Dictionaries For 3rd Graders Given Out By Rotary Clubs

Sample Speech

What to say to the children
when visiting their classroom:

Introduce yourself:

“Hi my name is ________________, and I’m a member of the Rotary Club of _________ and we Rotarians like to do good things in the world. Rotary is a group of older people that get together once a week and have lunch.  We try to do good things for other people.  It’s understood that third grade is the most important year of your schooling because this year you will really begin to work on reading. Reading is very important.

We all use reading nearly every hour of the day, whether we are in the store reading prices on the shelves, ordering food at a cafe, understanding street signs, reading an article on the internet, or filling out an application to get a job.

We are told that a dictionary is the most important tool in learning to read.  In a dictionary, you will learn how to pronounce a word, how to spell it, and what it means.  We think it is also important for your teacher that all of you have the same dictionary as you learn as a class how to use it.

Your library probably doesn't have enough copies of the same book that you all can learn together.  The book I am giving you is written just for kids your age.

I am going to give each of you your very own book to keep forever.  It has your name inside it because we cared enough to learn your name.”

We put the carton of books in front of the teacher and ask them to read the names one-by-one and then hand the book to the Rotarian.

Only the teacher should read the student’s name. A child's name is their most precious possession.  It identifies them from all others.  If we mispronounce their name it might be a terrible embarrassment to them.

The Rotarian then presents the book to the child as they come up with an attitude of caring, a smile and a pat on the back, and perhaps a word of praise.

Teachers are also given a book to keep them current and we encourage the teacher to plan activities and exercises using the dictionary and reference materials within the book.

When you visit a classroom to distribute dictionaries, and after every student in the classroom has received their copy, tell them that you have a pop quiz for them. Should you hear groans of despair, tell them that you have just handed them the answers. All of the answers are found within the pages of their dictionary.

Note: This quiz is centered on our best-selling dictionary, the A Student’s Dictionary.

Idea: For correct answers, you might award 10 points to each child who answers

correctly, or you could give each student a dollar for a correct answer. It's your choice!

To the children: “This is what you should do

when your teacher or a parent says,

“Go look it up!” ”

1. Select one word ahead of time from their dictionary. Ask for raised hands - for the answer define the word that you've suggested. Very good!
    
2. Ask the children to turn to page 389. ASK: “What are the first three words of the U.S. Constitution? When you select one of the raised hands, the answer should be, "We the people..." Excellent!
    
3. Now, ask the children to turn to page 530, and ASK: “Who can name the fifth planet from the Sun? When one of them answers, "Jupiter" - congratulate them.
    
4. Another question to ask would be, who served as our 34th president of the United States? Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower
    
5. Bonus question: From what State was Mr. Eisenhower when he ran for the Presidency? Answer: Kansas

Anyway, you get the gist. Modify this quiz to suit your geographic location regarding presidents, but the answer must be found in the book you just presented to the children. Even though this book has an excellent dictionary we want our Rotarians to take the time to introduce the children to most of the other reference ‘goodies’ found in their book.

Enjoy your visit to the classroom. You’re witnessing our future leaders there and we Rotarians want to be sure that the children are literate in order to help them succeed in life.