Blair will hold a 20-minute school-wide reading period on Friday, June 7, immediately following “Info-Flow." The reading period is facilitated by the Literacy Task Force, a committee of teachers from different departments who want to increase literacy rates through different means.

The reading period, the first school-wide event scheduled by the task force, is not just for students who have trouble reading, said Media Center media specialist Lisa Hack. According to Hack, even great readers can improve their skills by reading on a regular basis. Excessive reading builds vocabulary necessary for good scores on standardized tests such as the PSATs, SATs, and ACTs.

The Literacy Task Force began after teacher complaints about student ineptitude led to discussions about what to do to teach students how to read. The task force’s main goal is to integrate reading into all subjects. According Hack, research has shown that scheduled time during class for reading, such as Drop Everything And Read (DEAR), has shown either positive or no results. Integrating reading into class discussions, however, has shown consistently positive results. The Literacy Task Force plans to train teachers how to use reading in non-English courses such as art, math, computer science, and social studies.

The Literacy Task Force will hold a meeting next week for interested teachers to brainstorm priorities for next year and ideas for more literacy-enhancing events.