Headland third-graders thrilled with dictionaries

HEADLAND – Third-grade eyes at Headland Elementary School widened as two men wheeled boxes into their classroom Tuesday morning.

“I brought you a present today,” said Dothan Rotarian Bob Rudder.

Gasps were heard around the room as Rudder and fellow Rotarian Michael Neiswanger unboxed copies of Webster’s Dictionary for Students and began handing them out.

The two gave out 125 presents in all, as part of a Rotary Club effort to put a dictionary into the hands of every third-grade student in the public school system.

The program is part of an ongoing effort which began locally in 2003 when dictionaries were first provided to elementary schools in Henry, Houston and part of Dale counties. Two years ago the Malone Family Foundation of Alabama allowed the program to be expanded districtwide. Now, Rotarians give dictionaries to every third grader from Demopolis to Montgomery to Auburn.

“This past year we gave out about 23,000 dictionaries and we expect to do that many again this year,” Rudder said. “All 50 Rotary Clubs in the district participate.”

Rudder, who’s wife, Pam, teaches third grade at Headland, said studies show the cognitive development of a third-grader makes it an appropriate age for introductory dictionary use.

“Having a dictionary at this age is extremely important,” said Stacy Cupples, who has taught third grade for the past five years. “It starts the year we implement using it for vocabulary, social studies, math, and reading. It’s when we first introduce them to the different ways you can use a dictionary.”

Cupples, a nine-year classroom teacher, said many students do not have dictionaries in their homes. Some, Rudder said, have few books in their homes.

But all agree the reference book is vital to the students’ language and reading skills.

“It is fun to read,” said Mekhi Grace.

Once the books were passed out, students penciled their names inside the cover. Following Rudder’s lead, the class read aloud the Rotary 4-way test and code of ethics affixed to the inside cover.
Rudder stopped on the fourth test: “Is it beneficial to all concerned?”

And what, exactly, does beneficial mean, he asked, prodding the students to take their new dictionaries and look the word up.

“Producing good results,” read third-grader Diana Jowers.

And that’s what Rotarians and staff hope the dictionaries will do.