Reading at recess

Danette Goulet

COSTA MESA -- Each Wednesday just after noon, a group of second-grade

students at Kaiser Primary Center can be seen trouping out of the

cafeteria with the lunch du jour and cartons of chocolate milk.

Where are they going? Back to class to meet with their teachers and many

parents -- also on lunch breaks -- for a book club.

The club is optional and takes place during recess once a week. Yet the

carpet surrounding second-grade teachers Julie Garmon and Caryn Broesamle

was packed with 22 readers.

It is a favorite time for everyone, evidenced by one student who eagerly

tugged on Miss Garmon’s sleeve. “Can I come to book club today?”

“This is our recess, too,” Garmon said. “Caryn and I both think this is

the fun part of teaching. We’re really with the kids -- all on the same

level.”

Through the club, Broesamle said, students learn to talk about and

appreciate books.

Everyone -- teachers, parents and students -- reads at home and then

meets for half an hour every week to discuss characters and share words

that they didn’t know, couldn’t pronounce or simply liked.

Students and teachers teased each other about the number of yellow sticky

notes on their books that marked passages they wanted to discuss.

“Who has a word?” Garmon asked.

Five little hands went up, followed by questions about the definitions of

“precipice,” “metal” or “breast plate.” All were eager to share their

questions and observations.

Demonstrating the club’s popularity, Garmon said several very active

young boys joined the club before realizing it was at recess. At first,

they wanted to change their minds. But after going to the first book

club, they decided not to, she said.

The club, in its second year, is reading “The Magic Tree House” series by

Mary Pope Osborne.