Rotary promoting literacy

What is in a Dictionary?

This month all the third-graders in the Lodi Unified School District found out the answer to that question. They investigated the answer to the question by looking into their own dictionary to find the answer.

The distribution of the dictionaries is a part of the Dictionary Project’s (www.dictionaryproject.org) mission, which is: “… to assist all students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers, and resourceful learners by providing them with their own personal dictionary.

Every year for the last 10 years Lodi Rotary Club 583 has been a sponsor of this project by giving a dictionary to each third-grader. Our club is the oldest in Lodi and we will observe our 100th birthday in 2021. It is our way of supporting literacy, one of the six initiatives of Rotary International.

This year 16 club members distributed dictionaries to 17 elementary schools. This distribution effort is one of the many good (fun) things we do to support Lodi. So earlier the question was asked, “what is in a dictionary?” The answer is a lot!

The dictionary contains: a complete dictionary of words and phrases; biographies of the U.S. presidents, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, maps of the seven continents, information about the 50 states, weights and measures, sign language and Braille, and much more. So, if you are the parent of a third grader or close friend of a third-grader, ask them to show you their dictionaries.

One of the first things we do is to have them write their name on the back of the front cover because we want them to know it is theirs to keep and to take care of. One of the teachers mentioned that she had been in touch with some of her students over the years and that many of them still used their dictionaries in middle school.

Our club is pleased to be a part of this literacy program and we know that the dictionaries are appreciated. MICHAEL HODGE

Galt