Guest Post: Danielle Goldman & Bingo for Bookworms
Meet the Author
Danielle Goldman is a junior at Scarsdale High School in New York. Despite being a busy teen with extra-curricular activities at school and playing tennis in her free time, she has made time for community service activities.
Starting in 9th grade, Danielle began tutoring elementary school students at several schools in her community. That
work inspired her to create Bingo for Bookworms, which she has largely funded herself. I am excited that Danielle is here to share her story!
In Her Own Words …
I love working with children and have been a Counselor in Training at an overnight camp for the previous two summers. This year, I am joining the staff as a junior counselor.
I became a bookworm because of the Magic Tree House books. I was always excited to read the next book in the series, and I learned that reading was fun and relaxing.
Each book was unique and had an intriguing story that immersed me in different cultures and helped me to expand my knowledge of the world.
Bingo for Bookworms
Bingo for Bookworms has made a huge impact on me, and I am excited to share it with you. I’ve been involved with community service activities for several years and increased my efforts during my high school years.
For the last three years, I have been tutoring elementary school children at various schools in my community. This year, I am working with a first-grade class at PS 109 in Bronx, NY.
I love working with children, and the time I spend with them is very rewarding. I can see that I am not just helping them improve their academic skills, but also increasing their self-esteem and motivation for learning.
I was inspired to create my project Bingo for Bookworms when I learned that many children living in impoverished communities in New York don’t have access to the same literacy materials that I had when I was younger.
For example, there are several schools in Bronx, NY, with limited funds to provide books to kids in their classrooms, and many students don’t have books at home.
My goal for Bingo for Bookworms is to help improve literacy rates in underserved populations and also to promote reading and help young children develop more motivation for reading.
Danielle Goldman
To help with reading motivation, each student receives a Bingo for Bookworms card. Both the cards and the introductory letter to parents are in English and Spanish.
- The cards are designed to encourage kids to read on a daily basis, with different types of reading goals on each card.
- The letter introduces the game but is also a way of inviting families to support their child’s reading.
I have visited the class several times and I also FaceTime with them a few times a month to stay updated on their progress. I really value my time working on this project and the teacher at the school reports that her students are actively participating in the bingo game and reading more.
To help with book access, I collect books by making purchases at book sales and private donations, as well as outreach efforts with organizations like the Reading Tub that provide books to children and families who don’t have access to appropriate reading resources.
I have been pleasantly surprised by how many organizations and people in my community have been generously donating books for my project. People have given me positive feedback about my project and have been genuinely interested in helping in whatever ways they can. The hardest part about the project is finding a place to store all of the books and transporting them to the school!
Education and literacy are the keys to success, and having access to better reading tools can greatly increase the future job opportunities one has. Giving these books to the students has increased their motivation to read and I’m happy to be a part of something that will improve their academic skills and bring joy to their lives.
With more book donations, I hope to expand this project to other classrooms! My goal is to continue this project until June 2020, when I graduate high school.
4 Questions for Danielle …
Who is your reading inspiration? J.K. Rowling, because she persevered in order to get her books published. She never gave up because she wanted to introduce a new fantasy series for children.
What’s on your nightstand? I am very excited to read Tell Me Three Things, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Love & Gelato.
Which comes first: the book or the movie? I think reading a book before watching the movie is better because it is interesting to see another person’s interpretation of a book.
What is your favorite book-t-movie adaptation? The Hunger Games! I loved being able to watch Katniss and the other characters come to life on film.
How You Can Support Bingo for Bookworms
Danielle is always seeking new and like-new books – particularly Easy Readers – for the students participating in Bingo for Bookworms. Interested readers, authors, and publishers can contact me and I will get your email to Danielle.