The Poughkeepsie Reading Challenge encourages students of all ages to read at least 20 minutes a day, with time devoted during the school day to help them achieve that goal.
Krieger Elementary second grade teachers Johanna Mejia and Lucy Silverio recently used the program as an entry point to a creative lesson in their dual language class.
Using the selection of non-fiction nature books included in the myOn digital library, each student researched an animal to create an informational chapter book. Each book included the animal’s habitat, favorite foods and other details, as well as drawings of the animal with captions and a diagram. After making a book in English, the students also made one in Spanish about a different animal.
Mejia explained the students are learning informational reading skills, as well as how to identify the main ideas in non-fiction books, be it the digital myOn books used in the Reading Challenge or a physical book. Afterward, the class held a party to celebrate their accomplishments and share what they learned.
“The publishing party was a success and families were invited to see and hear their child present the informational chapter book,” Mejia said. 
The Poughkeepsie Reading Challenge is a districtwide initiative to encourage literacy skills through prioritizing reading in the classroom, tracking minutes read through the myOn program, and incentivizing reading with awards and recognitions. The myOn program not only features books in English and Spanish, but with non-fiction books reading comprehension quizzes are available at the end.
The district aims to accumulate 1 million minutes read by students in grades pre-K through 12 by the end of the school year.