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Health & Fitness

Todd Elementary School Presents 'Video Booktalks'

The cafeteria of Todd Elementary School in the Briarcliff Manor School District was full of shining stars on the evening of May 14 as 44 students walked in on the red carpet to celebrate the premiere of this year’s “Video Booktalks. The ceilings and walls were decorated with gold stars and filmstrips, setting the mood for the event. Fourth- and fifth-grade students worked throughout the year to write, edit, practice and perform in a video in which they discussed their favorite books. The annual production is the culmination of a joint venture between Briarcliff Manor Public Library librarian Amy Kaplan and Todd Elementary library media specialist Tara Phethean. After school, they worked with the students to create and then videotape the students’ presentations in the school library. These book “commercials” are linked directly to the summer reading lists, designed to encourage reading. With their discussions presented on a large overhead screen, each student or group of students offered a brief synopsis of their favorite book, taking care to not reveal the ending. Afterwards, each accepted a personalized certificate and DVD containing all of the performances. Popular book titles included “Charlotte’s Web,” “Judy Moody Gets Famous,” “Ella Enchanted,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “The Sisters’ Club” and “The Kid Who Became President.” “It was fun making the video,” said fifth-grader Henry Schatz. “I wasn’t nervous, but it took a lot of takes before I got it right! We selected our books and then talked about them. Mine was about wrestling.” “It’s a joint venture,” explained Ms. Kaplan. “The kids are really great. We used their best takes, and they did a great job.” The 44 students depicted in the video are all members of the award-winning Video Book Club. The club is the recipient of the School/Public Library Cooperation Award, a Westchester Library Association commendation recognizes excellence, creativity and effectiveness in a program that involves cooperation between school and public libraries. “I am extremely impressed with the project,” said Briarcliff Manor Public Library Director Melinda Greenblatt. “I have never seen this sustained level of cooperation.”

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