Last year, Woodsdale (Abington, MA) teacher Stephanie Clark and a colleague took a children's literature course where they received a "homework" assignment to come up with an incentives program for their students. At the time, she had no idea just how productive that assignment would be!

Ms. Clark and Center School teacher Kristin Grady MacCurtain created the Read for Those in Need program - one that supports the grade 3-6 students in their independent reading efforts while encouraging them to give back to their community.

According to Ms. Clark, as a part of the Read for Those in Need program, students must pass at least three Scholastic Reading Counts!® quizzes a trimester, which is a school requirement. When they do so, they receive a raffle ticket for each passed SRC! quiz. Students also receive raffle tickets when they donate food and books, which are donated to the Abington Food Pantry and to the Children and Youth Program at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital, respectively.

At the end of each trimester the schools hold a luncheon, where raffle prizes are awarded, students receive a special dessert, and representatives from the charities talk to students about what their donations mean and who they are going to help.

Ms. Clark noted that the program design was so popular, an anonymous donor contributed $5000 even before the program was instituted, allowing for great prizes to be given away including an iPod and digital camera, and ensuring the program can continue for at least a couple of years.

Indeed, "it's nothing but helpful to everyone," Ms. Clark added, "…to students because they're reading, to teachers because they're meeting quotas, and to the community because we're helping those in need."

Do you have a reading program similar to Read for Those in Need in your school or community? If so, please share it with us!