also donated the remainder of the booklets along with the book that we read. We were hoping for more children to attend, but all in all it was a nice evening.
Epsilon Kappa
Michigan State University
Mission: Success(ful)
Thirty-five students and four staff members from Lansing’s Hill Alternative High School came to the campus of Michigan State University for a day. The students formed groups of three and each was given a digital camera to capture the day’s events. First, the students chose from three different mini-tours of the campus. The tour themes were fine arts, athletics, and career preparation. When students returned from the tours, they chose a breakout session to attend. The sessions included a panel of resident advisors to answer questions students had about college life, a presentation on college admissions and test preparation by The Princeton Review, and a financial aide officer to talk about making college affordable. Sparty, MSU’s mascot, also attended. Students had lunch in a dorm cafeteria with meal tickets donated by Residence Life. We had several Spartan athletes, including football star Otis Wiley, eat with the students. Finally, the students went to a computer lab where they wrote, recorded, and produced a digital story using iVideo about the experience.
Epsilon Tau
SUNY-Geneseo
Pajamas and Paperbacks
Paperbacks and Pajamas is a program that invites elementary school children and their families to read with KDP volunteers. One to two weeks prior to the event, letters were sent home to parents describing the event and asking for RSVPs. Teachers were notified and flyers were distributed to Geneseo Elementary for display throughout the school. On the night of the event, KDP volunteers and elementary school students dressed in pajamas and brought blankets and stuffed animals to the school media center, where they spent an hour reading books together. Parents were invited, and refreshments were provided everyone. At the end of the evening, each child chose a book to take home, provided by Epsilon Tau. Attendance was taken at the event to document the number of students and volunteers in attendance, and all parents were asked to fill out a brief survey that rates the effectiveness of the program. All parents were also asked to sign a photo release form, allowing Epsilon Tau to share pictures (1) on our website, accessible at www.geneseo.edu/~kdp, and (2) at other College events (e.g., poster presentation of Epsilon Tau’s service projects for the American Democracy Project).
Eta
Purdue University
One Small Step for Reading; One Giant Leap for Knowledge
Members of Kappa Delta Pi, Eta Chapter, made multiple visits to Oakland Elementary. A different grade level was the focus of each visit. The overall theme for Eta Chapter’s Literacy Alive! program was outer space. Visits consisted of multiple activities. As an opening activity, a grade-level appropriate book about space was read to several classes. Students were also encouraged and guided in reading other books, or sections of books, about space. Supporting the idea of teamwork, some students were grouped, given large sheets of paper and books for resources. They were then instructed to make an illustration of the solar system. Integrating art with the literature, several students learned how to create booklets using only paper and scissors and illustrated a short paragraph about space. They also used writing skills to compose letters to friends or relatives explaining an imaginary trip they took into outer space based on information found in the books provided. Through these and other activities, students were able to use a variety of supplies, resources, and literature enhancing their literary experience, specifically on the topic of outer space.
Eta Psi
Rowan University
"It's a Jungle Out There, and We're WILD about Reading!"
For the Eta Psi Chapter's Literacy Alive Event, we rented out the entire third floor of our Education Hall. This provided us with a multitude of classrooms in which we held numerous activities for attending children. We had reading rooms, where children were invited to sit and listen to an age-appropriate story or picture book that went along with the theme of our event. We also provided an arts and crafts room, where children could create themed crafts to take home as a souvenir from the event. Often, parents become heavily involved with the craft room, and it is great to see people helping out! As students moved through the different rooms, they came across our Health and Exercise Sciences Center, where they participated in an interactive health-based activity. This room incorporated play and learning, and was a new addition to the event this year. Furthermore, there was a Mathematics Lab in which the children and their parents solved age-appropriate math problems and worked with manipulatives in hands-on activities. We provided mini-productions of classic tales, conducted by our University's "Once Upon a Stage" program. In this room, children became a part of the production of these classic tales, and we provided basic costumes and scenery to enhance the overall effect. Throughout the night, we offered a variety of food items for the students and their parents. At the end of the night, each student got to browse through our new book room and select a brand new book to take home.
Eta Theta
CUNY-Brooklyn College
Literacy Around the World
Eta Theta Chapter visited Sesame Flyers on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 11 a.m. We conducted a read-aloud which focused on learning about other cultures through their stories. Books read aloud included Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest, by Gerald McDermott and How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend, by Jerrie Oughton. Each child was allowed to select two books to keep. The remaining books were put aside for children who were absent and for the Sesame Flyers library, which all children may use. Children needed little encouragement to read and share their new books! About a dozen of these youngsters (ages approximately 8 to 18) will be traveling to Trinidad next week with our Secretary, Pearl Elie, compliments of Sesame Flyers. They will be bringing at least 10 new books with them, which they will read to the girls at Amica House. The books will then be donated to Amica House. Twenty-four new hardcover story books in Spanish are on their way to La Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta de San Luis Pueblo Nuevo in Guatemala. On Thursday, May 8, P.S. 194 celebrated its annual literacy event with author Anne Capici. Eta Theta bought 55 of her Magic Tree House books for the students. Co-President Barbara Buchholz coordinated, along with two other KDP members. At least 20 new books are being sent to the Martin Luther King Elementary in the Lower Nine in New Orleans.
Gamma Theta
Ball State University
Promoting Literacy through Readers' Theater and Reading Workshops
The events for the Literacy Alive! grant encompassed several different activities. First, a Readers Theater was performed at six local elementary schools in the Muncie, Indiana area. In addition, it was also performed at the transitional housing facility for a local domestic violence shelter. At each performance, numerous books were given to the children who participated and for a select few, a plush Horton was given in keeping with the theme for the Readers Theater, Horton Hears a Who. As follow-up to the Readers Theaters, we partnered with the AOK program, which is operated by the domestic violence shelter with which we partnered. Members went to the AOK program for a period of four weeks to tutor children in a variety of subjects, with a specific emphasis on literacy. At each visit, two to three books were presented to the children. In addition to providing books to the children at the schools, we used the grant money to provide libraries for children at the transitional housing and emergency housing facilities. In the coming academic year, members of KDP will continue to work with the AOK program and the transitional housing coordinator to provide literacy experiences for students and children.
Gamma Xi
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
Life Long Readers
We spent an entire week in the Eastern Monroe County Library doing different activities with several children. Each day had a themed activity, including Music Mania Day, Pet Day, Beach Party Day, and Community Helper Day. The last day (Friday), we traveled to a local elementary school (J.M. Hill) and did an Athlete Read with six 2 nd grade classrooms.
Iota Iota
Westfield State College
Promoting Books and Reading
Poetry Alive! was our first poetry event at Treehouse on November 18, 2007. Approximately 15 to 20 members of our chapter worked with the children in helping them choose poems and perform them in front of the community. We provided art supplies and musical instruments for the children to use as props in performing their chosen poem. Each child left with a book, and some took a book home for a sibling who was unable to attend. Our second poetry night was held March 2, 2008. This event had members working with the children to write their own poetry. These poems were also performed for the community, and we again provided art supplies and musical instruments to create props. Following this event, members of our chapter created and published a poetry anthology of all of the poems created that night and gave it as a gift to the Treehouse community. Again, each participant was allowed to select a poetry book to take home.
Iota Omega
St. Ambrose University
Curious George and Friends Go to the Hospital
Originally, we planned to donate books to begin a portable library of books for infants through young adults at the pediatric unit at Genesis Medical Center. We then got requests for books from Young Intermediate School and also from Professor Billy Lynn at St. Ambrose University, who wanted to collect books to send to children in Iraq who are in the process of learning English. We were able to honor all three requests. A unique feature of this year's project was the partnership we established with the St. Ambrose University Student Nurses Association. They donated $125, helped with our campus book drive, and helped deliver books to the hospital. They have offered to partner with us again next year in carrying out a similar project for Trinity Hospital in Rock Island, Illinois.
Iota Sigma
University of Rhode Island
Arts Alive!
During Initiation, initiates donated six literacy book bags, 223 trade books, and/or wrote inspirational quotes and messages for the children in grades K-5 at the Highlander School for our Literacy Alive! (Family Literacy Night) program on April 8, 2008. The children at Highlander School opened over 100 plastic eggs that contained the High-Egg-Spectations messages (from our new initiates) at the Literacy event. Twelve Kadelpians and several other friends and family members of initiates contributed to the event by telling stories in many exciting ways, and/or conducting follow-up centers involving creative dramatics, dressing as story characters, face painting with children, helping children make family shields, painting murals, constructing masks and puppets, and making tissue paper flowers. The event began at 5:00 p.m. and lasted until well after 8:00 p.m. The event was well-organized with children's dancing and refreshments at the beginning and storytelling for one hour after that. Finally, the seven story-related activity centers concluded this wonderful, colorful, and very dynamic event. The Assistant School Director and the classroom teachers really appreciated the Home-School Book Bags that contained the trade books and related activities (some in Spanish) similar to the ones enacted and experienced by the families at Family Literacy Night.
Iota Theta
West Texas A&M University
The ABCs of Reading Together
Students at Travis Middle School created their own I Spy pictures related to science, mathematics, history, writing, and language arts. They combined their pictures and published an I Spy: The Minds at Travis Middle School book and presented the book to children attending the Travis Learning Center. The middle school students read their books to the 11 to 14 year-old ELL students at the center. They also shared other books purchased for the event.
Lambda Alpha
Plymouth State University
Literacy Alive!
On Saturday, April 5, 2008 members of the Lambda Alpha chapter performed a read-aloud with students in grades K-5. The students from the Plymouth, New Hampshire region participated in an extended discovery of Barbra S. Garriel’s book, I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello. Student discovery of the book included musical performances by Plymouth State University music majors, a read-aloud of the book, and participation is three activities related to the book. The children were divided into two groups and completed a writing activity, constructed their own instruments, and decorated instrument-shaped cookies. Each family received a free copy of the book to take home.
Lambda Kappa
Rollins College
Ronald McDonald House
The goal of this project was to provide quality children’s literature that will be used to create a modest children’s library in the playroom. The books were not placed in the playroom. It was decided by the house manager of the Ronald McDonald House to place the books in each of the parents’ rooms, based on the age of the ill child. Fifty-three books were selected by KDP members (who reviewed the books for stereotyping and appropriateness prior to selection). For 100 percent of the books, KDP members created a list of supporting activities that could be used while reading the books. These techniques included suggestions for art activities, comprehension questions to ask the child while and after reading the book, and, occasionally, movement activities. These suggestions were taped to the inside cover of the book so that the suggestions would remain with the book. The books were given to the house manager who distributed and collected the books based on the families’ needs while they resided at the Ronald McDonald House.
Lambda Lambda
Minnesota State University-Mankato
A World of Difference
We were supposed to have our event in February during I Love to Read month, but weather caused the event to be cancelled. We were, however, able to collect a large number of books from other sources at this time. We rescheduled our event for May 8th, which meant only three of our students could participate. However, it was a wonderful day. Parents and English language learners (ELLs) were invited to a Family Literacy night. There were station activities, take home projects, a presentation by the local library (which allowed people to apply for library cards). Sixty parents met for a multiethnic meal. Ten parents from a beginning adult literacy class participated in the I Love to Read roundtable with our students. Most of the parents were not comfortable being photographed because of their religious beliefs.
Lambda Theta
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Community Heroes
During the course of the two day event, Lambda Theta Chapter members taught students about community helpers. Volunteers from the area came to talk about what they do to support their community. Students sang songs about community helpers, participated in read-alouds with follow-up activities and shared ideas about community helpers. Activities included visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile instructional approaches. All students in the building (even those not present for the event) received a book, book bag, crayons, and other items donated by local organizations. Snacks were also provided for both students and teachers. After the event was completed, the school received all the resources used to teach the lessons, including puppets, puzzles, felt pieces, and the curriculum developed for the event.
Mu Delta
University of Missouri
The Great Book Battle
Mu Delta Chapter hosted our first Kappa Delta Pi Literacy Alive! Book Drive during the week of March 3-7. Our event was a competition between the College of Education faculty and staff. These staff members are housed in four different buildings, so we teamed Townsend and London Halls against Hill and Noyes Halls to see who could donate the most books. The winning building received a commemorative trophy and the faculty member who gave the most books received a gift certificate donated by Red Lobster. We promoted our event through daily e-mails sent out on the College of Education Faculty listserv and by placing flyers in faculty mailboxes and around the participating buildings. The books we received were donated to the Columbia Housing Authority's Moving Ahead program. The purpose of this afterschool program is to keep high-risk children and youth free of substance abuse and criminal activity and to help them build resiliency. (We originally planned on donating our books to the local women's shelter, but they did not want them). We hope to make our Literacy Alive! Book Drive an annual event.
Mu Eta
Western Carolina University
Recruiting Readers and Teachers of Reading
Theme: Literacy strategies for middle school students, parents, future middle school teachers, practicing middle school teachers, administrators, university interns, and Kappa Delta Pi members.
On February 18, 2008, 27 Kappa Delta Pi members participated in a service/literacy day for 129 middle school students in the western region of North Carolina. Breakfast was served and an opening session entitled "Recruiting Readers and Teachers of Reading" was presented. Breakout sessions with the following topics were offered: Teaching Reading, Lifelong Readers, Choosing a College, Scholarships, Teaching Math and Science, Teaching in a Diverse World using Diverse Strategies. A University campus map scavenger hunt and tour culminated the programming. Middle schools students enjoyed lunch on the WCU campus. Twelve faculty and 27 WCU students presented programming topics.
Mu Pi
Iowa State University
Listen and Learn Library
We provided a Listen and Learn Library to two 1 st grade classrooms at Edwards Elementary School, located in Ames, Iowa. This project involved asking KDP members to create a book on tape (CD, actually) and a corresponding educational activity to enhance lesson planning skills. Students used Garage Band software to record the books. First graders are emerging readers so KDP students used a bell sound to indicate that it was time to turn the page. Because of the tie to the curriculum we think of this project as service-learning. We had at minimum 20 Kappa Delta Pi students participate in this event. Students played different roles, some recorded the books, others assembled the final packets that we distributed, and other went to Edwards Elementary and spent 45 minutes reading books to 1 st graders.
Mu Psi
Indiana University Southeast
RACE: Reading and Attendance for Classroom Excellence
First step: Students’ attendance was monitored. Any student with perfect attendance by midterm of spring semester was eligible for a drawing. Through the drawing students were selected to travel to Louisville, Kentucky on a book-buying spree. This was especially significant to these students because there are no bookstores in Austin.

Second step: Shopping trip. As many students as possible were given the opportunity to take the trip. Mu Psi chapter and the school system provided some additional funding to enable more students to make the trip.

Third step: Book reading. Students read their books during the already established SSR time at school.

Fourth step: Bistro Book Talk. As a follow-up activity a few weeks after purchasing their titles, the students participated in a Book Bistro. The students created Graffiti Boards depicting their novels. Prizes were given to the top three boards based on creativity and content. The Graffiti Boards were displayed in the Austin High School hallways and a summer reading list was generated from the displayed titles. The students’ response to the activity was very exciting and many expressed their interest in participating again during the upcoming school year.
North Central Indiana Professional Chapter
Books A Thousand
A library was established at the the Concord Neighborhood Center through my chapter. With the help of the grant money and donations from Half Price Books, approximately 700 books were donated. Five hundred of the books will stay at the center: 200 books (pop-up books for the preschool children and three books for each afterschool program participant) were provided for the children to take home to keep. During each time, a short story was read and then the children were allowed to complete a craft relating to the plot of the story.
Visit 1: Introductions and made bookmarks
Visit 2: Read Swimmy and made crayon-wash pictures
Visit 3: Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and made caterpillars
Visit 4: Read a book and made book characters out of clay
Visit 5: Dressed up as Dr. Seuss, read Cat and the Hat, and made Dr. Seuss hats
Visit 6: Read The Old Rocking Chair, made objects out of recycled objects as in the story. We also made styrofoam airplanes and flew them outside.
Visit 7: Read an alphabet book and made one thing that started with a letter in the book
Omega Iota
Mount Union College
A Look Back in Time: With the Help of a Good Book
This event actually took place in two parts. The first part was when we went to the Alliance Early Learning Center and provided the program with a group of Kindergarten students. We read to the student a book by Jane Yolan, How Do Dinosaur Say Goodnight? Our members read the book to the students and then we did a craft with the students. We had supplies left over from some of other projects throughout the year, so we used scrap fabric to make bedsheets for the students. The students were given cutout dinosaurs and were able to color them. The students then used the fabric, construction paper, and the dinosaur to make a craft. The students were then given a snack and the activity took about 45 minutes overall. The second part of the activity took part with a group of high school students interested in becoming teachers. These students came from Maple Heights, a school where the majority of the students come from minority groups. During this activity, the students got to experience the activity that we did in the school and we also talked to some of the students about college and education as well. Overall, the activity both times went extremely well.
Omega Psi
Huntington University
Community Collaborations
This grant funded two separate programs. The first was Story Hour at the local public library. KDP members volunteered to lead story hours with children and parents from age 2-7. Children particpated in story time, crafts, songs, fingerplays, and snack time which revolved around a seasonal and skill theme for each session. Parents were also given instruction in how to help their children develop pre-reading/literacy readiness skills. Every child who attended the sessions was given a free age-appropriate book in the final session. The second program funded by the grant was in collaboration with Healthy Families, a social service agency in Huntington. This agency has set up a program in which low-income and at-risk families can earn learning resources by participating in activities designed to educate parents and encourage optimal development for children. Our chapter of KDP provided literacy software for the program. Participants can earn computers and this software (which helps further develop literacy skills) by participating in activities designed to educate and help at-risk families provide a healthy environment for their children.
Phi Omicron
Monmouth College
Putting a Voice with Reading: Books on Tape for Local Students
As a chapter, we held a Scholastic Book Fair, where we were able to raise money for books to donate to the local elementary schools and public library. Afterward, we chose approximately 120 books that we wanted to read aloud on tape. After purchasing tapes, chapter members volunteered portions of their time to record the books on tape. Both books and tapes were donated.
Phi Zeta
Gannon University
All Aboard the Imagination Station!
Volunteers acted out the storyline of a book. One person read the book and the others, using props/costumes they made (out of odds and ends, toilet paper rolls, bags, pieces of cloth, etc.). After the students observed our performance, they were divided into four groups (two for each age level). There were one to two volunteers for each group; they read the book to the students and then assigned roles/characters. The children then went to the "imagination station" where they created props and costumes for their part (there were four stations, one per group equipped with materials and supplies). After a reasonable amount of time was given to prepare, each group went up to the front of the room to present their story. The children received a Thomas the Train book and were encouraged to go home and create props/costumes out of things around the house.
Pi Epsilon
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Amazing Animal Adventure
During the week of Literacy Alive!, members read stories with students during their hours of practicuum in classrooms in the Stevens Point area. We encouraged these students to attend the event on Saturday. We also put posters up in all local elementary schools and in stores throughout the community. Our chapter held our Literacy Alive! event on Saturday, April 26 th from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the local public library. We had a strong turnout of children from the Stevens Point area. The children enjoyed doing animal-themed crafts of making masks and puppets. They also enjoyed eating animal crackers, dinosaur cereal, juice, and, of course, the cake we brought to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our club was a big hit. But perhaps the most important part of the morning was that students were able to read books with college students and each other, and then take two free books home with them. Following the event, we purchased 16 more books to donate to a local 2nd grade classroom.
Pi Eta
Houston Baptist University
Literacy Development for Children in a Shelter without a Dad
This literacy project was two-fold. The first objective was to provide age-appropriate literacy events for the children in the shelter. Most children in this situation have had limited literacy opportunities with their caregivers and this puts them at a disadvantage in school. The older children in the shelter benefit from the literate interactions about shared stories. The younger children were read to in order to provide them with a foundation for how stories work, an understanding of story structure, and language development. Phonemic awareness activities was included. This prepared both groups to be more successful in school and ultimately in life. These activities and interactions filled in where the parents were unable to provide support. Serendipitous to this is the benefit of university students interacting in literate activities to apply what they are learning in class. The second part of the project was to create a children's library at the shelter. Research tells us that more books are read when the books are in close proximity. The professor conducting the project gave about $400 worth of books, other professors gave through KDP collections, students not in KDP donated books, and the grant funds were used to purchase books. The local chapter is also donating $100 for books. The shelter has provided space for building bookshelves for the time being. However, another serendipitous event is that a friend of the professor doing the project was looking for a place to donate bookshelves and was given the shelter’s name. Now the books have their own shelves and the library can grow. The children currently at the shelter were involved in the title selection by using the Scholastic Book Club flyers, which gave them a connection to the books.
Pi Omicron
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Bringing Literacy Alive
Our chapter continued our relationship with the Pendleton Correctional system. This was our third year of collaborating with them. The first year we established the "Busy Bee Library" in the Pendleton Correctional Industrial Facility. Last year we donated over 100 new titles to the Juvenile Correctional Facility. It was during our initial tour of the Juvenile Facility this year that we were made aware of the need to weed and repair current holdings in the library. What our chapter did:
• Weeding: Members of Kappa Delta Pi traveled to Pendleton Juvenile for a one-day weeding extravanganza. Members worked with the Pendleton Librarian to identify and remove unused and outdated materials.
• Repairing: One of the biggest challenges facing the library and classroom collections at Providence was book damage.
• Selection: The Librarian provided a list of initial requests and supply needs.
• Material/Book Preperation: Members gathered at IUPUI and taped and labeled the books.
• Volunteering at Scholastic Warehouse: Members volunteered at the Scholastic Warehouse Half Price Sale in December and again in January to acquire books. Members also solicited donations from customers at the Warehouse sale through Scholastic’s "donate $1 for books" program. For every $1 donated by customers, Scholastic will donate a book.
Psi Phi
Columbia College
Pizza, Pajamas, and Picture Books
Pizza, Pajamas, and Picture Books took place on March 13, 2008 at Eugene Field Elementary School. Our chapter members arrived early to set up pizza, drinks, and reading stations within the cafeteria/gym. As students arrived, they signed in and got a plate. After eating, they went around to the different reading stations to hear stories. During this time, door prizes were drawn and announced periodically. As the students left the event, they were given two picture books to keep. The remaining books were distributed to K-2 classroom teachers.
Psi Rho
Flagler College
The Scribble Society
Our Literacy Alive! Project lasted nine weeks at R.J. Murray Middle School. The creative writing club was called The Scribble Society. Students in the club met with members of KDP each Thursday after school. For four weeks, KDP members led the students in workshops on poetry and short story writing. For the next four weeks, the members of the Scribble Society became part of the Literary Magazine staff. On the ninth week, the students celebrated the Lit Mag and their hard work by hosting Scribble Café. An "open-mic" type of event was held where all students from Murray were invited share their stories, poems, art, or music, while enjoying refreshments. It was a celebration of literacy and the arts.
Rho
University of Central Missouri
Running into Reading
This year our Literacy Alive! project, Running into Reading, incorporated classroom learning topics with physical exercise. This type of educational approach helps to reach all types of learners and shows children that lifelong fitness and literacy have a place in everyone’s lives. Children participated by recording the number of minutes of physical activity and pages of reading that they completed between March 10th and March 18th. These minutes were from individual reading/exercise, group reading/exercise, class reading/exercise, and/or reading/exercise done at home. Students could also check out library books from elementary school to take home on spring break. KDP members were in each grade level’s PE sessions on Monday, March 17 th and Tuesday, March 18th, from 9 a.m.to 11:30 a.m. The top three students from each grade level received a developmentally appropriate book signed by the author, purchased at the Children’s Literature Festival. All other participants received goody bags filled with literacy-supporting items such as pencils, erasers, bookmark, notepads, etc.
Rho Upsilon
Berry College

Bringing Characters to Life
We had nine members of KDP dress up as their favorite children’s book character. The principal of Southeast Elementary introduced each of us by our character names. The members read to Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade classes. After reading, we donated the book to the classroom. In addtion, we donated a collection of books to the school’s library.

Rho Zeta
University of Alaska Anchorage
Lit for Life
Each member read a selected book to a small group of students in the After School program at Wonder Park Elementary. Last year the event impacted nearly 200 students, approximately 70 more than the previous year. Each student took home the same book at the end of the event. Members discussed the importance of reading to younger siblings and family members. The event also included a closing activity relating to the respective book. This was in conjunction with skills and concepts which the current classroom teacher had been teaching during instruction. Parents and guardians were invited to attend the event and were encouraged to continue reading to their children.
Sigma Alpha
Penn State Harrisburg
Roaring about Literacy: Little Lions Project
Our chapter of Kappa Delta Pi participated in the Little Lions Project. For this Literacy Alive! project, we created four literature totes for 1st and 2nd graders at Marshall Elementary School in the Harrisburg City School District. Each tote included two books, four activities, and a stuffed lion. The books that were included were the fiction book If I Were a Lion by Sarah Weeks, and the nonfiction book, Life Cycle of a Lion by Bobbie Kalman and Amanda Bishop. Activities included a poem-writing activity, creating a mask activity, a parent response journal, and an illustration activity. For the poem-writing activity, the students were asked to write a feelings poem and illustrate it. They were also asked to use the materials provided to create a mask representing the animals found in the story. The final activity asked the students to illustrate the mask they created. All of the students' illustrations would be collected by the teacher and compiled into a class book. After the totes were created, our chapter traveled to the elementary school to present them to each class. While at the elementary school, ten KDP members presented a reader's theater skit of "If I Were a Lion" to the two 2nd grade classrooms. The other two totes were presented to the 1st grade classrooms.
Sigma Delta
Linfield College
Celebrating Diversity through Literacy
Feb. 2008 -KDP members met with the preschool faculty to discuss criteria for developmentally appropriate multicultural books and begin research for book selection process.

Mar. 2008 -KDP members ordered books and planned a "Celebrating Diversity through Literacy" month of reading with the new books for the preschool children. Information about the events went into the monthly preschool newsletter inviting parents to participate.

Apr. 2008 -KDP members, preschool faculty, and preschool parents worked together on the "Celebrating Diversity through Literacy" events. KDP members were responsible for scheduling times to work in the preschool, reading the new multicultural books to the preschool students, and giving short lesson presentations on appreciating diversity.

May 2008 -KDP members and preschool faculty met to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Celebrating Diversity through Literacy" activities and to discuss future activities/needs and potential funding opportunities.
Sigma Epsilon
Northeastern Illinois University
Literacy Alive-Here, There, and Everywhere
During the spring semester of 2008, Sigma Epsilon engaged in activities that promoted literacy in three locations: "Here" at NEIU, "There" in Chicago's River Park Field House, and "Everywhere" in Dillingham Elementary School in Dillingham, Alaska.

• "Here," at NEIU, on February 4, Sigma Epsilon earned approximately $200 to support its Literacy Alive! Here, There, and Everywhere initiatives through a sale of homemade baked goods. Sigma Epsilon members (students and faculty) read to children at NEIU's Child Care Center on February 26, March 27, and April 24. Dr. Michael Kelly, NEIU's Dean of Students, both read to the children and played his guitar for them. A $100 check was donated to the Child Care Center for the purchase of books. On March 11, Dr. Elaine Chakonas, a member of NEIU's Teacher Education Department and an expert on literacy, gave a presentation on promoting literacy that was open to all NEIU students.
• "There," at River Park, Sigma Epsilon donated a $100 check for the purchase of books to increase the size of the library belonging to the park's after-school program. On April 29, a member of the River Park Teen Leadership Club read some of the new books to the younger children.
• "Everywhere," at Dillingham Elementary School in Dillingham, Alaska, Sigma Epsilon donated nine books by Patricia Polacco, a well-known author of children's books, to a 3rd grade classroom. These books were read to the children by the chapter counselor counselor, Dr. Elaine Koffman, from March 18 through March 21. Dr. Koffman also helped the students make oil pastel pictures of colored eggs, a project related to Rechenka’s Eggs, one of the books read.
Sigma Omicron
University of Indianapolis
BEAR: Be Excited About Reading
Over the course of two months, we went weekly to visit Coburn Place, a shelter for women and children escaping domestic abuse. We came to introduce a variety of literacy-based activities. We did a variety of read-alouds, including Readers Theater with Eric Carle and poems by Shel Silverstein. We gave the students books (the choices ranged from early childhood picture books to chapter books), and also provided them with blank books to write in themselves. We also played word games and read books with strong letter-sound relationships, like A My Name Is Alice and The Z Was Zapped. Our other main goal was to update and arrange the library. The library was already extensive but the system was set up so that books were all over the place and intermingled, and there was no way to find a certain type of book other than picking and choosing. So we spent a few hours rearranging the libraries and breaking them up into levels, with picture books for young children on one end, extending to intermediate and even adult books on the other end. We also put labels on the shelves, but we left it up to the coordinator to accept or move them. Also, it is important to note that Coburn Place, because it is for women and children escaping domestic violence, has a policy on picture-taking at the shelter, to help protect the children and their families. We took the best pictures we could while respecting those wishes of Coburn Place.
Tau Alpha
Grove City College
Awarding Awesome Authors
The Tau Alpha Chapter collaborated with the Grove City College's Curriculum Library to send letters to local schools and homeschooled students, inviting them to submit creative writing to the contest. Letters included specific guidelines such as due dates and word count information. Schools submitted their entries to Grove City College, where members of the Tau Alpha Chapter judged the stories using a rubric. Four judging nights were held to complete the judging process. After the stories were judged, the stories with the top scores in each grade category were named overall winners, and two winner were named from each school. Letters were then sent to the schools inviting the winners, their families, and teachers and administrators to the awards ceremony at the college. At the ceremony, the winners received their prizes and certificates, refreshments were served, and students had the opportunity to read stories and hear others’ stories. We held the contest in the fall for older students and the spring for younger students.
Tau Epsilon
University of Michigan
Heroes
Students arrived at the School of Education on a school bus. They received nametags and were divided into rotation groups. The hero theme was introduced and a mini-discussion followed about what the theme means to each of us. Then, groups began to rotate on a schedule so that each group spent between 20 and 30 minutes in each of the five rooms: Reading Room, Writing Room, Illustrating Room, Publishing Room, and Acting Room.
• Reading Room: Students sat in a comfortable atmosphere with pillows, blankets, and soft music playing. They chose books from a wide selection and spend time reading either independently or with a volunteer. The students were also given a snack during their time in the Reading Room.
• Writing Room: The room leader led a discussion in which students were instructed to generate a list of their heroes, and describe what a hero means to them. Then, the students sat at tables which had paper, pencils, and a list of hero-related prompts. They then spent time writing either a story or poetry which related to the theme. Volunteers circulated to help students as needed.
• Illustrating Room: In the Illustrating Room, students created illustrations to represent their writing. There were three stations set up for three different types of illustrations. One had paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils, and stickers. Another had paper, watercolor paints, brushes, and water cups. The last had paper, pieces of tissue paper in various colors, and glue. There were examples of each type of illustration at each station, and volunteers helped students as needed and encouraged them to add detail to their illustrations.
• Publishing Room: There were three stations in this room. The first station was where students came up with a title for their piece of writing, and then made front and back covers on card stock. At the second station, students organized their pages in order and punched holes in the papers, and at the third, the books were bound by binding machines. There were volunteers at each station to assist the students. After their books were completed, students spent the remainder of their time in the room sharing their stories with their peers, accompanying adults, and volunteers.
• Acting Room: Kappa Delta Pi members first put on a play (complete with costumes and a set) based on a simple story that related to the theme. Students were given copies of the text so they were able to follow along. This is where literacy actually came to life for participating students. After the performance, there was a mini-discussion in which the students were encouraged to describe how the play relates to the theme. Then, students were given a basket of various props, and they were asked to come up with a short skit that involves props that relates to the theme. For their performance, the Kappa Delta Pi members were the audience.
After all the students rotated through all five rooms, the entire group met in one room for a debriefing session. Students were asked to share what they have learned with respect to the theme and to literacy. They were asked to describe their favorite parts of the program. To thank them for their participation, we raffled off a set of prizes that were donated by local businesses. Both students and adults filled out surveys, were given bookmarks and pencils, and then departed for their bus ride home.
Tau Lambda
Eastern University
The Spirit of Giving
Kappa Delta Pi members collected books and school supplies for a K-12 urban multicultural school and a K-6 urban Christian school. We also donated binders filled with lesson plans that we had personally used in our classrooms to assist teachers in incorporating new ideas into their curriculum. KDP members visited the schools, donating our time and materials.
Tau Xi
Methodist University
Come Read with Me under the Sea
Introductions were made for the KDP members and guests, and then the theme was introduced to the students. They were told that each student would receive a book relating to the theme at the end of the event. We gave each student a copy of The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor. A member then read parts of the book and gave a summary of the other parts of the book.
Theta Gamma
University of Southern Mississippi
Spring Reading Carnival
Our KDP chapter organized our Annual Reading Carnival at the Hattiesburg Public Library. Eye-catching flyers were distributed to local elementary schools and at the Hattiesburg Library encouraging parents to bring their children enrolled in Kindergarten through 3 rd grade for a morning of reading fun, crafts, and snacks on April 12th from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Schedule for the Event:
9:00 Volunteers set up for the event at Hattiesburg Library
10:00 Carnival began with children and their parents being greeted by KDP member volunteers dressed in attractive "Reading Carnival" T-shirts. The children and parents were asked to sign in and were given name tags so they could be recognized by name. Each child was initially paired one-on-one with a KDP member volunteer. The KDP member volunteer began by introducing herself to the child and parent before discussing a book selection. Once the child selected a book based on interest and approximate reading level (all these factors were determined based on the conversation between the child, KDP member, and the parent) the book was either read to the child or the child read the book to the KDP member.
10:30 Storytelling: Creative storytelling was done by a group of KDP volunteers in conjunction with students enrolled in an elementary reading course at the University of Southern Mississippi. The volunteers were dressed in costume and they read from a big book.
11:00 Reading activities: The children returned to their assigned KDP member to work on reading activities (crafts) associated with their previous book selection. Children were also given the option to read another book.
11:30 Storytelling: A second storytelling of Cat in the Hat was performed for the children.
12:00 Conclusion and clean up: After storytelling, the children and their parents were asked to complete a questionnaire.
Theta Phi
Catawba College
Simple Seuss for Kadelpian Use
We held a Scholastic Book Fair in the Teacher Education Department of Catawba College. The Book Fair was well attended and we were able to donate to the Nazareth Children's Home over 131 new and gently used books from the fair and donations. We hosted an event for the children and youth from the Nazareth Children's Home at the Rowan Public Library in conjunction with Dr. Seuss' birthday. Those who attended were able to learn about the opportunities and resources available at the library.
Xi Psi
Fitchburg State College
Buddies with Books
This year, the Xi Psi Chapter continued with three annual events and developed a new program in collaboration with Special Olympics, Inc.
1. Annual Event: "I am a Reader": This program’s initiative began four years ago and providing a bag with books and reading information to newborn babies and their at-risk parents at the Health Alliance Hospital in Leominster, Massachusetts. The goal is to promote reading in children from birth while building a partnership between parents and children.

2. Annual Event: "Read Aloud": Our members planned and facilitated Read Aloud events for the children at the local homeless shelter. We support Irene Fountas’ and Gay Su Pinnel's belief that reading aloud is the single most important activity for building knowledge required for eventual success in reading.

3. Annual Event: 6th Annual New/Gently Used Book Drive: Our Xi Psi Chapter continued to collect books and presented them to our community partners. This year we expanded partners and distributed books to the pediatrician's suite at the Leominster Hospital and added more books to the library we established at the local homeless shelter.

4. New this year: "Literacy Tent for Athletes: Special Olympic Event." Our chapter has established a new community partner relationship with the North Central Special Olympic Team. We planned an event where approximately 500 athletes from over 20 communities came to Fitchburg State College and competed in athletic events. Not only did our chapter help to plan and sponsor this event; our KDP members were trained as coaches and helped to facilitate the day's events. Chapter members thought that we could set up a Literacy Tent for any Special Olympic athlete that may want to take a break from the day's event. Books were available for them to read and KDP members were available to read aloud to them.