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The object of the Rotary Dictionary Project is to give every student a personal dictionary of their very own that will serve them at least through elementary and middle school.
Many teachers see this as a key to better
reading, speech, and writing.
These skills will improve student performance in other subjects as well.
Receiving the dictionaries from Rotary members is beneficial to students as
well. The young people meet successful adults in their community
who care enough about them to purchase these dictionaries and come to their
school to present them personally.
The brief explanation of Rotary service in the community and around the world
gives students a lasting positive impression of Rotary and the ideal of service.
The Dictionary Project has headquarters, staff, and a web
site.
Start your implementation process there. The real key to the project is to have one or more members in the club who are really passionate about it. You need a member with a pickup truck, a place to store the dictionaries, and place to bag and label the dictionaries for distribution. We found January to be the best month to distribute the dictionaries. Dictionary instruction in our area starts in the second half of 3rd grade. The first year, plan to give dictionaries to 3rd through 6th grade students, if possible. This covers more students and lets the teachers in the higher grades know that the students have a dictionary. In future years, only 3rd graders and new students will receive dictionaries. This project should reach every 3rd grade student. Consider including public and private schools, as well as learning centers in your area. If your area has more than one Rotary club, you may want to work together to cover the schools. Our cost per dictionary, with labels, was $1.75.
The Rotary Club of Ojai West used the following steps when we implemented our project:
In
the Spring – Getting Started Have Mary French at The Dictionary Project send you samples of dictionaries you and your board can examine and choose from. Click HERE for their web site. Our board chose a “Gazetteer” type of dictionary because it has so much other information. The "thank you" notes we received from the students almost always mentioned the extra features (sign language, longest word, planets, presidents, etc.) in this kind of dictionary. The “extras” give the students another reason to pick up and use the dictionary. Ask the school district for enrollment numbers for grades 3 through 6th. Your board can decide the number of grades they can afford to cover. Get your board’s approval before you officially ask the school district to approve the project. * Sample Motion When the board approves the project, write a letter to the school district. * Sample Letter Make an appointment to hand deliver the letter to the person in charge of elementary education at the school district. Start early; May is best. The school administrators will be busy in June with end of school, and they may be hard to find in the summer. Information about the project needs to be in the first letter to parents from the school district in the fall.
After approval from the school district, wait until October 1st. Contact the school district to get current enrollment numbers for the grades receiving dictionaries. Review the numbers with your board and order the dictionaries. Order enough to give each Rotarian, student, teacher, and principal a copy, plus replacements and copies for new students. A check must go in with your order. Ordering information is at the Dictionary Project.
Plan to visit the classrooms during your regular meeting time, since the members have already committed that time. Check with each school for conflicting dates (holidays, assemblies, field trips, etc). Get classroom counts and grades from each school. Check the lesson plans and answer keys to be sure they are correct for the edition of the dictionary you received. Make two-sided copies of the lesson plans and answer keys.
November & December – Getting Members Organized Notify every club member individually, at regular meetings and by letter or e-mail, about the upcoming project and the importance of their participation. * Sample Letter to Members Allow time for members to request specific classroom assignments. Complete the distribution schedule for all schools and classrooms. * Sample Distribution Schedule (Excel spreadsheet format.)
Stick Together
We organized "sticker parties" to apply labels to the dictionaries
before they are distributed
Order 4-Way Test bookplate labels if you are going to use them:
Ours are 3”x 4” and we placed them on the inside of the front cover. We used:
Check with John for samples and current pricing. Order Rotary wheel logo stickers for the front cover. We used 1” stickers.
Hand deliver a letter and distribution schedule to each principal at least a week before the December vacation starts. Outline what you are planning to do at their school and when. * Sample Plan Letter
January – Distribution Day At the regular club meeting before the first distribution day, give instructions to the participants on what to do in the classroom. * Sample Program / Lesson
Contact each principal one week before the visits for any changes in class sizes. Bag ten dictionaries per plastic grocery bag. (A member or local store may donate the bags) Put the three lesson plans and answer keys into folders. Label the folders “Dictionary Project.” Prepare one folder for each teacher and one folder for each principal. Fill out the forms that will be paper-clipped to the bag and lesson plans. These forms identify the school, teacher and number of students in each classroom. * Sample Classroom Information Form. (2 per page, cut in half) Organize the forms in the order that the Rotarians will need in order to depart your meeting place and arrive at their schools on time. This should match your distribution schedule.
On the day of distribution: Allow at least half an hour to prepare the dictionaries for distribution at your meeting location. Have as many long tables set up as you need to line up the bags in rows, by classroom. Start with the school that begins class earliest, or is farthest away (or both). Insert the lesson plan folder in the first bag, and paper clip the identification form on the front. Add or remove dictionaries to get the correct number for the class. Add one for the teacher. Move on to the next classroom / row and do the same. Take a few spares if you have them. Have a short Club meeting / pledge / invocation / meal / announcements. Release Rotarians in time to be at their schools by the agreed time/s. Be sure to notify your meeting location of any last-minute changes (early start, light meal, etc.) The member(s) that set up the project with the school district and principals should deliver a dictionary and a copy of the lesson plans and answer keys to their contact(s). Give them a personalized follow up letter during that visit. *Sample Follow-Up Letter
Don't forget to let the local press know about your good deed weeks in advance, so they can send a photographer. However, if you are going to take pictures yourself, ask permission first. Tell the teachers and principals specifically how you plan to use those photos, and don't waver. Remember the 4-way test. Policies concerning photography of students in class vary from "Never" to "Sure!" to "OK, but no students are to be named." That can be a problem, because your newspaper will want names, the correct spelling for names, and perhaps the ages and grades of the students in your photos.
Follow
Through A few weeks after Distribution Day, take a follow-up survey to each school. Provide a survey for each teacher and school principal. Attach a treat to each survey. Provide a return envelope for each school. The input you receive will help improve next year’s distribution and remind teachers and principals about the tool their students have received. * Sample Evaluation Survey * Sample Letters and forms are available as e-mail attachments and can be modified to fit your needs.
"Giving dictionaries is a perfect and necessary addition to any reading or literacy program. This project has brought our club together as never before. The members have what they describe as a warm feeling. Our entire club is looking forward to next year." For more information, contact:
Richard
McArthur Main
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