📚 LIGHTS OUT, BOOKS OPEN: IT'S GLOW & GROW FRIDAY AT GOODWIN! ✨

Who says building reading stamina can't be a little... illuminating?

Every Friday, third graders in Ms. Fyfe's class at Goodwin turn an ordinary 10 minutes of independent reading into something students can look forward to all week.

The lights go OFF.
The books come OUT.
And the classroom begins to GLOW!

Using fun, colorful lights to transform their classroom, students settle in with a good book and spend 10 uninterrupted minutes reading independently. Ms. Fyfe calls it "Glow & Grow Friday" — because while the classroom may be glowing, so are her students' reading skills!

And behind all the fun is an important purpose.

Those 10 minutes give students an opportunity to practice staying focused on a book for longer periods of time, build their reading stamina, strengthen their independence, and — perhaps most importantly — discover that reading doesn't always have to feel like an assignment.

Sometimes, all it takes is changing the atmosphere to change a child's attitude toward reading.

That's an idea families can borrow, too!

Try creating your own Glow & Grow Night at home. Turn off the regular lights, grab a flashlight, string up some colorful lights, build a blanket fort, find a cozy spot, and let everyone choose something they want to read. Set a timer for 10 minutes and make reading feel like an event instead of a chore.

No worksheet. No quiz. Just a book, a little imagination, and time to read.

Because when we make reading something children look forward to, those 10 minutes can grow into 15... then 20... and eventually into a lifelong love of getting lost in a great book.

Way to shine, Ms. Fyfe's third graders!

At Goodwin, even when the lights go out, learning keeping shining.